Looking at the diagram below, can you predict in which direction the ship will travel?

To answer this question, you can drag all the horizontal, or x, components (click and hold on each as you move them) to the right of the screen. Group the components pointing to the left in a head-to-tail arrangement, and all the components pointing to the right (if any) in a head-to-tail arrangement.

Move the vertical, or y, components to the left of the screen in the same way. Group the vectors pointing up in a head to tail arrangement, as in the diagram below.

Now, using the net vertical (x) and horizontal (y) components, you can estimate the direction and magnitude of the resultant vector.

You can check the accuracy of your estimate by using the head-to-tail method of adding vectors.

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