VECTORS: RECAP

You should already be familiar with the following vector work:

Quantities that have both magnitude and direction are called vectors.
Quantities that have only magnitude are called scalars.
AB means the displacement from the point A to the point B.
For the diagram, AB   4  means it moves 4 unit to the rights and 3 units upwards
 3
 
The magnitude of the vector AB means the length of the vector AB and is denoted by | AB |
| AB | is called the modulus of the vector AB
Using Pythagoras for the diagram, | AB | = 4 2  32  5

Two vectors are said to be equal if they are the same length and are in the same direction.
The vector –a is the same length as the vector a but in the opposite direction.

Addition and subtraction of vectors

The vector a + b means the vector a followed by the vector b.
The vector a - b means the vector a followed by the vector -b.
The resultant vector is often shown with a double arrow.
It is drawn from the starting point to the finishing point.
For example, if a =  2  and b =  4  , then a + b and a – b can be shown on a vector diagram as:
 3 1
   

a + b and a – b can also be found as follows:

a + b =  2    4    2  4    6  a – b =  2    4    2  4     2 
 3  1  3  1   4  3  1  3  1   2 
               

Multiplication by a scalar

The vector a + a can be written as 2a

The vectors a and 2a are examples of parallel vectors.

Two vectors are parallel if one vector can be written as a multiple of the other vector.
Example:   1 and   5  are parallel and in the same direction because   5    1
   5 
   
 3  15   15   3 
 2 
  and   6  are parallel and in opposite direction because   6   3 2 
 12   12    4
  4      

Collinear points
If AB = k AC then the points A, B and C are collinear.
(This is because the lines AB and AC must be parallel and the point A lies on both lines)