APPENDIX

Some Vector Algebra

B
Some knowledge and understanding of basic vector algebra is needed in dealing
with complexities of elements oriented in space as occur in shells, etc. Some of the
operations are summarized here.
Vectors (in the geometric sense) can be described by their components along the
directions of the x, y, z axes.
Thus, the vector v01 shown in Fig. B.1 can be written as

v01 = x1 i + y1 j + z 1 k (B.1)

in which i, j, k are unit vectors in the direction of the x, y, z axes.

Alternatively, the same vector could be written as

x1
v01 = y1 (B.2)

z1

(now a vector in the column matrix sense) in which the components are distin-
guished by positions in the column.

Addition and subtraction

Addition and subtraction is defined by addition and subtraction of components. Thus,
for example,

v02 v01 = (x2 x1 ) i + (y2 y1 ) j + (z 2 z 1 ) k (B.3)

The same result is achieved by the definitions of matrix algebra; thus

x2 x1
v02 v01 = v21 = y2 y1 (B.4)

z2 z1

The Finite Element Method: Its Basis and Fundamentals. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-85617-633-0.00028-9

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655
656 APPENDIX B Some Vector Algebra

V21

z1 z2
V02

y
x2
V01
x1
y2
y1
0 x

FIGURE B.1
Vector addition.

Scalar products
A scalar product of two vectors is defined as


3
ab=ba = ak bk (B.5)
k=1

If
a = a x i + a y j + az k
(B.6)
b = b x i + b y j + bz k
then
a b = a x b x + a y b y + az bz (B.7)
Using matrix notation

ax b x
a = ay and b = by (B.8)

az bz

the scalar product becomes

a b = a T b = bT a (B.9)
 Vector or cross-product 657

Length of vector
The length of the vector v21 is given, purely geometrically, as

l21 = (x2 x1 )2 + (y2 y1 )2 + (z 2 z 1 )2 (B.10)

or in terms of matrix algebra as

l21 = v21 v21 = T v
v21 21 (B.11)

Direction cosines
Direction cosines of a vector are simply, from the definition of the projected compo-
nent of lengths, given as (Fig. B.1)
x2 x1 v21 i
cos x = = (B.12)
l21 l21
The scalar product may also be written as (Fig. B.2)

a b = b a = la lb cos (B.13)

where is the angle between the two vectors a and b and la and lb are their lengths,
respectively.

Vector or cross-product
Another product of vectors is defined as a vector oriented normal to the plane given
by two vectors and equal in magnitude to the product of the length of the two vectors
multiplied by the sine of the angle between them. Further, the direction of the normal
vector follows the right-hand rule as shown in Fig. B.2 in which

ab=c (B.14)

is shown. Thus, from the right-hand rule, we have

a b = b a (B.15)

It is worth noting that the magnitude (or length) of c is equal to the area of the
parallelogram shown in Fig. B.2.
Using the definition of Eq. (B.6) and noting that

ii = jj=kk =0
i j = k, j k = i, ki=j
658 APPENDIX B Some Vector Algebra

la = la lb sin
B
lb

la
A

FIGURE B.2
Vector multiplication (cross-product).

we have

i j k
a b = det ax a y az
b x b y bz
= (a y bz az b y ) i + (az bx ax bz ) j + (ax b y a y bx ) k

In matrix algebra this does not find a simple counterpart but we can use the above to
define the vector c1
a y bz az b y
c = a b = az b x a x bz (B.16)

ax b y a y bx
The vector product will be found particularly useful when the problem of erecting
a normal direction to a surface is considered.

Elements of area and volume

If and are some curvilinear coordinates, then the vectors in a two-dimensional
plane    
x x

d = y d d = y d (B.17)

defined from the relationship between the Cartesian and curvilinear coordinates, are
vectors directed tangentially to the and equal constant contours, respectively. As
1 If we rewrite a as a skew symmetric matrix

0 az a y

a = az 0 ax
a y ax 0

then an alternative representation of the vector product in matrix form is c = 

a b.
 Elements of area and volume 659

the length or the vector resulting from a cross-product of d d is equal to the area
of the elementary parallelogram we can write
 x x 

d(ar ea) = det y y d d (B.18)

by Eq. (B.16).
Similarly, if we have three curvilinear coordinates , , in the Cartesian space,
the triple or box product defines a differential volume
x x x

  y y y
d(vol) = d d d = det

d d d
(B.19)
z z z

This follows simply from the geometry. The bracketed product, by definition, forms
a vector whose length is equal to the parallelogram area with sides tangent to two
of the coordinate derivatives, similar to that shown in Figure B.2. The second scalar
multiplication by a length and the cosine of the angle between that length and the
normal to the parallelogram establishes a differential volume element.
The above equations serve in changing the variables in surface and volume
integrals.