Calculate the magnitude of the resultant of a pair of [tex]100 \, \text{km/hr}[/tex] velocity vectors that are at right angles to each other.



Answer :

To find the magnitude of the resultant of two velocity vectors that are 100 km/hr each and at right angles to each other, we can use the Pythagorean theorem. Here’s the step-by-step solution:

1. Identify the given information:
- Vector 1 (v1) = 100 km/hr
- Vector 2 (v2) = 100 km/hr
- The angle between these two vectors is 90 degrees (right angle).

2. Understand the Pythagorean theorem:
When two vectors are perpendicular to each other, the magnitude of the resultant vector (R) can be found using the Pythagorean theorem:

[tex]\[ R = \sqrt{v1^2 + v2^2} \][/tex]

3. Substitute the given values into the equation:

[tex]\[ R = \sqrt{100^2 + 100^2} \][/tex]

4. Calculate the squares of the velocities:

[tex]\[ R = \sqrt{10000 + 10000} \][/tex]

5. Sum the squared values:

[tex]\[ R = \sqrt{20000} \][/tex]

6. Find the square root of the sum to get the resultant magnitude:

[tex]\[ R \approx 141.4213562373095 \text{ km/hr} \][/tex]

Therefore, the magnitude of the resultant vector is approximately 141.42 km/hr.