Question

How do I find the vertical component of a vector?

Answer 1

The formula for the vertical component of a vector ai + bj is as follows:

`v_y = ||A|| sin(θ)`

First, calculate the magnitude of the vector A which is `||A||`:
||A|| = `sqrt(a^2 + b^2)`

Next, determine `theta`
If you draw a triangle where a is the x axis and b is the y axis, you get a right triangle. The angle `theta` has the following measurement below:
`tan(theta) = b/a`
`theta = artcan(b/a)`

Finally, we have the vertical component formula:
`v_y = ||A|| sin(θ)`

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