Geometric Vectors

What is the difference

between speed and velocity?

=> Velocity is speed combined with direction

 What are Vectors?
• A scalar quantity is simply anything in life that can be
described by just a number
e.g. the temperature, my age etc.
• However, a vector is a quantity that needs a direction
as well for it to make sense.

=> Vectors have both magnitude (size) and direction

Examples
- Velocity = speed + direction
e.g. wind velocity is 20kmh East
- Displacement = distance + direction
e.g. displacement of Leeds from York is 25 miles W

=> Vectors are directed quantities

 What do they look like?
Vectors can be represented as:

-Straight Lines - Column Vectors

(directed lines segments)

direction 3
1
Size

 Vectors are pathways

 u B

A
v
C
D

 5  4 
AB = u = 
 3
 CD = v = 
 1

   

These are known as column vectors.

 What do they look like?

The most common notation for

vectors is threefold

AB = a = a
B

A
 Position Vectors
OA
is the journey from the origin to the point A. It is known as the position vector written a.

OB
Is the position vector of the point b, written b.

A AB = b – a where a and b are the position vectors of A and B

B
a
b
o Example
x
If P and Q have coordinates (4,8) and 2,3),
respectively, find the components of PQ.

PQ = q - p

 2  4   2
       
 3 8   5
 Properties

Vectors with the same

magnitude and
direction are equal

A
If vectors have the same magnitude
and opposite directions then:

AB = a then BA = -a
 Properties
If different sized vectors have the
same direction they are scalar multiples
of each other
e.g. m = kn

m n

m = 2n
 Rewriting resultants
Resultant vectors can be broken down
in to their component vectors

e.g. a = x
y
a
y

x
 Resultants
The resultant is a single vector which is
equivalent to a set of vectors
e.g. the result of adding a and b

a b
b

c=a+b
 Rewriting Vectors

=> vectors can be rewritten in terms

of other vectors

b
a
c

a+b=c
Rewrite the following vectors in terms of a, b and c

E D i) BA
C
ii) CB
F c
iii) DC
b
iv) AC
A a B
v) AD
Rewrite the following vectors in terms of a, b and c

E D i) BA =-a
c ii) CB =-b
F C
iii) DC =-c
b
iv) AC =a+b
A a B
v) AD =a+b+c
Rewrite the following vectors in terms of a, b and c

E D i) ED
c ii) FE
F C iii) AF

b iv) AE

A a B v) DA
vi) BF
vii) EC
viii) DF
Rewrite the following vectors in terms of a, b and c

E D i) ED = a
c ii) FE = b
F C iii) AF = c

b iv) AE = c + b

A a B v) DA = – c – b – c
vi) BF = – a + c
vii) EC = a – c
viii) DF = – a – b
Rewrite the following vectors in terms of a and b
a. AP =
b. AB =
Q
c. OQ =
B N
d. PO =
b
P e. PQ =
O a A f. PN =
g. ON =
h. AN =
i. BP =
j. QA =
Rewrite the following vectors in terms of a and b
a. AP = a
b. AB = b – a
Q
c. OQ = 2b
B N
d. PO = - 2a
b
P e. PQ = 2b – 2a
O a A f. PN = b – a
g. ON = a + b
h. AN = b
i. BP = 2a - b
j. QA = a – 2b