Introduction – maths in student projects
Please watch this video on the role of Mathematics in Student Projects. Jemina Crathorne graduated from Bristol in July this year. Her dissertation related to her preparation for the UK kite-boarding team.
Vector operations – dot product
This week concerns vector operations, tackling misalignment. In session 2 the wind force acting on a sailboard seldom acts in the exact direction of the board’s travel. We might resolve vectors, but a neat trick is the dot product. Please follow the video here (14 minutes).
Cross product
Two vectors at right angles to each other produce a third orthogonal vector. But what happens when the vectors – like the length of a wrench handle and the force acting on it – are not at exactly 90 degrees? And what happens if the plane formed by force and torque vectors is not at 90 degrees to the required axis of rotation? In aircraft this misalignement could lead to roll, pitch and yaw. Please view the video on cross products here (12 minutes), and experiment with the online calculator at https://onlinemschool.com/math/assistance/vector/multiply1/.
Recap
The short video below recaps the course so far (2 minutes):
Time to have a go
The homework concerns vector addition. You recompute your estimates from last week to allow for ocean current. You can find the homework here: homework pdf file.
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