I only have 2 pieces of information, the first is an angle, and the second is the speed. Using these two pieces of information, I need to get a x velocity and y velocity. How can I do this?
THANKS!!!
THANKS!!!
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Well, it sounds as though you are given the magnitude and angle, and you want the vector components.
Step 1: Draw a picture of a triangle with the hypotenuse = to the speed, extending from the origin of an x/y plane. Mark the angle between the x axis and the hypotenuse.
First, do the speed times the cosine of the angle and you have the x component, and the speed times the sine of the angle is the y component. That is because, if you plot a right triangle on the x/y axes, opp/hyp = sin (theta), so y = sin (theta) * hyp. The hypotenuse is the magnitude. The same applies for the x component, except the trig is now the cosine function.
Everything, regardless of the trig, is in m/s... so you are set.
Hope this helps
Step 1: Draw a picture of a triangle with the hypotenuse = to the speed, extending from the origin of an x/y plane. Mark the angle between the x axis and the hypotenuse.
First, do the speed times the cosine of the angle and you have the x component, and the speed times the sine of the angle is the y component. That is because, if you plot a right triangle on the x/y axes, opp/hyp = sin (theta), so y = sin (theta) * hyp. The hypotenuse is the magnitude. The same applies for the x component, except the trig is now the cosine function.
Everything, regardless of the trig, is in m/s... so you are set.
Hope this helps