Cabangangan, Joseph Peter D.

MATH148/A10
DISCUSSION BOARD MODULE 2
Week 5
Do some research and then write a few paragraphs on the early history of the use of
vectors in mathematics.
History of Vectors
The development of the algebra of vectors and of vector analysis as we know it today
was first revealed in sets of remarkable notes made by J. Willard Gibbs (1839--1903) for his
students at Yale University.  Gibbs was a native of New Haven, Connecticut (his father had also
been a professor at Yale), and his main scientific accomplishments were in physics, namely
thermodynamics. Maxwell strongly supported Gibbs's work in thermodynamics, especially the
geometric presentations of Gibbs's results. Gibbs was introduced to quaternions when he read
Maxwell's Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, and Gibbs also studied
Grassmann's Ausdehnungslehre.  He concluded that vectors would provide a more efficient tool
for his work in physics.  So, beginning in 1881, Gibbs privately printed notes on vector analysis
for his students, which were widely distributed to scholars in the United States, Britain, and
Europe. 
The first book on modern vector analysis in English was Vector Analysis (1901), Gibbs's
notes as assembled by one of his last graduate students, Edwin B. Wilson (1879--1964). 
Ironically, Wilson received his undergraduate education at Harvard (B.A. 1899), where he had
learned about quaternions from his professor, James Mills Peirce (1834--1906), one of
Benjamin Peirce's sons.  The Gibbs/Wilson book was reprinted in a paperback edition in 1960. 
Another contribution to the modern understanding and use of vectors was made by Jean Frenet
(1816--1990). Frenet entered Ecole normale suprieure in 1840, then studied at Toulouse, where
he wrote his doctoral thesis in 1847.  Frenet's thesis contains the theory of space curves and
includes the formulas known as the Frenet-Serret formulas (the TNB frame).  Frenet gave only
six formulas, while Serret gave nine.  Frenet published this information in the Journal de
mathematique pures et appliques in 1852. 
In the 1890s and the first decade of the twentieth century, Tait and a few others derided
vectors and defended quaternions while numerous other scientists and mathematicians
designed their own vector methods.  Oliver Heaviside (1850--1925), a self-educated physicist
who was greatly influenced by Maxwell, published papers and his Electromagnetic
Theory (three volumes, 1893, 1899, 1912), in which he attacked quaternions and developed his
own vector analysis. Heaviside had received copies of Gibbs's notes, and he spoke very highly
of them. In introducing Maxwell's theories of electricity and magnetism into Germany (1894),
vector methods were advocated, and several books on vector analysis in German followed. 
Vector methods were introduced into Italy (1887, 1888, 1897), Russia (1907), and the
Netherlands (1903).  Vectors are now the modern language of a great deal of physics and
applied mathematics, and they continue to hold their own intrinsic mathematical interest.
Reference:
https://www.math.mcgill.ca/labute/courses/133f03/VectorHistory.html#:~:text=The
%20systematic%20study%20and%20use%20of%20vectors%20were,century%20with%20the
%20geometric%20representations%20of%20complex%20numbers.
Week 6
Give some examples of geometric problems that can be solved using the parametric
equations of a line and describe their solution.
Parametric Equations and Curve Sample Problem

1. Eliminate the parameter for the following set of parametric equations, sketch the graph of the
parametric curve and give any limits that might exist on xx and yy.

x=4−2t y=3+6t−4t2

First step is to eliminate the parameter from this set of parametric equations. We can do
that for this particular set of parametric equations by solving the x equation for t and plugging
that into the y equation.

Doing that gives,

This looks like a parabola that opens downward.

To sketch the graph of this, I solve first the x-intercepts, y-intercept, and most

importantly, the vertex.

For notational purposes, let's define f(x)=−x2+5x−1.

The x-intercepts are then found by solving f(x)=0. Doing this gives,

The y-intercept is : (0,f(0))=(0,−1)

Finally, the vertex is,

Before sketching the graph of the parametric curve, I have to take note that all
parametric curves have a direction of motion, i.e., the direction indicating increasing values of
the parameter, t in this case.
 There are several ways to get the direction of motion for the curve, and I will use the one
where I will plug in values of t into the parametric equations to get some points that we can use
to identify the direction of motion.

Below is the table of values for this set of parametric equations.

By using this table, find the value of t

I used the x-coordinates here to find the value of the t that corresponds to the vertex
because this equation was a linear equation, and there would be only one solution for t.

Finally, here is a sketch of the parametric curve for this set of parametric equations.
Week 7
Given two planes, discuss the various possibilities for the set of points they have in
common. Then consider the set of points that three planes can have in common.
There are given points in each plan. Under this, two planes may share points. This is
occurs if they are stated to be parallel. A line also depicts the commonalities of two planes
intersecting, which is one of many ways that two planes can share a collection of common
points. When two planes coincide, the result is a set of common points with an infinite number of
solutions.
This can also occur in the case if there are three planes involved. It is highly possible
that a common line of intersection included if the three possess a common set of points. This
implies that having three planes has the same effect in the case of two planes. There are no
solutions when two or all of them are parallel. There are no solutions if they all overlap one
another and there is no common point of junction. Furthermore, there are no solutions in the
scenario where two planes overlap and one overlaps
Week 8
Describe your learning experience in Module 2. Provide feedback on the learning
materials and assessments provided.
Module 2 lessons were hard, sure, but it was not as hard as I expected. I was scared of
it because it is about vectors. I am not interested in vectors because of the boring teaching style
of my professor in Linear Algebra. However, I am very thankful that my teacher is excellent at
teaching the topics. Due to his teaching style, this module became enjoyable, and the topics
became easier to grasp. Also, the PowerPoint presentations and video lectures provided made
all of the lessons more accessible to us, making it easier to go back when an idea is not well
received by the learners. Finally, the assessments were completed quickly because of the
effective learning time we received for this course.