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When combining vectors, how must they be arranged?

User Jarekczek
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Final answer:

When combining vectors, use the head-to-tail method by placing each vector's tail at the previous vector's head and draw the resultant from the first vector's tail to the last vector's head.

Step-by-step explanation:

When combining vectors, they must be arranged using the head-to-tail method. This involves drawing the first vector and then placing the tail of the second vector at the head of the first vector. If there are more vectors, you continue placing each new vector so that its tail meets the head of the previous vector. Once all the vectors are placed head-to-tail, you draw the resultant vector from the tail of the first vector to the head of the last vector. This resultant is the sum of all the vectors. The process can also involve using the parallelogram rule for pairs of vectors when constructing a resultant in a plane geometrically, though for multiple vectors, the head-to-tail method is typically more convenient. The addition of vectors is commutative and associative, meaning that the order in which pairs of vectors are added does not affect the final resultant.

User HJW
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