Original figure description: Billiard balls in two-dimensional motion after the initial shot.
Billiard balls on a pool table are in motion after being hit with a cue stick. (Popperipopp, Wikimedia Commons)
In Chapter 2, we learned to distinguish between vectors and scalars; the difference being that a vector has magnitude and direction, whereas a scalar has only magnitude and possibly sign. We learned how to deal with vectors in physics by working straightforward one-dimensional vector problems, which may be treated mathematically in the same as scalars. In this chapter, we’ll use vectors to expand our understanding of forces and motion into two dimensions. Most real-world physics problems (such as with the game of pool pictured here) are, after all, either two- or three-dimensional problems and physics is most useful when applied to real physical scenarios. We start by learning the practical skills of graphically adding and subtracting vectors (by using drawings) and analytically (with math). Once we’re able to work with two-dimensional vectors, we apply these skills to problems of projectile motion, inclined planes, and harmonic motion.
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