09/07 Harmon

To start off the third period, Coats-Haan checked our vector addition homework and passed out answer keys for us to make corrections. Once the answer keys were collected, our class was introduced a second way to solve vectors called Unit Vector Notation. the class diligently took notes from the smartboard on how to convert our old method of vectors, the polar form, to Unit Vector Notation(one solves the x and y values just like we did in the ROXY chart, and put the coefficient i with the x-value and j the y-value), and how to convert Unit Vector Notation to the polar form(one uses the Pythagorean Theorem to find the vector's magnitude, and then one has to use the inverse tangent function (y/x) to find the direction. In the moments after completing the notes for the day, Coats-Haan passed out a pair-check, which we all completed and turned in, a Unit Vector Notation worksheet, and she assigned lab manual page 9 for homework(this is a sheet we started in class and the rest was homework). In the midst of our tedious, and I mean tedious work, the bell rang, and I almost had to be dragged from the room. September 7th was another fantastic day for 3rd period physics!

QOD Answer:

The advantage of using unit vectors as opposed to polar form is that it is much easier to add unit vectors together, because all one has to do is combine like terms(i's with i's and j's with j's).