Page 7 - mechanics

Chapter – 2 Concurrent forces in 2D

mechanics are: position r, force F, moment M, and velocity v.
The vector magnitude is the number indicating how large

this vector quantity is. So, it is either a large or a small number
and it is always positive.

The vector direction is represented graphically by a line
of action which is an infinite line that determines the angle the
vector makes with a reference line, and an arrow which is used
to define its sense. The magnitude of the vector, |A|, is
represented graphically by the length of the line segment from
the start point of vector, called the tail, to the vector end at the
arrow, called the head, taking into account the drawing scale.
Figure (2.1) shows a graphical representation of a typical
vector A.

Line of actin

Head
|A|

 Reference line

Tail

Fig. 2.1 Graphical representation of a vector A
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