Arrows with Direction

Components and magnitude

An interactive lesson with 6 steps, about 5 minutes: you predict, drag and solve, with instant feedback on every answer. It runs in your browser and needs JavaScript.

What you’ll learn

• Vectors have a size and a direction. Scalars have size only.
• Components: $\vec v = (v_x, v_y)$. Magnitude: $|\vec v| = \sqrt{v_x^2 + v_y^2}$.
• From a length $L$ and an angle $\theta$: $(L\cos\theta, L\sin\theta)$.

Steps

1. Not enough information
2. Components
3. Magnitude
4. From angle to components
5. Which way?
6. Same vector?