FEEG2003 – 2018/19

Lecture 2 – Vectors & Tensors

• Vectors
x3
1,0,0 , 0,1,0 , 0,0,1 , r3
r
,

, , , 1
i3
r2
i1 i2 x2
1
1
r1
x1

Summation Convention

L1.2.1

• Vector Algebra
u
v
, ,
u+v
, ,
v
u

· · cos

· . ·

v =UVsin(n

v

Levi-Civita symbol: 1; if , , is 1,2,3 , 2,3,1 , 3,1,2 u

1; if , , is 3,2,1 , 2,1,3 , 1,3,2

0; otherwise.
L1.2.2
• Matrices
The matrix A is defined

We use suffix notation to refer to the component in the ith row and jth column
of A as .

• Matrix Algebra
If we multiply A by a scalar c then we get a new matrix B:

L1.2.3

• Multiplication of a matrix by a vector:

Or:
.

In suffix notation this operation can be written:

.
1; 1 … 3; Keep i fixed and sum for all values of j as it is incremented:

2; 1 … 3; Keep i fixed and sum for all values of j as it is incremented:

3; 1 … 3; Keep i fixed and sum for all values of j as it is incremented:

L1.2.4
• Vector Operator 

You should be familiar with the gradient of a scalar:

and the divergence of a vector:

·a

In suffix notation these can be written as:

and:

L1.2.5

• The Stress Tensor

The notation σ denotes that this component of the stress tensor acts in the xi-
direction on a surface element whose normal is in the xj direction. We will study
the stress tensor in more detail in future lectures.

L1.2.6