Using Sketches to solve vectors

Do you remember trigonometry?  Do you remember vectors?  Of course you do.  You remember it with a gut wrenching feeling that threatens to spill the contents of your breakfast.

Instead of getting your pen and pad out, why don't you use your mouse and keyboard?

If you remember the parallelogram method then you can use it to solve your vectors using sketches.

1.  Draw your loads.

2. Dimension them as if they were your forces (5 lb = 5in, 10 lb = 10 in).  You might want to scale the loads a bit, unless you want to see a 10,000 in line on your screen for a 10,000 lb load.

3.  Draw 2 construction lines.  First one connects to the end point of one vector, and the second one at the end point of the other one.

4.  Make one construction line parallel and equal to one load.  Make the other construction line parallel and equal to the other load.

5. Draw a line where the two construction lines meet.

6. This line is your resultant vector.

7.  Dimension the vector and make the dimension driven.

8. Move the vectors around and you'll see how the value changes.

You can make the resultant vector dimension non-driven and set the load you're after.  For example, set the dimension to 10in (100 lbs in a 1/10 scale), and see how the loads change.  If you want it to be in a specific direction then you can add an angle too.  This is very useful for sizing your bearings to make sure the static loads don't exceed the bearing specifications.