MDCAT Vectors and Equilibrium MCQs 2026 | PMDC Unit 1

What MDCAT 2026 asks in Unit 37 Vectors and Equilibrium

PMDC Unit 1 is the grammar of the rest of the paper. Every later chapter — projectiles, torque, work, flux — assumes you can split a vector, add with a cosine, and tell a scalar product from a vector product without blinking.

The official outcomes are vector basics, rectangular components, the scalar product, the vector product, and the two conditions of equilibrium. In the exam that means one parallelogram, one 3–4–5, one lamp on two strings, and at least one question that asks whether work is a vector because $W=F\cdot s.$

Physics Lab’s Unit 1 quiz is twenty important questions, each with its own lab. Lock an option first. The picture is how you check, not a hint.

• Name scalars (temperature, mass, work, energy) versus vectors (displacement, force, velocity, torque).
• Resolve: $A_x$ = A cos $\theta$ along x, $A_y$ = A sin $\theta$ along y. Swap them and the $10\mathrm{N}$ at $60^{\circ }$ becomes $5\sqrt{3}$ instead of 5.
• Add with $R=\surd (A^2$ + B² + 2AB cos $\theta$). At $90^{\circ }$ this is Pythagoras. At $0^{\circ }$ it is A + B. At $180^{\circ }$ it is |A − B|.
• Dot product A· $B=|A||B|$ cos $\theta$ — work, and the test for perpendicular ($product=0).$
• Cross product |A×B| = |A||B| sin $\theta$ — torque, area of the parallelogram, direction by the right-hand rule.
• First condition $\Sigma F$ = 0, second condition $\Sigma \tau$ = 0. The $120^{\circ }$ lamp is the classic three-force item.

Often-asked Vectors and Equilibrium MCQ patterns

These are the Vectors and Equilibrium ideas that keep coming every year with new numbers.

• Two forces at right angles: the options are always A+B, |A−B|, AB and Pythagoras. Only the last is the resultant.
• Equal vectors at $60^{\circ }:R=A\sqrt{3}.$ The parallel trap is $2\mathrm{A}$; the perpendicular trap is A $\sqrt{2}$.
• A $10\mathrm{N}$ force at $60^{\circ }$ to x: $A_x=5\mathrm{N}$ (cos), $A_y=5\sqrt{3}$ N (sin). The paper swaps them on purpose.
• Work at $60^{\circ }$: Fs cos $\theta$, not Fs. Work is a scalar even though both factors are vectors.
• A lamp on two equal strings at $120^{\circ }$: each tension equals the weight, not half of it.

Worked Vectors and Equilibrium numericals ($g=10)$

Work these on paper first. Then open the Unit 37 quiz — the same numbers are in the questions, with wrong options built from the usual mix-ups.

Vectors and Equilibrium traps that steal the mark

A good option is a true sentence about the wrong quantity. If you miss, the quiz names the mix-up on the option you actually picked.

• Adding magnitudes as if the arrows were parallel (3 + $4=7).$
• Swapping sin and cos on a $60^{\circ }$ component.
• Calling work a vector because $W=F\cdot s.$ The product is a scalar.
• Writing A× $B=0$ for perpendicular vectors — that is the dot product’s zero.
• Writing A· $B=0$ for parallel vectors — that is the cross product’s zero.
• Taking $T=W/2$ on the $120^{\circ }$ lamp.

Vectors and Equilibrium formula sheet for MDCAT 2026

Write these until they are cheaper than thinking. Then open the Vectors and Equilibrium quiz and make the picture agree.

• $R=\sqrt{A^2+B^2+2AB\cos \theta }$
• $A_x=A\cos \theta ,A_y=A\sin \theta$
• A· $B=|A||B|$ cos $\theta$ (0 ⇔ perpendicular)
• |A×B| = |A||B| sin $\theta$ (0 ⇔ parallel)
• $\tau =rF\sin \varphi$
• $\Sigma F$ = 0 and $\Sigma \tau$ = 0

How to practise Unit 37 Vectors and Equilibrium MCQs

Sit Unit 1 before anything else. If components are shaky, projectiles, torque and work will all leak marks later.

On every vector stem, sketch the two arrows and the angle before you look at the options. The options are the four ways to misuse the cosine formula.

Then open the Vectors and Equilibrium quiz. Twenty questions, twenty labs. Retry shuffles A–D so the right physics is not parked on B.

Choose topics and a test length up to 180 from the 674-question bank. Tutor Mode explains each selection; Timed Exam reveals explanations on submission. Use the complete review to revise mistakes and download your results.