Bridging the Gap: A Digital Approach to Vector Scale Drawings
Vector addition is a fundamental concept in physics, yet students often struggle to visualize the connection between abstract numbers (magnitude, direction) and their geometric representation. I developed this Vector Scale Drawing App, a lightweight web-based tool designed to scaffold the learning process for vector addition, providing students with a “sandbox” to practice scale drawings with immediate feedback.
This Vector Scale Drawing App is not meant to replace pen and paper, but to complement it. A built-in guide walks novices through the process (Read -> Choose Scale -> Draw -> Measure).
“Pencil Mode”
The pencil mode allows students to make markings, trace angles, or draw reference lines without “committing” to a vector. Crucially, in Pencil Mode, the tools are “transparent” to clicks—you can draw right over the ruler, just like in real life.
This distinction helps students separate the *construction phase* from the *result phase*.
When students submit their answer (Magnitude and Direction), the app checks it against the calculated resultant. We allow for a small margin of error (5%), acknowledging that scale drawing is an estimation skill.