Physics A-Level
Vector addition
What Vector addition means in Physics A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Vector addition
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Reference: AQA
Done by calculation or scale drawing, accounting for direction; for perpendicular vectors, resolve into components and use Pythagoras.
Combining vectors by taking direction into account, for example using a scale diagram or resolving into perpendicular components.
Combining two vectors at 90° by drawing a right-angled triangle with the vectors placed tip-to-tail.
Topics that use Vector addition
- Scalars and vectors (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Coplanar forces at a point
- Displacement
- Equilibrium
- Equilibrium conditions
- Free-body diagrams
- Measurement accuracy
- Newton's laws apply along each axis independently
- Perpendicular components
Using Vector addition in the exam
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