v e c t o r s- hinchingbrooke school（v e c t o r s -布鲁克学校）.docVIP

VECTORS 1. Vector Notation and Properties of Vectors A scalar is a quantity which has magnitude only, for example the mass of an object or the time taken to run 100 metres. A vector is a quantity which has both magnitude and direction. The instruction ‘drive 2 miles due west’ represents a vector, as it has magnitude (2 miles) and direction (due west). a)?A vector is indicated by an arrowed line. The vector joining A to B is denoted , whereas the distance from A to B is denoted AB (so the arrow above indicates a vector quantity rather than a scalar). b)?Two vectors are equal if they have the same magnitude and the same direction. So in the diagram below, . c)?Multiplying a vector by a number changes the magnitude of the vector, but not its direction. So in the diagram below . In general, if , then and are parallel, with being k times longer than . c)?Multiplying a vector by a negative number changes the magnitude of the vector, and reverses its direction. So in the diagram below . e) Since the return journey from B to A is the exact opposite of the journey from A to B, we have . f)?An alternative notation is to represent a vector by a bold lower case letter (an underlined letter when handwritten). The vector equal and opposite to a is ?a. 2. Addition and Subtraction of Vectors To add two vectors together we place the beginning of one vector at the end of the other. The resultant is the vector formed by adding the two vectors together. In the diagram opposite, , and therefore . So we can think of subtraction of vectors as a way of getting from the end of one vector to the end of another! C4 p50 Ex 5A Q1,4,5 3. Vector Geometry We can use the rules for adding vectors to form a kind of ‘algebra of vectors’, known as vector geometry. Example?1?:?The diagram shows a parallelogram OACB with and . D is the midpoint of AC. Express the following vectors in terms of a and b.a) b) c) d) e) f) . a) Since OA and