SUMMARY SHEET: VECTORS

Engineering Maths II (MAE111), 2012

Vectors and Vector Algebra

The unit vector in the direction of v is

v
b=

Vector: A vector has direction and magnitude. Two vectors

are equal if they have the same direction and the same magnitude. In a given situation (eg a physical situation with force
vectors), two vectors are equivalent if they have the same
effect.
Notation:

b The angle
Direction Cosines: For vector v = ab
+ bb
+ ck
between the x axis and the vector v is ; the angle between
y axis and v is ; the angle between z axis and v is . The
direction cosines l, m and n are:

AB, a, a , a

l = cos =

For the magnitude of a vector, the following are used:

|AB|,

|a|,

v
1
v
=
|v|
a2 + b 2 + c 2

a
,
|v|

m = cos =

Note:

|a|

l2 + m2 + n2 =

Remember, always distinguish a vector from a scalar!

b
,
|v|

n = cos =

c
.
|v|

a2 + b 2 + c 2
=1
|v|2

Vector Addition: Vectors obey the parallelogram law of addition:

c=a+b

b) is the unit vector in the direction of v.

and (lb
+ mb
+ nk

has the size and direction of the diagonal of the parallelogram

formed from sides a and b. Vector addition is commutative,
and associative.

Equation of Line

a+b=b+a

a + b + c = (a + b) + c = a + (b + c)

Parametric vector form Vector a is a position vector of a

point on a line, and b is parallel to the line. Then, any point of
the line can be reached by moving to the point a on the line,
and then moving by some appropriate amount parallel to the
line. So, for an arbitrary point on the line with position vector
r:
r = a + sb

Zero Vector, Negative Vectors, and Vector subtraction: The

zero vector 0, is the vector which when added to another vector doesnt change it. Vector a has the same magnitude as
a but is in the opposite direction. Vector subraction is defined
by addition of the negative vector:

where s is a parameter (i.e., some number which selects a particular point on the line). This is the parametric vector equation of a line.

c = a b = a + (b)

Equation of Line: Cartesian form If an arbitrary point on

the line has Cartesian coordinates (x, y, z), where the line has
a vector equation r = a + sb, and the vectors a and b are:

Multiplication by scalar: The vector ma, where m is a

scalar, is the same direction as a, but has a magnitude |m||a|.

Vector Component Form

b
a1b
+ a2b
+ a3 k

b
b1b
+ b2b
+ b3 k

Then it follows, by eliminating the parameter, that

A unit vector is a vector with a magnitude of unity.

For b
(called i-hat) unit vector in x direction, b
unit vector in
b unit vector in z direction, then for point P at (x, y, z)
y and k

x a1
y a2
z a3
=
=
b1
b2
b3

b
OP = xb
+ yb
+ zk

This is the equation of the line in Cartesian coordinates.

Special case: If b is a unit vector, then b1 , b2 , b3 are the direction cosines of the line.

and, similarly, any vector can be expressed as sum of components in x, y, and z directions.

Special case: If the line passes through the origin, then a = 0

and a1 = a2 = a3 = 0.

Vectors are equal if all their components are also equal.

Addition and subtraction are done component by component.
For example if a = 2b
3b
and b = 4b
+b
, then
a b = 6b
4b
.

Intersection of Two Lines: Two lines given by:

r 1 = a + sb,

Magnitude of a Vector, and Unit Vector: For a vector

b the magnitude is
v = ab
+ bb
+ ck
v = |v| =

r 2 = c + td

will intersect if there are values of parameters s and t such

that
r = a + s b = c + t d

a2 + b 2 + c 2

From the component forms for the vectors it follows that

In component form:

a1 + s b1 = c1 + t d1

b
a b = (a2 b3 a3 b2 )b
+ (a3 b1 a1 b3 )b
+ (a1 b2 a2 b1 )k

a2 + s b2 = c2 + t d2

Alternatively, using determinant form:

a3 + s b3 = c3 + t d3
Two of these equations can be used to find values for s and
t , but the lines will only truly intersect if the third equation
is also satisfied for the same values of s and t . Thus it is
important to check for intersection in all three components.

b
a b = a1
b1

b
k
a3
b3

b
a2
b2

Multiplication rules for Cartesian unit vectors

bk
b
b b = b b = k
b = b k
b
b b = b k

Multiplication of Vectors
There are two ways of multiplying vectors together: the scalar
product (or dot product) produces a scalar (i.e. just a number),
but the vector product produces a vector.

b b
b
b k
b
k b

bk
b
b b = b b = k

Vector Multiplication: Scalar Product

a b = |a| |b| cos

b
k

b
= b

=
=

where is the angle between the vectors a and b.

Special case:

a a = |a|2

Applications of Vectors

Special case:
a b = 0, if a b

Area of triangle: where two sides of triangle are represented

by the vectors a and b:

b and b =
In component form, for a = a1b
+ a2b
+ a3 k
b:
b1b
+ b2b
+ b3 k

A=

a b = a1 b1 + a2 b2 + a3 b3
So the rule is: multiply respective components and add.

Work done by a force The work W (a scalar) done by a force

F (a vector) which causes a displacement s (a vector) is given
by
W =F s

Angle between vectors: From definitions:

cos =

ab
|a| |b|

Moment of force If a force F acts at some point given by position vector a, then the moment of the force about the origin
is defined as
G=aF

(Care has to be taken for negative cos .)

Vector Multiplication: Vector Product
a b = |a| |b| sin b
e

Centre of Mass of collection of point masses For a set of

n point masses with masses m1 , m2 , m3 , . . . mn which lie in
the x-y plane with positions (xi , yi ) so that their position vectors are r i = xib
+ yib
, then their centre of mass position is
given by:

Here is the angle from a to b, and b

e is a unit vector perpendicular to the plane containing a and b. The sense of direction
of b
e is in a RH screw sense as when turning a towards b.
Note that:
a b = b a

r CM =

Special case: Vector product is zero if a and b are parallel:

a b = 0,

n
1 X
mi r i
M
i=1

(akb)

Text Book References

Engineering Mathematics
Croft Davison Hargreaves
Vectors Ch 7

1
|a b|
2

where M is their total mass: M =

Mathematics for Engineers

Croft & Davison
Ch 9
2

P
i

mi .

Engineering Mathematics
Stroud (4th, 5th,6th Edition)
Programme 6