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How to calculate the magnitude of the horizontal component of a vector


User Nlper
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2 Answers

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12 votes

Final answer:

To calculate the magnitude of the horizontal component of a vector, use the formula Ax = A cos θ.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the magnitude of the horizontal component of a vector, you can use the relationship Ax = A cos θ.

For example, let's say you have a vector with a magnitude of 5 units and it makes an angle of 30 degrees with the horizontal axis. To find the magnitude of the horizontal component, you would use the formula Ax = 5 cos 30°.

Using this formula, you can calculate the magnitude of the horizontal component for any vector by multiplying the vector's magnitude by the cosine of the angle it makes with the horizontal axis.

User Antonio Papa
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Taking a look at the image in the attachment, we discover that we can calculate the magnitude of the horizontal components using our knowledge of trigonometry. Since we are comparing the resultant and the horizontal component, the equation connecting them is


cos \theta = (V_(x))/(V), where
V_(x) is the horizontal component, and
V is the resultant vector. Now we have to make


V_(x) = Vcos \theta, and this is how we calculate the magnitude of the horizontal component.


V_(x) = Vcos \theta

How to calculate the magnitude of the horizontal component of a vector ​-example-1
User Cyphus
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