Lecture Note (PHY-111)

Math and Natural Science Department

Brac University
Contents

List of Figures ii

1 Vector Multiplications 1
1.1 Scalar Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1.1 Scalar product as Projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Some special cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 Some properties of Scalar product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.4 Scalar product vectors resolved in Cartesian Coordinate . . . . . . . 3
1.5 Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

i
List of Figures

1.1 Scalar product as Projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

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Chapter 1

Vector Multiplications

1.1 Scalar Product

~ and B
Let A ~ are two vectors. We denote the angle θ to be the angle between the
~ and B.
vectors A ~ Now, we can define a scalar multiplication between those two

vectors, as

~ ·B
A ~ = |A||
~ B|~ cos(θ) (1.1)

Note that, this quantity is a scalar quantity, therefore it has no direction.

1.1.1 Scalar product as Projection

Figure 1.1: Scalar product as Projection

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 From the definition of scalar product, We can rewrite as,

~ ·B
A ~ = (|A|
~ cos(θ))|B|
~ = (|B|
~ cos(θ))|A|
~

~ cos(θ)) as a projection of A
Where we can consider, (|A| ~ on vector B.In
~ the same
~ cos(θ)) as a projection of B
way, we can think (|B| ~ on vector A.
~

1.2 Some special cases

~ or B
• If any of A ~ or both are null vectors (|A|
~ = 0 or |B|
~ = 0) then,

~ ·B
A ~ =0 (1.2)

~ and B
• If The vectors A ~ are perpendicular, θ = 90◦ , Then,

~ ·B
A ~ = |A||
~ B|~ cos(90◦ ) = 0 (1.3)

• Scalar product of a vector with itself:

~ ·A
A ~ = |A||
~ A|~ cos(0◦ ) = |A|
~ 2 (1.4)

1.3 Some properties of Scalar product

• Commutative law for scalar product:

~ ·B
A ~ =B
~ ·A
~ (1.5)

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 • Distributive Law:

~ · (B
A ~ + C)
~ =A
~ ·B
~ +A
~ ·C
~ (1.6)

• For any scalar quantity c, scalar product fulfill,

~ · B)
c(A ~ = (cA)
~ ·B
~ =A
~ · (cB)
~ = (A
~ · B)c
~ (1.7)

1.4 Scalar product vectors resolved in Cartesian

Coordinate

In Cartesian coordinate system, we can define the unit vector (î, ĵ, k̂) along the x,
y and z-axis as,

î · î = ĵ · ĵ = k̂ · k̂ = 1 (1.8)

î · ĵ = ĵ · k̂ = k̂ · î = 0 (1.9)

As we have seen earlier in Cartesian coordinate system, we can decompose any

~ = Ax î + Ay ĵ + Az k̂. We can define the scalar product between two
vectors as A
~ = Ax î + Ay ĵ + Az k̂ and B
vector A ~ = Bx î + By ĵ + Bz k̂ as,

~ ·B
A ~ =(Ax î + Ay ĵ + Az k̂) · (Bx î + By ĵ + Bz k̂) (1.10)

= Ax Bx + Ay By + Az Bz (1.11)

1.5 Exercise

• Justify the the relation in equation 2.8, 2.9 ,2.11.

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 ~ and B
• Prove that when two vector A ~ are perpendicular, they satisfy,

Ax Bx + Ay By + Az Bz = 0

~ by using scalar product.

• Find the value or norm of a vector A