Steps To Resolve Vectors

When two or more vectors are added, the following procedures can be applied to determine the resultant vector:

1. Choose the orientation of the x-y coordinate system.
2. Draw the vectors such that they start from the origin.
3. All the vectors must be labelled and have appropriate lengths and directions.
4. Determine the x and y components of all the vectors.
5. Determine the resultant vector along the x-axis and along the y-axis.
6. Apply Pythagoras theorem to find the magnitude of the resultant vector.
7. Apply trigonometry to find the angle that the resultant vector make with x- or y-axis.

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