Vectors

Topic and contents

Vectors
Definition (Vectors in Rn )
For any positive integer n, a vector a Rn is an n-tuple of real numbers,
that is an ordered list of n real numbers

School of Mathematics and Statistics

MATH1151 Algebra

(a1 , a2 , a3 , . . . , an1 , an )
Notation: a Rn , vector a, by hand a
, is an element of
Example (Vectors in Rn )

u = (1, 2), v = (2, 1) R2

z = (0, , 3.2, e, 2, 4) R6

A/Prof Rob Womersley

Lecture
1
2
3

01 Vectors
4

Vectors
Vector addition
Scalar multiplication

5
6

Distance between vectors

Equality of vectors
Logic

w = (1, 0, 1) R3

ASX 200 share prices, x R200

x = (1, 0, 1, 2, 3) R5

0 = (0, 0, 0, 0, 0) R5

y = (1, 0, 1, 2) R4

0 = (0, 0, 0, 0) R4

Notes
Order matters
http://www.asx200.com/
MATH1151 (Algebra)

L01 Vectors

Session 1, 2014

1/7

MATH1151 (Algebra)

Vector addition

L01 Vectors

Session 1, 2014

2/7

Scalar multiplication

Vector addition

Scalar multiplication
Definition (Scalar multiplication)

Definition (Vector addition)

Scalar multiplication (multiplication of a vector by a real number) R,

a Rn

Addition of two vectors a, b Rn :

a + b = (a1 , a2 , . . . , an ) + (b1 , b2 , . . . , bn )

a = (a1 , a2 , . . . , an ) = (a1 , a2 , . . . , an ) Rn

= (a1 + b1 , a2 + b2 , . . . , an + bn ) Rn

Notes
The result a has the same number of elements as the vector a
Every component of the vector a is multiplied by the scalar

Notes
The vectors a and b and the result a + b all have the same number of
elements.

Example (Scalar multiplication)

Example (Vector addition)

x = (1, 0, 1, 2, 3),

y = (1, 0, 1, 2),

x = (1, 0, 1, 2, 3)
3x = ?

x+y= ?

Not defined, as vectors do not have the same number of elements

x = (1, 0, 1, 2, 3),

z = (1, 2, 1, 3, 4),

(3, 0, 3, 6, 9) R5

x+z = ?

0x = ?

x + z = (2, 2, 0, 5, 1) R5
MATH1151 (Algebra)

Physical world: R2 and R3

L01 Vectors

(0, 0, 0, 0, 0) R5
Session 1, 2014

3/7

MATH1151 (Algebra)

L01 Vectors

Session 1, 2014

4/7

Distance between vectors

Equality of vectors

Distance between vectors

Equality of vectors

Definition (Distance between vectors)

Definition (Equality of vectors)

The distance dist(a, b) between the vectors a, b Rn is

p
(a1 b1 )2 + (a2 b2 )2 + + (an bn )2
dist(a, b) =

1
2
n
X
2
= (aj bj )

Two vectors a, b Rn are equal if and only if

a1 = b1 , a2 = b2 , . . . , an = bn .
Notes
a, b have the same number of components
every corresponding component is equal aj = bj , j = 1, 2, . . . , n
dist(a, b) = 0 aj = bj , j = 1, . . . , n a = b
Notation if and only if, iff, A = B, if A then B

j=1

Notation

n
X
j=1

vj = v1 + v2 + + vn

dist(a, b) 0,

a, b Rn ,

Notation

Example

x = (1, 0, 1, 2, 3),
1 x = y?

for all

Example (Distance between two vectors)

2

d2 = 4 + 0 + 4 + 4 = 12, so d = 2 3
L01 Vectors

Session 1, 2014

5/7

Logic
( Statement A) means negation of Statement A
Contrapositive (negate both statements and reverse order of
implication) is always true
(Statement A = Statement B) is equivalent to its contrapositive
Statement B = Statement A
Converse in not necessarily true
(Statement A = Statement B) is not equivalent to
(Statement B = Statement A)
Example (Equality of vectors)
a, b Rn , a = b ai = bi , i = 1, . . . , n
x = y = x, y have the same number of elements

x, y have different number of elements = x 6= y Contrapositive

x, y have the same number of elements 6= x = y Converse

Example (Contrapositive and converse)

A = You are in this lecture, B = You are taking MATH1151
L01 Vectors

Session 1, 2014

x = z?
x, z R5 , but x 6= z, as x3 = 1 while z3 = 2

Logic

MATH1151 (Algebra)

z = (1, 0, 2, 1, 3)

False, as x has 5 components while y has 4 components

Distance d between a = (1, 3, 0, 4) and b = (1, 3, 2, 2) is?

MATH1151 (Algebra)

y = (1, 0, 1, 2),

7/7

MATH1151 (Algebra)

L01 Vectors

Session 1, 2014

6/7