Vector algebra

relations

The following are important identities in

vector algebra. Identities that involve the
magnitude of a vector , or the dot
product (scalar product) of two vectors
A·B, apply to vectors in any dimension.
Identities that use the cross product
(vector product) A×B are defined only in
three dimensions.[nb 1][1]
Magnitudes

The magnitude of a vector A can be

expressed using the dot product:

In three-dimensional Euclidean space, the

magnitude of a vector is determined from
its three components using Pythagoras'
theorem:
Inequalities

The Cauchy–Schwarz inequality:

The triangle inequality:

The reverse triangle inequality:

Angles

The vector product and the scalar product

of two vectors define the angle between
them, say θ:[1][2]
To satisfy the right-hand rule, for positive
θ, vector B is counter-clockwise from A,
and for negative θ it is clockwise.

The Pythagorean trigonometric identity

then provides:

If a vector A = (Ax, Ay, Az) makes angles α,

β, γ with an orthogonal set of x-, y- and z-
axes, then:
and analogously for angles β, γ.
Consequently:

with unit vectors along the axis

directions.

Areas and volumes

The area Σ of a parallelogram with sides A

and B containing the angle θ is:
which will be recognized as the magnitude
of the vector cross product of the vectors
A and B lying along the sides of the
parallelogram. That is:

(If A, B are two-dimensional vectors, this is

equal to the determinant of the 2 × 2
matrix with rows A, B.) The square of this
expression is:[3]

where Γ(A, B) is the Gram determinant of A

and B defined by:
In a similar fashion, the squared volume V
of a parallelepiped spanned by the three
vectors A, B, C is given by the Gram
determinant of the three vectors:[3]

Since A, B, C are three-dimensional

vectors, this is equal to the square of the
scalar triple product
below.
This process can be extended to n-
dimensions.

Addition and multiplication

of vectors

Commutativity of addition:
.
Commutativity of scalar product:
.
Anticommutativity of cross product:
.
Distributivity of multiplication by a scalar
over addition: .
Distributivity of scalar product over
addition:
.
Distributivity of vector product over
addition:
.
Scalar triple product:

Vector triple product:

.
Jacobi identity:
Binet-Cauchy identity:

Lagrange's identity:

.
Vector quadruple product:[4][5]

A consequence of the previous

equation:[6]

In 3 dimensions, a vector D can be

expressed in terms of basis vectors
{A,B,C} as:[7]
See also

Vector space
Geometric algebra

Notes

1. There is also a seven-dimensional cross

product of vectors that relates to
multiplication in the octonions, but it does
not satisfy these three-dimensional
identities.

References

1. Lyle Frederick Albright (2008). "§2.5.1

Vector algebra" (https://books.google.com/
 books?id=HYB3Udjx_FYC&pg=PA68) .
Albright's chemical engineering handbook.
CRC Press. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-8247-5362-7.
2. Francis Begnaud Hildebrand (1992).
Methods of applied mathematics (https://b
ooks.google.com/books?id=17EZkWPz_eQ
C&pg=PA24) (Reprint of Prentice-Hall
1965 2nd ed.). Courier Dover Publications.
p. 24. ISBN 0-486-67002-3.
3. Richard Courant, Fritz John (2000). "Areas
of parallelograms and volumes of
parallelepipeds in higher dimensions" (http
s://books.google.com/books?id=ngkQxS4e
icgC&pg=PA191) . Introduction to calculus
and analysis, Volume II (Reprint of original
1974 Interscience ed.). Springer. pp. 190–
195. ISBN 3-540-66569-2.
4. Vidwan Singh Soni (2009). "§1.10.2 Vector
quadruple product" (https://books.google.c
om/books?id=-3H5V0LGBOgC&pg=PA11) .
Mechanics and relativity. PHI Learning Pvt.
Ltd. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-81-203-3713-8.
5. This formula is applied to spherical
trigonometry by Edwin Bidwell Wilson,
Josiah Willard Gibbs (1901). "§42 in Direct
and skew products of vectors". Vector
analysis: a text-book for the use of students
of mathematics (https://archive.org/detail
s/vectoranalysisa00wilsgoog) . Scribner.
pp. 77 (https://archive.org/details/vectoran
alysisa00wilsgoog/page/n101) ff.
6. "linear algebra - Cross-product identity" (htt
ps://math.stackexchange.com/questions/3
496791/cross-product-identity) .
 Mathematics Stack Exchange. Retrieved
2021-10-07.
7. Joseph George Coffin (1911). Vector
analysis: an introduction to vector-methods
and their various applications to physics
and mathematics (https://archive.org/detail
s/vectoranalysisa00coffgoog) (2nd ed.).
Wiley. p. 56 (https://archive.org/details/vec
toranalysisa00coffgoog/page/n84) .

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