Figure 1: Adding and Subtracting

0.1 Vectors
~ It was invented by Gibbs at Yale.
A vector has a magnitude and direction A.
Vectors with the same magnitude and direction are the same
~=B
A ~

provided A~ and B~ point in the same direction with the same magnitude.
~ = B)
Scalar operations on a vector scale the vector (ie cA ~ implies B
~ points in
~
the same direction as A but with c times the length. Consequently we define
the magnitude as
~ =A
|A|
~ in the above case this gives us
which is the scalar size of the vector for B
~ = 2A. Lastly we can define the unit vector
|B|
~
A
 =
A
by definition
|Â| = 1
but it points in the direction of the vector.

0.1.1 Adding Vectors

To add vectors its equal to just lining up the arrows and combining them. See
figure for
A~+B ~ =C ~
Subtracting is equalent to adding two vectors where one is scaled by −1
~−B
A ~ =A
~ + (−1)B
~ =D
~

scaling by −1 effectively just means to swap the arrows

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0.1.2 Algebraic Properties
Its commutative

~+B
A ~ =B
~ +A
~
and associative    
~+B
A ~ +C~ =A
~+ B~ +C
~

and distributive  
c A~+B ~ = cA~ + cB
~
 
(c + d) A~ = cA
~ + dA~

0.1.3 Vectors in coordinates

Typically we like to write vectors in a coordinate system. A typical coodrinate
system is cartesian, given by x, y, z which we write as unit vectors point in each
of their directions ie
x̂, ŷ, ẑ
A vector can be written as
 
Ax
~ =  Ay 
A
Az
where Ax is the x̂ component and Ay the ŷ component and Az the ẑ component
and so on. Another way to write this is by
~ = Ax x̂ + Ay ŷ + Az ẑ
A
some people, like in the book, like to write x̂ → î ŷ → ĵ and ẑ → k̂

0.1.4 Dot Product

   
Ax Bx
~·B
A ~ =  Ay  ·  By  = Ax Bx + Ay By + Az Bz
Az Bz
~·A
A2 = A ~
also can write this as
~·B
A ~ = AB cos θ
~ on B
or the projection of A ~ times B~ or visa-versa. Note that dot product is
commutative
A~·B~ =B ~ ·A
~
~⊥B
also if A ~ then A~·B~ =0
In Physics, we can write work W is given by force times distance with the
force projected on the distance direction. Thus we have
W = F~ · d~

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 Figure 2: Example of dot product

0.1.5 Cross Product

The cross product magnitude is given by
~×B
A ~ = AB sin θĉ

~ and c ⊥ B
where c ⊥ A ~ also note that

~×B
A ~ = −A
~×B
~

which also gives us

x̂ × ŷ = ẑ
and
ŷ × ẑ = x̂
ẑ × x̂ = ŷ
in components this can be written as

 
 î ĵ k̂       
  Ay Az   Ax Az   Ax Ay 
~×B
~ =C
~ =  Ax

A Ay Az =
  By î +  ĵ +  k̂

 Bx Bz   Bx Bz   Bx By 
By Bz 

= (Ay Bz − Az By ) î + (Ax Bz − Az Bx ) ĵ + (Ax By − Ay Bx ) k̂

The cross product is equivalent to the area of a rectangle.

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Figure 3: Cross Product