VECTORS: RECAP

You should already be familiar with the following vector work:

Quantities that have both magnitude and direction are called vectors.
Quantities that have only magnitude are called scalars.
AB means the displacement from the point A to the point B.
⃗
4
For the diagram,
AB=
⃗
3 () means it moves 4 unit to the rights and 3 units upwards
AB
The magnitude of the vector ⃗ AB
means the length of the vector ⃗ AB |
and is denoted by | ⃗
AB | is called the modulus of the vector ⃗
| ⃗ AB
AB | =
Using Pythagoras for the diagram, | ⃗ √ 4 2+32=5
Two vectors are said to be equal if they are the same length and are in the same direction.
The vector –a is the same length as the vector a but in the opposite direction.

Addition and subtraction of vectors

The vector a + b means the vector a followed by the vector b.
The vector a - b means the vector a followed by the vector -b.
The resultant vector is often shown with a double arrow.
It is drawn from the starting point to the finishing point.
2 4
() ()
For example, if a = 3 and b = 1 , then a + b and a – b can be shown on a vector diagram as:

a + b and a – b can also be found as follows:

2 + 4 = 2+4 = 6
a+b= 3 1
()()( )()
3+ 1 4 a–b=
(23)−( 41 )=( 2−4
3−1 ) =(−2 )
2

Multiplication by a scalar

The vector a + a can be written as 2a

The vectors a and 2a are examples of parallel vectors.

Two vectors are parallel if one vector can be written as a multiple of the other vector.
−1 −5 −5 =5 −1
Example:
( )
3 and 15 ( )are parallel and in the same direction because 15
( ) ( )
3

(−42 ) and
(−612 ) are parallel and in opposite direction because
(−612 )=−3 (−42 )

Collinear points
AB = k ⃗
If ⃗ AC then the points A, B and C are collinear.
(This is because the lines AB and AC must be parallel and the point A lies on both lines)