Points and Vectors

Topic and contents

Points and Vectors

School of Mathematics and Statistics

Points in Rn : R, R2 , R3 ,
Points Coordinate vectors

MATH1151 Algebra
A/Prof Rob Womersley

Geometric vectors: magnitude and direction

Lecture 02 Points and Vectors

addition a + b
commutative a + b = b + a
associative a + (b + c) = (a + b) + c
scalar multiplication a, R

Distance
Geometric Vectors
Arrays
Basis vectors

Points and Vectors

Points in R
Points in R2
Points in R3

MATH1151 (Algebra)

L02 Points and Vectors

Points and Vectors

...

Coordinate system
Distance between points

R4 ,

Session 1, 2014

Vector space of vectors

10 axioms
properties

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MATH1151 (Algebra)

L02 Points and Vectors

Points in R

Points and Vectors

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Points in R2

Points in R2

Points in R

R2 points in the plane: Coordinates

1

3
4

Real number line

Choose
Specify
Choose
Choose

origin O
units of length
x direction
y direction at right angles to x direction ( 2 anticlockwise)

Origin 0

4
y

Order A < B

y
3.5

>

3.5

>

2.5

2.5

y2

(x , y )

Example (Mars Climate Orbiter crash Units do matter)

1.5

x
0.5

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> x

1
1

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1
C

0.5

0.5

L02 Points and Vectors

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/news/mco991110.html

MATH1151 (Algebra)

(x2, y2)

1.5

In 1999 the Mars Climate orbiter crashed into the surface of Mars. The
root cause was a a failed translation of English units into metric.

>

0.5

0.5

0.5

MATH1151 (Algebra)

1.5

2.5

3.5

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0.5

0.5

1.5

2.5

3.5

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Points and Vectors

Points in R2

Points in R3

Points and Vectors

Coordinate systems and points

R3 Space

Cartesian Geometry

Coordinate system
Choose origin O

Rene Descartes, early 17th century

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Descartes
Given a coordinate system

Specify unit of length

Specify 3 directions at right angles as x, y, z coordinate directions
forming right handed system

Each point in the plane unique coordinate vector (x, y) R2

Each element (x, y) R2 point in plane

Different coordinate systems = different coordinate vectors for the

same point
Distance between points A and B

z1
A (x1, y1, z1)

Define a coordinate system

A has coordinates (x1 , y1 )
B has coordinates (x2 , y2 )

dist(A, B) =

p
(x2 x1 )2 + (y2 y1 )2

O
y

Easy
Independent of choice of coordinate system
Coordinate directions must be a right angles
MATH1151 (Algebra)

L02 Points and Vectors

Points and Vectors

Each point in space unique coordinate vector in R3

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MATH1151 (Algebra)

Distance

L02 Points and Vectors

Points and Vectors

Distance

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Distance

Length of vectors
1

2
n
X
2
n

Length |a| of vector a R is |a| =

aj

Distance in R3
Point A, coordinate vector (x1 , y1 , z1 )
Point B, coordinate
vector (x2 , y2 , z2 )
p
dist(A, B) = (x2 x1 )2 + (y2 y1 )2 + (z2 z1 )2
Independent of choice of coordinate system

Distance in

j=1

Distance of point with position vector a from origin

Unit vector has length (magnitude) equal to 1

If |u| 6= 0, then unit vector b
u in direction of u is

Rn

Point A, coordinate vector a = (a1 , a2 , . . . , an ) Rn

Point B, coordinate vector b = (b1 , b2 , . . . , bn ) Rn
Distance between A and B
p
dist(A, B) =
(b1 a1 )2 + (b2 a2 )2 + + (bn an )2
21

n
X
= (bj aj )2

Example (Unit vector)

Solution
Length of a is |a| =

1 + 4 + 0 + 16 = 21

The unique unit vector b

a in direction of a is

Distance is independent of choice of coordinate system

L02 Points and Vectors

u
|u|

Find a/the unit vector in the direction of a = (1, 2, 0, 4)

j=1

MATH1151 (Algebra)

b
u=

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MATH1151 (Algebra)

L02 Points and Vectors

1
b
a = (1, 2, 0, 4)
21
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Points and Vectors

Geometric Vectors

Points and Vectors

Geometric Vectors

Geometric Vectors

Geometric vectors addition

Scalar anything represented by a single real number

Notation: R, R
Examples: CBA share price, number of students in class, mass of plane

Vector quantity with magnitude and direction

Vector from A to B is AB= u and P Q= u

rP

Ar

MATH1151 (Algebra)

+b
a

b + a

Vector addition is commutative a + b = b + a

B

Associative law of addition (a + b) + c = a + (b + c) similar

L02 Points and Vectors

Points and Vectors

Place tail of second vector b at head of first vector a

Join tail of first vector a to head of second vector b to get a + b

Notation: a, u, Magnitude |a|, |u|

Examples: Velocity, forces

Addition of geometric vectors a, b to get a + b

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MATH1151 (Algebra)

L02 Points and Vectors

Geometric Vectors

Points and Vectors

Geometric vectors scalar multiplication

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Geometric Vectors

Geometric basis vectors

Plane: unit vectors i, j
j

Scalar R, vector a

!
!

!
!
!
!
!
!

1.5a

2
3a

!
!

a opposite direction to a, same magnitude as a

< 0 = a = ()(a)

Session 1, 2014

a2 j

a1 i

Space: unit vectors i, j, k

= 0, 0a = 0, zero vector has magnitude zero, no direction

L02 Points and Vectors

Unit length |i| = 1, |j| = 1

At right angles
a1 = |a| cos(), a2 = |a| sin()
a = a1 i + a2 j linear combination of basis vectors i, j

> 0 = a same direction as a, magnitude |a| = |a|

MATH1151 (Algebra)

|a|

Unit length |i| = 1, |j| = 1, |k| = 1

At right angles forming right-handed system
a = a1 i + a2 j + a3 k linear combination of basis vectors i, j, k
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MATH1151 (Algebra)

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Points and Vectors

Arrays

Points and Vectors

Arrays

Rn : Column vectors vs Row vectors

Arrays

Similar to a rectangular block of rows and columns in a spreadsheet

What is the difference between the following two vectors?

2
a = (2, 0, 1)
and
b= 0
1
Both have 3 elements, each a real number, and ai = bi , i = 1, 2, 3
Is a = b? No, a is a row vector, b is a column vector

A row vector with n elements is a 1 by n array

Definition (Rn , Column vectors and transpose)

A column vector with m elements is a m by 1 array

Definition (Array)
An array A is an rectangular block of numbers with m rows and n
columns where Aij refers to the element in row i and column j for
1 i m and 1 j n.

a = [1 2 3 4]

A = [11 12 13 14; 21 22 23 24]

size(a)

size(A)

b = [1; 2; 3; 4]

whos

Rn is the set of all column vectors with n real elements.

x1
x2

x Rn

x = . = (x1 , x2 , . . . , xn )T
.
.

size(b)

numel(A)

where the superscript

Example (Matlab)

MATH1151 (Algebra)

xn

L02 Points and Vectors

Points and Vectors

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MATH1151 (Algebra)

Points and Vectors

e1 = (1, 0)T R2

Rn :

e1 = (1, 0, 0, . . . , 0, 0)T Rn

e2 = (0, 1, 0, . . . , 0, 0)T Rn
..
..
.
.

a = (a1 , a2 )T = (a1 , 0)T + (0, a2 )T = a1 (1, 0)T + a2 (0, 1)T = a1 e1 + a2 e2

e1 = (1, 0, 0)T R3
T

e2 = (0, 1, 0) R

en = (0, 0, 0, . . . , 0, 1)T Rn

e3 = (0, 0, 1)T R3

(ej )i = 1 if i = j, (ej )i = 0 if i 6= j
Unit length |ej | = 1,
Linear combination

Linear combination of basis vectors

a = (a1 , a2 , a3 )T

= (a1 , 0, 0)T + (0, a2 , 0)T + (0, 0, a3 )T

= a1 (1, 0, 0)T + a2 (0, 1, 0)T + a3 (0, 0, 1)T

= a1 e1 + a2 e2 + a3 e3
MATH1151 (Algebra)

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Basis vectors ej Rn for j = 1, . . . , n

Linear combination of basis vectors

Basis vectors

Session 1, 2014

Basis vectors

Basis vectors in Rn
e2 = (0, 1)T R2

R3 :

is the transpose (swaps rows and columns).

L02 Points and Vectors

Basis vectors

Basis vectors in R2 , R3
R2 : Basis vectors

L02 Points and Vectors

Session 1, 2014

= (a1 , a2 , a3 , . . . , an )T Rn
= a1 e1 + a2 e2 + an en =

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n
X

aj ej

j=1

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