MATH1131 Mathematics 1A

ALGEBRA

About me:
Name: Daniel Mansfield
Email: daniel.mansfield@unsw.edu.au
Office: RC-4070 (4th floor of the Red Centre)

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Important information in no particular order:

1. Call me “Daniel”.

2. The yellow book has a lot more details than these

notes.

3. Ask me questions using a Moodle forum (not email).

4. Bring a pen and paper to class.

5. Consultation times: TBA.

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 INFORMATION FOR MATH1131 STUDENTS

MATH1131 Mathematics 1A is a 6UOC course offered in Semester 1 and Semester 2.

The excluded courses for MATH1131 are:
MATH1011, MATH1031, MATH1141, MATH1151, ECON1202 and ECON2291
(So students should not be enrolled in MATH1131 and any of these listed courses.)

Web Address

The school's web address is: http://www.maths.unsw.edu.au

UNSW Moodle

Essential information concerning this course is accessible via

http://moodle.telt.unsw.edu.au
Official student email address

Official information from the university, including this school, is sent to each student's university
email address:
zSTUDENTNO@student.unsw.edu.au
Check this email account regularly! Please ONLY use your university email when contacting
academic staff.

Assumed Knowledge

The "assumed knowledge" for this course is HSC Mathematics Extension 1, with a combined mark
of about 100+/150.
Very good HSC Mathematics students, say with marks of 85+/100, should be fine.
If you wish further advice see the Director of First Year, RC-3073 (in person).

On-Line Tutorials
There will be a 12 online tutorials during the semester. Details are found in the Information Booklet.
Please read this carefully. The first online quizz is due at the end of Week 2 so you will need to be
ready for this.

Introduction to Computing
There is a video available on Moodle that will give instructions on how to get started on the
computing component of the course.

Tutorials
Tutorials start in week 2 and run to week 13 --- regularly check your timetable on myUNSW! You
will have a Calculus tutorial every second week and an Algebra tutorial every second week.

Course Packs

All students are strongly advised to buy the Math1131/1141 Course Pack from the University
Bookshop.

Textbooks

Students might wish to delay buying the Calculus textbook for a week or so.

READ the course INFORMATION BOOK

1 Introduction to Vectors
1.1 Geometric vectors
We first study vectors from a geometric perspective.

Definition 1.1. A point is uniquely identifiable place

in space.
−→
The latin word vector means “convey”. The vector AB
is what conveys point A to point B.
−→
Definition 1.2. A vector v = AB is a directed line
segment from point A to point B.

Alternatively, a vector v is a direction and length (and

only a direction and length). The length by itself is de-
noted |v|.

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 −→ −−→
Definition 1.3. Two vectors AB and DC are equal
precisely when ABCD is a parallelogram. This means
the vectors have the same direction and the same length.

Exercise 1.4. What are the distinct vectors in a par-

allelogram ABCD?

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Definition 1.5. If v and u are vectors then u + v
is the vector from the tail of u to the tip of v. The
difference u − v is the vector from the tip of v to the
tip of u

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Definition 1.6. For any given scalar (real number)
λ and vector v, the scalar multiple λv is a vector
with

• the same direction as v when λ > 0

• the opposite direction as v when λ < 0

and length |λ| |v|.

If λ = 0 we get the zero vector 0 which has no direction

and zero length.
Let’s see what scalar multiplication looks like with Ge-
ogebra.
−→ −→
Exercise 1.7. Prove AB = −BA

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Exercise 1.8. Given the trapezium ABCE and par-
allelogram ABCD. What is the relationship between
−−→ −→
EC and AB?

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Exercise 1.9. Rewrite the distinct vectors in exercise
−→ −−→
1.4 as sums and scalar multiples of v = AB and u = AD.

−→ −−→
Definition 1.10. Two vectors AB and DC are par-
−→ −−→
allel when AB is a non-zero scalar multiple of DC.
This means that for some scalar t 6= 0
−→ −−→
AB = tDC.

So vectors are parallel when they have the same or oppo-

site direction.
Exercise 1.11. What are the parallel vectors in exer-
cise 1.8?

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Exercise 1.12. Give geometric vector proofs of the
following laws of arithmetic:

(a + b) + c = a + (b + c) associative law
a+b=b+a commutative law
t(a + b) = ta + tb distributive law

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For any three points A, B and C
−→ −−→ −→
AB + BC + CA = 0.

Where 0 is the zero vector. A consequence of this formula

is that
−→ −→ −−→
AB = AC + CB.
Exercise 1.13. Prove that the line joining the mid-
point of two sides of a triangle is parallel to the third side
and has half its length.

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Definition 1.14. Choose a fixed point for the whole
space O called the origin. Every point A in space can
now be identified with a vector from the origin called
the position vector or coordinate vector of A or
−→
OA.

Perhaps the most important formula in this lecture is:

−→ −−→ −→
AB = OB − OA.

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1.2 Algebraic vectors
Okay, now put your crayons away.
So far we have worked without reference to a co-ordinate
system. Introducing a co-ordinate system allows us to see
vectors as algebraic objects. We are obliged to specify the
dimension when working with a co-ordinate system.
A point in three dimensional space is written as A =
[1, 2, 3] where 1 is the x-component, 2 is the y-component
and 3 is the z-component.  
1
−→
The vector OA is written as 2.
 

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Geometrically, we add vectors, “head to tail”. Alge-
braically, arithmetic with vectors is defined as
     
a1 a2 a1 + a2
 b1  +  b2  =  b1 + b2 
     

c1 c2 c1 + c2
   
a1 ta1
t  b1  =  tb1 
   

c1 tc1

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In other words, addition and scalar multiplication is done
component wise.
! !
1 3
Example 1.15. Let v = ,w = ∈ R2 .
1 2
Find v + w, 3w.

Example 1.16. Let A, B be two points in three di-

−−→
mensional space and let M be their midpoint. Find OM .

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Exercise 1.17. Give algebraic vector proofs of the fol-
lowing laws of arithmetic for two dimensional space:

(a + b) + c = a + (b + c) associative law
a+b=b+a commutative law
t(a + b) = ta + tb distributive law

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1.3 Basic concepts regarding vectors
in Rn.
Recall the following very important result:
−→ −−→ −→
AB = OB − OA

where A, B are points in Rn and O is the origin.

Example 1.18. Suppose A = [2, −1, 2] and B =
3 −→
[1, 5, −3] are two points in R . Find AB.

Example 1.19. Suppose A = [2, −1, 2] and B =

−→ −−→
[4, −2, 4] are two points in R3. Is OA parallel to OB?

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Example 1.20. Suppose A = [2, 3, −1, 2], B =
[2, 4, −1, −2] and C = [−1, −2, 1, 0] are 3 points in R4.
Find the coordinates of the point D such that ABCD is
a parallelogram.

 
a1
 
 a1 
 ..  ∈
Definition 1.21. The length of a vector a =  
 
an
Rn is defined to be
q
|a| = a21 + · · · + a2n.

If |a| = 1 then we say a is a unit vector

Of course if two vectors are parallel, in the same direction

and of the same length, then they are in fact equal.
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  
3
Example 1.22. Let a =  0  ∈ R3. Find |a|. Find
 

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a vector of unit length parallel to a.

Example 1.23. Let A = [2, −1, 3] and B = [3, 1, 6]

be two points in R3. Find the distance AB.

Definition 1.24. Let A1, · · · , Ar be r points in Rn.

We say the points are collinear if there is one line
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on which they all lie.

There is a very easy way to determine if points are collinear:

Proposition 1.25. A, B, C are collinear if and only

−→ −−→
if AB k BC.

Example 1.26. Are the points A = [1, 2, 3, 1], B =

[1, −2, 3, 2], C = [1, −10, 3, 4] collinear?

1.4 Lines
In R2, the Cartesian equation of a line is often writ-
ten as ax1 + bx2 + c = 0. Unfortunately, this does not
generalise very well. For example ax1 + bx2 + cx3 + d = 0
is NOT a line in R3, it is in fact a plane. There is however

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a different way to express lines, a way that is both simple
and works in Rn for all n > 0.
Definition 1.27. A line in parametric vector form
in Rn is any expression of the form
x = a + λv, for some λ ∈ R
 
x1
where x =  .. , a ∈ Rn is the coordinate vector of
 

xn
some point on the line, v ∈ Rn is the direction of the
line. λ is called the parameter.

Let’s see what parametric vector form of a line looks like

with GeoGebra.
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Different values of λ correspond to different coordinate
vectors for points on the line. Every point on the line has
a unique value of λ associated to it.
Example 1.28. Let
   
1 2
x =  2  + λ  −1  , λ ∈ R
   

−1 −1

be a line in R3. Give 2 points that lie on the line. Does

(9, −2, −5) lie on the line? Does (−3, 4, 0)?

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Two lines

x = a1 + λ1v1
x = a2 + λ2v2

are parallel if v1 k v2. i.e. two lines are parallel if their

directions are parallel. Note that if two lines don’t inter-
sect that does NOT necessarily mean they are parallel.

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Example 1.29. Let
   
1 2
   
 2   −1 
x=  −1  + λ  −1  , λ ∈ R
  
   
1 2

be a line in R4. Write down the equation of the line, in

parametric vector form, which is parallel to this line, and
passes through [1, 2, 3, −2].

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Example 1.30. Find the equation of the line in R4
which passes through A = [2, −3, −1, 2] and B =
[−1, 2, 2, 7].

1.4.1 Cartesian equation of a line in Rn

As mentioned earlier, ax1 + bx2 + cx3 + d = 0 is not the

equation of a line in R3. You have the freedom to choose
two of the variables (say x1 and x2) and the equation
determines the third variable x3. The freedom to choose
the value of the variables makes this a two dimensional
object, called a plane. Cartesian form of a line in three
dimensional space looks like

x1 − a1 x2 − a2 x3 − a3
= = .
u1 u2 u3
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The method of converting from parametric vector form to
the Cartesian form (simply eliminate the parameter λ).
   
1 2
   
 2   −1 
Example 1.31. Wrire x =   −1 +λ  −1  , λ ∈
  
   
1 2
R in Cartesian form.

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    
1 2
Example 1.32. Write x =  2 +λ  −1  , λ ∈
   

−1 0
R in Cartesian form.

The method of converting from Cartesian form to the

parametric vector form (introduce a parameter λ).
Example 1.33. Write down the equation of the fol-
lowing lines in parametric vector form:

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 x1 −3 x2 +1
1. 3 = 2 = x3 − 8

x1 +3 x2 +1
2. 2 = 2 , x3 = −1

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3. y = 3x + 2

4. x = 8, in R2

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5. y = 2x + 1, z = 2

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1.5 Planes
Planes are the 2 dimensional analogues of lines.
Before we begin studying planes, we need to learn some
new terminology.

Definition 1.34. Let v, v1, v2 ∈ Rn. We say v is

a linear combination, or in the span, of v1, v2, if
there exists a λ1, λ2 ∈ R such that

v = λ1v1 + λ2v2.

Example 1.35.
   
−3 1
1. Is  2  a linear combination of  0  and
   

6 2
 
3
 −1 ?
 

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      
1 0 0
2. Is  1  in the span of  1  and  −1 ?
     

2 2 0

Definition 1.36. A plane in parametric vector

form in Rn is any expression of the form

x = a + λ1v1 + λ2v2

for some λ1, λ2 ∈ R where a ∈ Rn is the coordinate

vector of some point on the plane, and v1, v2 ∈ Rn are
the directions of the plane. The two directions must
not be parallel.

If the two directions are parallel, then the equation defines

a line, not a plane. Let’s see what this looks like with
GeoGebra.
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The line a + λv is parallel to the plane a1 + λ1v1 + λ2v2
when
v ∈ span(v1, v2).
Example 1.37. Describe the geometry of the follow-
ing objects:
     
1 2 −1
1. x =  2 +λ1  −1 +λ2  −6  , λ1, λ2 ∈ R
     

3 4 9

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      
1 2 4
2. x =  2 +λ1  −1 +λ2  −2  , λ1, λ2 ∈ R
     

3 4 8

    





 1 2 






  2   −1 
     
3. x ∈ R4 | x ∈ span  , 






 3 
  
 4 


−1

 
 5 



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Example 1.38. Find, in parametric vec-
tor form, the equation of the plane through
A[1, −2, 1], B[2, 1, 1], C[0, 3, 1].

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Example 1.39. Find, in parametric vector form, the
equation of the plane that is parallel to the lines
x1 − 2 x2 − 1 2x2 − 3
= =
3 −3 8
and    
−2 2
x =  3  + λ 1  ,λ ∈ R
   

1 1
and which passes through [2, −1, 2].

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The Cartesian equation of a plane in R3 (we rarely
deal with the Cartesian form of a plane in higher dimen-
sions) is just
ax1 + bx2 + cx3 = d
with a, b, c, d ∈ R. To convert from parametric vector
form to Cartesian form, we eliminate the parameters. We
do not yet have all the tools required to do this in general,
but we can do it for the following special case.

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    
1 0
Example 1.40. Write x =  2  + λ1  −1  +
   

3 4
 
4
λ2  −2  , λ1, λ2 ∈ R in Cartesian form.
 

Similarly, to go from the Cartesian form to the parametric

vector form, we need to introduce 2 parameters.

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Example 1.41. Write the plane x1 + 2x2 − x3 = 3 in
parametric vector form.

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