To find the magnitude and direction of the second displacement, we can use vector addition. We start by breaking down the first displacement into its components, then we can determine the second displacement by using the resultant vector and the first displacement.
Step 1: Break Down the First Displacement
The first displacement has a magnitude of 165 cm and is directed at an angle of 120.0° from the positive x-axis. We can find its x and y components using trigonometric functions:
- X-component:
D1x = D1 * cos(θ) = 165 * cos(120°)
Since cos(120°) = -0.5, we have:
D1x = 165 * (-0.5) = -82.5 cm
- Y-component:
D1y = D1 * sin(θ) = 165 * sin(120°)
Since sin(120°) = √3/2 ≈ 0.866, we have:
D1y = 165 * 0.866 ≈ 142.9 cm
So, the components of the first displacement are approximately:
- D1x ≈ -82.5 cm
- D1y ≈ 142.9 cm
Step 2: Analyze the Resultant Displacement
The resultant displacement is given as 140 cm at an angle of 41.5° from the positive x-axis. We can also break this down into its components:
- X-component:
R_x = R * cos(θ) = 140 * cos(41.5°)
Using cos(41.5°) ≈ 0.7547, we find:
R_x ≈ 140 * 0.7547 ≈ 105.7 cm
- Y-component:
R_y = R * sin(θ) = 140 * sin(41.5°)
Using sin(41.5°) ≈ 0.6561, we find:
R_y ≈ 140 * 0.6561 ≈ 91.8 cm
Thus, the components of the resultant displacement are:
- R_x ≈ 105.7 cm
- R_y ≈ 91.8 cm
Step 3: Calculate the Second Displacement Components
Let’s denote the second displacement as D2. The components of D2 can be expressed as:
- X-component:
D2x = R_x - D1x = 105.7 - (-82.5) = 105.7 + 82.5 = 188.2 cm
- Y-component:
D2y = R_y - D1y = 91.8 - 142.9 = -51.1 cm
Step 4: Determine the Magnitude and Direction of D2
Now we can find the magnitude of the second displacement using the Pythagorean theorem:
|D2| = √(D2x² + D2y²) = √(188.2² + (-51.1)²)
Calculating this gives:
|D2| = √(35312.64 + 2612.21) = √(37924.85) ≈ 194.8 cm
Next, we find the direction (angle) of D2 using the arctangent function:
θ = tan⁻¹(D2y / D2x) = tan⁻¹(-51.1 / 188.2)
Calculating this gives:
θ ≈ tan⁻¹(-0.271) ≈ -15.2°
This angle is measured counter-clockwise from the positive x-axis. To express it in a standard format, we can convert it to a positive angle:
θ = 360° - 15.2° = 344.8°
Final Results
Thus, the magnitude of the second displacement is approximately 194.8 cm, and its direction is approximately 344.8° counter-clockwise from the positive x-axis.