17 - Calculating Vector Components in Physics, Part 1 (Component form of a Vector)

View more lessons like this at http://www.MathTutorDVD.com

In this lesson we begin the study of vector physics, which is the part of physics that deals with using vectors to solve problems. The first step in solving vector problems is usually that break up the vector into components.

Using trigonometry, we break up the vector into a horizontal component and a vector component, and we use the component form of a vector to solve the physics equations in each direction separately.

For example, we use the horizontal components of of the force and velocity vector to solve the motion in the horizontal direction (x direction). Separately, we use the vertical components of the same vectors to solve for the vertical motion..