Chapter 3

VECTOR ALGEBRA
 3.1 Scalar and Vector

➢ A scalar is a quantity that has only magnitude

Examples: time, mass, distance, temperature,
entropy, electric potential, population.
➢ A vector is a quantity that has both magnitude
and direction.
Examples: velocity, force, displacement, electric
field intensity.
 3.2 Unit Vector

➢ A vector A has both magnitude and

direction.
➢ The magnitude of A is a scalar written as A

or |A|.
 3.2 Unit Vector

➢ A unit vector aA along A is defined as a

vector whose magnitude is unity and is
direction is along A, that is,

or
 3.2 Unit Vector

➢ A vector A in cartesian (or rectangular)

coordinates may be represented as
or
 3.2 Unit Vector

Figure 3.1
 3.2 Unit Vector

➢ The magnitude of vector A is given by

and the unit vector along A is given by

 3.3 Vector Addition and Subtraction

➢ The three basic laws of algebra obeyed by any given

vectors A, B and C, are summarized as follows:

where k and ℓ are scalars.

 3.4 Position and Distance Vectors

➢ A point P in Cartesian coordinates may be

represented by (x, y, z).
➢ The position vector rp (or radius vector) of point
P is the directed distance from the origin O to P;
i.e.,
 3.4 Position and Distance Vectors

Figure 3.2 Illustration of position vector

 3.4 Position and Distance Vectors

➢ The distance vector is the displacement

from one point to another.
➢ If two points P and Q are given by (xP, yP,
zP) and (xQ, yQ, zQ), the distance vector (or
separation vector) is the displacement
from P to Q as shown in Figure 3.3.
3.4 Position and Distance Vectors

Figure 3.3 Distance vector rPQ

 3.4 Position and Distance Vectors

Exercise 1: If
find:
(b) the magnitude of 3A – B,
(c) a unit vector along A + 2B.
 3.4 Position and Distance Vectors

Answers:
(a) Ay = - 4
(b) |3A – B| = 35.74
(c)
 3.5 Vector Multiplication

➢ When two vectors A and B are multiplied, the result is either a

scalar or a vector depending on how they are multiplied. Thus
there are two types of vector multiplication:
1. Scalar (or dot) product: A.B
2. Vector (or cross) product: A x B
➢ Multiplication of three vectors A, B, and C can result in either
3. Scalar triple product: A. (B x C)
or
4. Vector triple product: A x (B x C)
 3.6 Dot Product

➢ The dot product of two vectors A and B, written as A .

B, is defined as the product of the magnitude of A and
B and the cosine of the angle between them.

where is the smaller angle between A and

B.
 3.6 Dot Product
➢ The dot product obeys the following rules:
(i) Commutative law:
A.B=B.A
(ii) Distributive law:
A . (B + C) = A . B + A . C
A . A = |A|2 = A2
(iii) Also note that
 3.7 Cross Product
The cross product of two vectors A and B, written A x B, is a vector
quantity whose magnitude is the area of the parallelopiped formed
by A and B and is in the direction of advance of a right-handed
screw as A is turned into B.

Figure 3.4 The cross product of A and B is a vector with magnitude equal to the area
of the parallelogram and direction as indicated.
 3.7 Cross Product

Figure 3.5 Direction of A x B and using (a) right-hand rule, (b) right-handed screw
rule.
 3.7 Cross Product

Thus

where is a unit vector normal to the plane containing

A and B.

➢ The cross product is also called the vector product

because the result is a vector.
 3.7 Cross Product

If A = (Ax, Ay, Az,) and B = (Bx, By, Bz,) then

3.7 Cross Product
3.7 Cross Product
 3.8 Scalar Triple Product

Given three vectors A, B, and C, the scalar triple product is

defined as

The result is called scalar triple product since the result of this
vector multiplication is scalar.
 Exercises

1. Find the angle between A and B given the vectors:

2. Let
E = 3ax + 4ay + az B = 2ay - 5az ,
(a) Find the component of E along F.
(b) Determine a unit vector perpendicular to both E and F. ,
 Exercises

3. Three field quantities are given by

Determine
 Exercises

4. If P1 is (1, 2, -3) and P2 is (-4, 0, 5), find

(a) The distance P1 P2
(b) The vector equation of the line P1 P2
(c) The shortest distance between the line P1 P2 and point
P3 (7, -1, 2)
Thank You