FHMM1014 Topic 5 Vectors Student

Centre For Foundation Studies
Department of Sciences and Engineering
FHMM1014 Mathematics I
Topic 5
Vectors
FHMM1014 Mathematics I 1
Subtopics
• Introduction
• Geometric Description of Vector
• Vectors in the Coordinate Plane
• The Dot Product
• Using Vector to Model Velocity
Introduction
Introduction
• In applications of mathematics, certain
quantities are determined completely by their
magnitude.
• For example: Length, Mass, Area, Energy,
Temperature
Such a quantity is called a scalar.
Introduction
• However, to describe the displacement
of an object, two numbers are required:
– Magnitude and the direction of the
displacement
• To describe the velocity of a moving object,
we must specify both:
– Speed and the direction of travel
Introduction
• Quantities such as displacement, velocity,
acceleration, and force that involve magnitude
as well as direction are called directed
quantities.
– One way to represent such quantities
mathematically is through the use of vectors.
Geometric
Description of
Vector
Vector
• A vector in the plane is a line segment with an
assigned direction.
– We sketch a vector as
shown with an arrow to
specify the direction.

– We denote this vector by AB .
• Point A is the initial point of the vector
• Point B is the terminal point of the vector.
Length of a Vector
• We use boldface letters to denote vectors.

– Thus, we write u = AB
• The length of the line segment AB is called the
magnitude or length of the vector.

– It is denoted by AB
Equal Vectors
• Two vectors are considered equal if they have
equal magnitude and the same direction.
– This definition of equality

makes sense if we think
of a vector as representing
a displacement.
Displacement

• If the displacement u  AB is followed by the
displacement v  BC , then the resulting
displacement is AC as shown.
– In other words, the single
displacement represented

by the vector AC has the
same effect as the other two
displacements together.
Sum of Vectors

• We

call the

vector AC the sum of the vectors
AB BC and and we
write:
  
AC  AB  BC
– The zero vector, denoted

by 0, represents no
displacement.
Sum of Vectors
• Thus, to find the sum of any two vectors u and
v, we:
– sketch vectors equal to

u and v with the initial
point of one at the terminal
point of the other.
Sum of Vectors
• If we draw u and v starting at the same point,
then u + v is the vector that is the diagonal of
the parallelogram formed by u and v.
Multiplication of a Vector by a Scalar
• If a is a real number and v is a vector, we define

a new vector av as follows.
– The vector av has magnitude | a | | v | and has
the same direction as v if a > 0, or the opposite
direction if a < 0.
– If a = 0, then av = 0, the zero vector.
– This is called multiplication of a vector by a scalar.
• Multiplying a vector by a scalar has the effect
of stretching or shrinking the vector.
– The figure shows graphs of the vector av
for different values of a.
• We write the vector (–1)v as –v.
– Thus, –v is the vector with the same length

as v but with the opposite direction.
Difference of Vectors
• The difference of two vectors u and v is
defined by u – v = u + (–v).
– The figure shows that

the vector u – v is
the other diagonal of
the parallelogram
formed by u and v.
Vectors in the
Coordinate Plane
Vectors in the Coordinate Plane
• In the figure, to go from the initial point of the
vector v to the terminal point, we move:
– a units to the right.

– b units upward.
• We represent v as an ordered pair of real numbers
(component form) v  a, b , where
– a is the horizontal
component of v.
– b is the vertical
component of v.
Note: Vector v in component form is also commonly

a
represented using matrix notation v   
FHMM1014 Mathematics I b 21
• Thus, the vector a, b has many different
representations - depending on its initial point.
• If a vector v is represented in the plane with
initial point P(x1, y1) and terminal point
Q(x2, y2), then
v  x2  x1 , y2  y1
or
 x2  x1 
v 
 y2  y1 
Position Vector
The position vector of a point A
relative to the origin O is written as

  x
OA  x, y   
  y

Hence PQ represents the position
vector of Q relative to the point P.
It also represents the displacement
r of Q from the pointP. 
  
Therefore r  PQ  OQ  OP .
Example 1
(a) Find the component form of the vector u with initial
point (–2, 5) and terminal point (3, 7).
(b) If the vector v = <3, 7> has initial point (2, 4), what
is its terminal point?
(c) Sketch representations of the vector w = <2, 3>
with initial points at (0, 0), (2, 2), (–2, –1), (1, 4).
Ans: (a) u  5, 2 (b) (5,11)
Example 1 Solution
(a) u  3  (2), 7  5  5, 2 (c) w  2, 3 

(b) 3, 7  x  2, y  4
x23  x5
y47  y  11
The terminal point is (5,11)
Equality of Vectors
• Two vectors are equal if they have equal
magnitude and the same direction.
If vectors u = v, where u = <a1, b1> and
v = < a2, b2 >, then a1 = a2 and b1 = b2.
 Two vectors are equal if and only if their

corresponding components are equal.
Algebraic Operations on Vectors
• If u = <a1, b1> and v = <a2, b2>,then
u + v = <a1 + a2, b1 + b2>
u – v = <a1 – a2, b1 – b2>
cu = <ca1, cb1>, c  R
Properties of Vectors
Note ： The zero vector is the vector 0 = <0, 0>.

It plays the same role for addition of vectors as
the number 0 does for addition of real numbers.
Algebraic Operations on Vectors
• The figure shows how the analytic definition of
addition corresponds to the geometric one.
Example 2
If u = <2, –3> and v = <–1, 2>, find:
(i) u+v
(ii) u–v
(iii) 2u
(iv) –3v
(v) 2u + 3v
Ans: (i) 1, 1 (ii) 3, 5 (iii) 4, 6 (iv) 3, 6 (v) 1,0
Example 2 Partial Solution
(i) u  v  2  1, 3  2  1, 1
(ii) uv 
(iii) 2u 
(iv) 3 v 
(v) 2u  3v 
Magnitude of a Vector
• Applying the Pythagorean Theorem to the triangle
in the figure, we obtain the following formula for
the magnitude of a vector.
– The magnitude or length

of a vector v = <a, b> is:
2 2
| v | a  b
Example 3
Find the magnitude of each vector.
(a) u = <2, –3>
(b) v = <5, 0>
3 4
(c) w = 5 , 5
Ans: (a) 13 (b) 5 (c) 1

(a) | v |  22  ( 3)2  13
(b) | v |
(c) | v |
Unit Vector
• A vector of length 1 is called a unit vector
and is defined as
 v
v
v
e.g . w   53 , 54  is a unit vector.

2 2
3  4
w      1
5  5
Unit Vector
• Two useful unit vectors are i and j, defined by:
i = <1, 0> j = <0, 1>
– These vectors are special because any vector can be
expressed in terms of them.
1 0
Matrix notations: i    , j   
0 1
Vectors in Component Form
• The vector v = <a, b> can be expressed in
terms of i and j by:
v = <a, b> = ai + bj
In matrix notation:
1 0  a   0  a 
v  a   b          
0 1  0 b  b
Example 4
(a) Write the vector u = <5, –8> in terms of i
and j.
(b) If u = 3i + 2j and v = –i + 6j, write 2u + 5v

in terms of i and j.
Ans: (a) 5i  8 j (b) i  34 j

Example 4 Solution
(a) u  5, 8  5i  8 j
(b) 2u  5 v  ( 6i  4 j )  ( 5i  30 j )  i  34 j
Direction
Let v be a vector in the plane with its initial
point at the origin.
– The direction of v is θ,
the smallest positive
angle in standard
position formed by the
positive x-axis and v.
Horizontal and Vertical
Components of a Vector
Let v be a vector with magnitude | v | and
direction θ. Then
v = <a, b> = ai + bj,
where: a = | v | cos θ
b = | v | sin θ
We can also express v as:

v = | v | cos θ i + | v | sin θ j
ai + bj = | v | cos θ i + | v | sin θ j
Example 5

(a) A vector v has length 8 and direction
3
to the horizontal.
Find the horizontal and vertical components,
and write v in terms of i and j.
(b) Find the direction of the vector u   3i  j
Ans: (a) 4i  4 3 j (b) 150 with +x axis
(a) Horizontal component = v cos  

Vertical component = v sin  
v
(b) Let the direction of u be at angle  with the +x-axis.
The Dot Product
(Scalar Product)
Dot Product
• If u = <a1, b1> and v = <a2, b2> are vectors,
then their dot product, denoted by u · v, is
defined by:
u · v = a1a2 + b1b2
Thus, to find the dot product of u and v, we multiply

corresponding components and add them together.
The dot product is not a vector; it is a real number, or
scalar.
Dot Product
Examples:
(a) If u = <3, –2> and v = <4, 5>, then
u · v = (3)(4) + (–2)(5) = 2
(b)If u = 2i + j and v = 5i – 6j, then

u · v = (2)(5) + (1)(–6) = 4
Properties of the Dot Product
1 u·v=v·u
2 (au) · v = a(u · v) = u · (av)
3 (u + v) · w = u · w + v · w
4 | u |2 = u · u
Properties of the Dot Product
Proof of | u |2 = u · u :
Let u = <a, b>

u · u = <a, b> · <a, b>
= a2 + b2
= | u |2
Dot Product
Let u and v be vectors with initial points at the
origin.
– We define the angle θ

between u and v to be
the smaller of the angles
formed by u and v.
– Thus, 0 ≤ θ ≤ π.
Dot Product Theorem
• The dot product theorem relates the angle
between two vectors to their dot product.
• If θ is the angle between two non-zero vectors
u and v, then
u  v  u v cos 
uv
cos  
u v
Dot Product Theorem - Proof
Applying the Law of Cosines to triangle AOB,
2 2 2
u  v  u  v  2 u v cos 
2
Also, u  v  (u  v)(u  v)
2 2
 u  2uv  v
2 2 2 2
u  2uv  v  u  v  2 u v cos 
2uv  2 u v cos 
uv  u v cos 
Example 6
Find the angle between the vectors
u = <2, 5> and v = <4, –3>
Ans: 105.07
Example 6 Solution
u  v  2(4)  3(5)  7
u  22  52  29
v  42  (3) 2  5
uv 7
cos   
u v 5 29
  105.07
Orthogonal Vectors
• Two non-zero vectors u and v are perpendicular,
or orthogonal, if the angle between them is 90o.
• Two non-zero vectors u and v are perpendicular
if and only if u · v = 0.
Proof :
If  = 90o , then u · v = | u | | v | cos 90o = 0
Conversely, if u · v = 0, then
| u | | v | cos  = 0   = 90o
 u and v are orthogonal
Example 7
Determine whether the vectors in each pair are

perpendicular.
(a) u = <3, 5> and v = <2, –8>
(b) u = <2, 1> and v = <–1, 2>
Ans : (a) not orthogonal (b) orthogonal

Example 7 Solution
(a) u  v  3(2)  5(8)  0

 u and v are not orthogonal
(b) u  v  2(1)  1(2)  0
 u and v are orthogonal.
Example 8
The vectors a = 2i + 3j and b = i + j are
perpendicular to each other. Find the value of .
Hence, find a unit vector that is perpendicular
to a.
3 2
Ans:    32 , i j
13 13
a  b  (2i  3j)  ( i  j)  0
2  3  0   
Perpendicular vector to a is b   32 i  j
Unit vector perpendicular to a is
b

b
Example 9
The position vectors of the points A, B, and C,
relative to the origin O are given by
2i + j , 4i + 3j , i  2j respectively.
Find the angle BAC.
Ans: 90
Example 9 Solution
  
OA  2i  j, OB  4i  3 j, OC  i  2 j
  
AB  OB  OA
 (4i  3j)  (2i  j) = 6i  2 j
  
AC  OC  OA
 (i  2 j)  (2i  j) = i  3j
 
AB AC  (6i  2 j)  (i  3j)
 66  0
 
AB  AC  BAC  90
Parallel Vectors
• If two non-zero vectors u and v are parallel
to each other, then we can write
u =  v, where  is a
constant.
Example 10
If  i  3 j and 3i  (8   ) j are two parallel

vectors, where  is a constant, find the possible
values of .
Ans:  9, 1
 i  3 j   3i  (8   ) j
  3   3
 
3   (8   )  3 8  



Using Vectors to
Model Velocity
Velocity
• The velocity of a moving object is modeled by a
vector whose :
– direction is the direction of motion.
– magnitude is the speed.
e.g. the figure shows vectors u, the
velocity of wind flowing
in the direction N 30° E.
– A vector v, representing the
velocity of an airplane flying
through this wind at the point P.
Resultant Velocity
• The figure shows vector w, the velocity of wind and
vector u, the velocity of an aeroplane relative to air
flying through this wind at the point P.
• The true velocity (velocity

relative to the ground) is
given by the vector
v=u+w
Resultant Velocity
(i) Flying machines (aeroplane, helicopter, etc.)
Ground Course Wind

Velocity = Velocity +
Velocity
(ii) Sailing machines (boat, ship, etc.)
Ground Course Water

= Velocity +
Velocity Velocity
Resultant Velocity
• Ground velocity (or true velocity or resultant
velocity) is the velocity relative to the ground (as
observed on the ground which is not moving).
• Course velocity is velocity relative to air or water (as
observed in still air or still water).
Example 11
An aeroplane heads due north at 300 mi/h. It experiences
a 40 mi/h crosswind flowing in the direction N 30° E.
(a) Express the velocity u of the aeroplane relative to
the air, and the velocity w of the wind, in component
form.
(b) Find the true velocity of the aeroplane as a vector.
(c) Find the true speed and direction of the aeroplane.
Ans: (a)u  300 j, w = 20i  20 3 j (b)v R  20i  (300  20 3) j

(c)335.24 mi/h at N3.42 E
Example 11 Solution
(a) Taking unit vectors i and j along the direction due east and north,
u  300 j
  1  3
w = 40 cos 60 i  40sin 60 j  40   i  40   j = 20i  20 3 j
2
   2 
(b) v R  u  w  300 j  20i  20 3j  20i  (300  20 3) j
2
(c) v R  202  (300  20 3) 2
v R  335.24 mi/h
20
tan      3.42
300  20 3
The true speed of the plane is 335.24 mi/h
and in the direction N3.42 E
Example 12
A woman launches a boat from one bank of a straight
river and wants to land at the point directly on the
opposite bank.
Suppose the speed of the boat in still water is 10 mi/h
and the river is flowing east at the rate of 5 mi/h.
In what direction should she head the boat in order to
arrive at the desired landing point?
What is the true speed of the boat?
Ans: N30 W, 8.66 mi/h

Example 12 Solution
5
cos      60
10
The boat should be headed in the direction
N(90  60 )W  N30 W
2
v  102  52  75  v  5 3  8.66 mi/h
The true speed of the boat is 8.66 mi/h
OR v = u + w
 (10 cos 60 i  10sin 60 j) + (5i  0 j)
 (10 cos 60  5)i  (10sin 60 ) j = 0i  5 3j
v  5 3  8.66 mi/h
Example 13
A helicopter flies from town A to town B. The position
vector of town B, relative to A, is (48i − 20j) km.
If the wind velocity is (4i − j) km h−1 and the time of
flight from A to B is 2 hours, find the course velocity of
the helicopter.
Ans: 20i  9 j
Example 13 Solution
Let the ground velocity be v.


AB 48 20
v  i  j = 24i  10 j
2 2 2
Let the course velocity be u.
Given w = 4i  j.
u  v  w  (24i  10 j)  (4i  j)
 (24  4)i  ( 10  1) j
 20i  9 j
Relative Velocity
If the velocity of an object A is vA and object
B is vB, then velocity of A relative to B
(velocity of A as it is observed from B  it is
equivalent to B being at rest) is
A vB  v A  vB
Relative Velocity
Consider two moving objects A and B with velocity vA
and vB respectively. At a certain instant, they are a
distance AB apart at their respective positions as shown:
The velocity of B as
observed at A is BvA.
B v A  vB  v A
Relative Velocity
• The shortest distance between A and B is the
perpendicular AC, where AC  AB sin 
BC
• The time elapsed is
BVA

• If the direction of BVA is in the direction BA , then
A and B will intercept

or collide with each other.
Hence BVA   BA , where  is a constant.
Example 14
A particle B, which moves with a velocity
(2i − 3j) m s−1, observes that another particle A
has a velocity of (i + 4j) m s−1. Find the true
velocity of A in terms of i and j.
Ans: 3i  j
Example 14 Solution
A vB  i  4j
v B  2i  3 j
A vB  v A  vB
v A  A vB  vB
 (i  4 j)  (2i  3j)
= 3i  j
Example 15
The diagram shows two cars A
and B approaching an
intersection R of two straight
and perpendicular road, from
points P and Q, with speeds of
20 m s−1 and v m s−1
respectively.
B as observed by the driver of A has a speed of

u m s−1 in the direction that is inclined at an angle 45o
to QR. Find the numerical values of u and v.
Ans: u  20 2, v  20
Example 15 Solution
B vA  u
Using unit vectors i and j along RP and QR respectively,
v A  20i, v B  vj
 
v
B A  u sin 45 i  u cos 45 j
Also B v A  v B  v A  vj  ( 20i)  20i  vj
Equating, u sin 45 i  u cos 45 j = 20i  vj
20

u sin 45  20  u 
 20 2
   sin 45
u cos 45  v 
v  20 2 cos 45  20
Example 16
Boat A sails due north with a speed of 8 km h−1 while a
second boat B sails due west with a speed of 6 km h−1.
Find the magnitude and direction of the velocity of A
relative to B.
At noon, A lies 50 km to the south of B. Find the time
when A is at the shortest distance from B and calculate
this distance.
Ans: 10 km h 1 at N36.87  E; 4 p.m., 30.0 km

Example 16 Solution
Velocity of A relative to B = v A  v B
 (0i  8 j)  (6i  0 j)  6i  8 j
v A  v B  62  82  10 km h 1
6
  tan 1    36.87
8
( v A  v B ) is of magnitude 10 km h 1 and
in the direction N36.87  E.
Example 16 Solution
A is closest to B when it reaches point R, where PRQ  90

 QR
sin 36.87   QR  50sin 36.87  30.0 km
50
Distance travelled by A from P to R = PR
 PR
cos 36.87   PR  50 cos 36.87
50
 40.0 km
40
Time taken by A = 4h
10
When A and B are at their shortest distance apart, the time is 4 p.m.
Example 17
The position vector of a point P relative to a point Q is
(3i + 2j) km. A boat A leaves P with a velocity of
(4i − j) km h−1. At the same time, another boat B leaves
Q with a velocity of (ui + 5j) km h−1, to intercept A.
Find the value of u and the time taken by B in order
to reach the point where it is able to intercept A.
1
Ans: u  13, hour
3
Example 17 Solution

QP  3i + 2 j , v A  4i  j , v B  ui + 5 j
B v A  v B  v A  (ui + 5 j)  (4i  j) = (u  4)i + 6 j

For B to intercept A, B v A should be in the direction of QP .

Let B v A   QP  (u  4)i + 6 j   (3i + 2 j)
u  4  3   3
   B v A  (u  4)i + 6 j  9i + 6 j
6  2  u  13
Time taken for boat B to travel from Q to P to intercept boat A

QP 13 1
=  hour
B vA 3 13 3
The End
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Centre For Foundation Studies

Department of Sciences and Engineering

– This definition of equality

– The zero vector, denoted

– sketch vectors equal to

• If a is a real number and v is a vector, we define

– Thus, –v is the vector with the same length

– The figure shows that

– a units to the right.

Note: Vector v in component form is also commonly

Ans: (a) u  5, 2 (b) (5,11)

(a) u  3  (2), 7  5  5, 2 (c) w  2, 3 

 Two vectors are equal if and only if their

• If u = <a1, b1> and v = <a2, b2>,then

u + v = <a1 + a2, b1 + b2>

u – v = <a1 – a2, b1 – b2>

Note ： The zero vector is the vector 0 = <0, 0>.

– The magnitude or length

Ans: (a) 13 (b) 5 (c) 1

e.g . w   53 , 54  is a unit vector.

(b) If u = 3i + 2j and v = –i + 6j, write 2u + 5v

Ans: (a) 5i  8 j (b) i  34 j

We can also express v as:

(b) Find the direction of the vector u   3i  j

Ans: (a) 4i  4 3 j (b) 150 with +x axis

(a) Horizontal component = v cos  

(b) Let the direction of u be at angle  with the +x-axis.

Thus, to find the dot product of u and v, we multiply

(b)If u = 2i + j and v = 5i – 6j, then

Let u = <a, b>

– We define the angle θ

u = <2, 5> and v = <4, –3>

Determine whether the vectors in each pair are

(a) u = <3, 5> and v = <2, –8>

(b) u = <2, 1> and v = <–1, 2>

Ans : (a) not orthogonal (b) orthogonal

(a) u  v  3(2)  5(8)  0

If  i  3 j and 3i  (8   ) j are two parallel

• The true velocity (velocity

Ground Course Wind

(ii) Sailing machines (boat, ship, etc.)

Ground Course Water

(c) Find the true speed and direction of the aeroplane.

Ans: (a)u  300 j, w = 20i  20 3 j (b)v R  20i  (300  20 3) j

Ans: N30 W, 8.66 mi/h

Let the ground velocity be v.

B as observed by the driver of A has a speed of

Ans: 10 km h 1 at N36.87  E; 4 p.m., 30.0 km

A is closest to B when it reaches point R, where PRQ  90

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