‭Maths‬‭Vectors:‬

‭Basic‬‭Vectors‬

-‭ ‬ W ‭ hat‬‭are‬‭vectors?‬
‭●‬ ‭A‬‭vector‬‭is‬‭a‬‭type‬‭of‬‭number‬‭that‬‭has‬‭both‬‭a‬‭size‬‭and‬‭a‬‭direction.‬
‭●‬ ‭Here‬‭we‬‭only‬‭deal‬‭with‬‭two-dimensional‬‭vectors,‬‭although‬‭it‬‭is‬‭possible‬‭to‬‭have‬
‭vectors‬‭with‬‭any‬‭number‬‭of‬‭dimensions.‬

‭Representing‬‭vectors:‬

‭●‬ V
‭ ectors‬‭are‬‭represented‬‭as‬‭arrows,‬‭with‬‭the‬‭arrowhead‬‭indicating‬‭the‬‭direction‬‭of‬‭the‬
‭vector,‬‭and‬‭the‬‭length‬‭of‬‭the‬‭arrow‬‭indicating‬‭the‬‭vector’s‬‭magnitude‬‭(i.e.‬‭size).‬

‭●‬ I‭n‬‭print‬‭vectors‬‭are‬‭usually‬‭represented‬‭by‬‭bold‬‭letters‬‭(as‬‭with‬‭vector‬‭a‬‭in‬‭the‬
‭diagram‬‭above)‬‭although‬‭in‬‭handwritten‬‭workings‬‭underlined‬‭letters‬‭are‬‭normally‬
‭used,‬‭a.‬
‭●‬ ‭Another‬‭way‬‭to‬‭indicate‬‭a‬‭vector‬‭is‬‭to‬‭write‬‭its‬‭starting‬‭and‬‭ending‬‭points‬‭with‬‭an‬
‭arrow‬‭symbol‬‭over‬‭the‬‭top‬‭such‬‭as‬
‭→‬
‭AB‬
 ‭→‬
‭●‬ N
‭ ote‬‭that‬‭the‬‭order‬‭of‬‭the‬‭letters‬‭is‬‭important!‬‭Vector‬‭BA‬ ‭in‬‭the‬‭above‬‭diagram‬‭would‬
‭point‬‭in‬‭the‬‭opposite‬‭direction‬‭(i.e‬‭with‬‭its‬‭‘tail’‬‭at‬‭point‬‭B,‬‭and‬‭the‬‭arrow‬‭head‬‭at‬‭point‬
‭A)‬

‭Vectors‬‭and‬‭Transformation‬‭geometry:‬

‭●‬ ‭In‬‭transformation‬‭geometry,‬‭translations‬‭are‬‭indicated‬‭in‬‭the‬‭form‬‭of‬‭column‬‭vectors.‬

‭●‬ I‭n‬‭the‬‭following‬‭diagram,‬‭shape‬‭A‬‭has‬‭been‬‭translated‬‭six‬‭squares‬
‭to‬‭the‬‭right‬‭and‬‭3‬‭squares‬‭up‬‭to‬‭create‬‭shape‬‭B.‬
 ‭●‬ ‭This‬‭transformation‬‭is‬‭indicated‬‭by‬‭the‬‭translation‬‭vector‬

‭‬ N
● ‭ ote:‬‭‘Vector’‬‭is‬‭a‬‭word‬‭from‬‭Latin‬‭that‬‭means‬‭‘carrier’.‬
‭●‬ ‭In‬‭this‬‭case,‬‭the‬‭vector‬‭‘carries’‬‭shape‬‭A‬‭to‬‭shape‬‭B,‬‭so‬‭that‬
‭meaning‬‭makes‬‭perfect‬‭sense!‬

‭Vectors‬‭on‬‭a‬‭Grid:‬
‭●‬ Y ‭ ou‬‭also‬‭need‬‭to‬‭be‬‭able‬‭to‬‭work‬‭with‬‭vectors‬‭on‬‭their‬‭own,‬‭outside‬‭the‬
‭transformation‬‭geometry‬‭context.‬
‭●‬ ‭When‬‭vectors‬‭are‬‭drawn‬‭on‬‭a‬‭grid‬‭(with‬‭or‬‭without‬‭x‬‭and‬‭y‬‭axis),‬‭the‬
‭vectors‬‭can‬‭be‬‭represented‬‭in‬‭the‬‭same‬‭(x‬‭y)‬‭column‬‭vector‬‭form‬‭as‬
‭above.‬
‭Multiplying‬‭a‬‭Vector‬‭by‬‭Scalar:‬
‭●‬ A ‭ ‬‭scalar‬‭is‬‭a‬‭number‬‭with‬‭magnitude‬‭but‬‭no‬‭direction‬‭–‬‭i.e‬‭the‬‭regular‬‭numbers‬‭you‬
‭are‬‭used‬‭to‬‭using.‬
‭●‬ ‭When‬‭a‬‭vector‬‭is‬‭multiplied‬‭by‬‭a‬‭positive‬‭scalar,‬‭the‬‭magnitude‬‭of‬‭the‬‭vector‬‭changes,‬
‭but‬‭its‬‭direction‬‭stays‬‭the‬‭same.‬
‭●‬ ‭If‬‭a‬‭vector‬‭is‬‭represented‬‭as‬‭a‬‭column‬‭vector,‬‭then‬‭each‬‭of‬‭the‬‭numbers‬‭in‬‭the‬‭column‬
‭vector‬‭gets‬‭multiplied‬‭by‬‭the‬‭scalar.‬
‭●‬ ‭Note‬‭that‬‭multiplying‬‭by‬‭a‬‭negative‬‭scalar‬‭also‬‭changes‬‭the‬‭direction‬‭of‬‭the‬‭vector.‬