Lecture 01 Suggested Readings: Sec 10.1, 10.

Vectors in the Plane

Definition

A vector in plane is a directed line segment i.e. a line segment to

which a direction has been assigned.

The vector defined by directed line segment from point P to point

→
Q is written as PQ

Equal Vectors

Two vectors are equal or the same if they have the same length

and direction.

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 uuu
r uuur uuu
r uuur
AB  CD  OP  EF

Scalar Multiplication of Vectors

ur ur
 If c is a nonzero real number and v a vector, then cv is
ur
called scalar multiplication of v with c .
ur ur
 The direction of cv agrees with that of v if c is
ur
positive and is opposite to that of v if c is negative.

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 Geometric Addition: The Parallelogram Law

ur  ur 
Let v1  AB and v 2  BC be two vectors in plane. Then the sum

ur ur
v1  v 2 is the vector represented by the arrow from the initial point

ur ur
A of v1 to the terminal point C of v 2 and we write

ur ur   
v1  v 2  AB  BC  AC

The description of addition is sometimes called the Parallelogram

ur ur
Law of addition because v1  v 2 is given by the diagonal of the
ur ur
parallelogram determined by v1 and v2 .

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Vectors with Coordinates

To compute with vectors we need axes and coordinates

 A vector is known by its components

 The vectors of length one along axes are i and j in the

plane and i, j , k in space

 The combination of i and j (or i, j , k ) produce all vectors

uu
r uu
r
V in plane (and all vectors V in space)

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 ur
 If v  a i  b j , the vectors, a i and b j are the Vector
ur
Components of v in the directions of i and j.

ur
 The numbers a and b are the scalar components of v in

the directions of i and j.

Definition

Equality of Vectors (Algebraic Definition)

In 2D:

a i  b j  a i  b j if and only if a  a  and b  b

In 3D:

a i  b j  c k  ai  bj  c k if and only if a  a , b  b, c  c

Algebraic Addition

In 2D:
ur ur
If v1  a1 i b1 j and v2  a2 i b2 j , then
ur ur
v1  v 2  (a1  a2 ) i  (b1  b2 ) j

and

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 ur ur
v1  v 2  (a1  a2 ) i  (b1  b2 ) j

In 3D:
uu
r uu
r
For any vectors A  a1 i  a2 j  a3 k and B  b1 i  b2 j  b3 k ,

uu
r uu
r
A  B  (a1  b1 ) i  (a2  b2 ) j  (a3  b3 ) k

uu
r uu
r
A  B  (a1  b1 ) i  (a2  b2 ) j  (a3  b3 ) k

Example

(5i  3 j  k )  (9i  7 j  4 k ) ?

Solution

(5i  3 j  k )  (9i  7 j  4 k )   5  9  i   3  7  j   1  4  k

 14 i  4 j  3 k

Definition

 The vector from P1 ( x1 , y1 ) to P2 ( x2 , y 2 ) is

→
P1 P2  ( x2  x1 ) i  ( y 2  y1 ) j

 The vector from P1 ( x1 , y1 , z1 ) to P2 ( x2 , y 2 , z 2 ) is:

→
P1 P2 = ( x2 − x1 ) i + ( y 2 − y1 ) j + ( z 2 − z1 ) k

Example

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The vector from P1 (3, 4,3) to P2 (5,1, −4) ?

Solution
uuuuur
P1 P2   5  3 i   1  4  j   4  3 k

 2i  3 j  7k

Example
uuuur
Find P3 P4 if P3 is the point (1,3) and P4 is the mid point of the line

segment P1P2 joining P1 (2, 1) and P2 ( 4,3)

Solution

 2  4 1  3 
P4   ,    1,1
 2 2 

uuuuuu
r
This implies that P3 P4   1  1 i   1  3 j  2i  2 j

Definition (Magnitude of a Vector)

ur ur
The magnitude or length of v  a i  b j is v  a  b .
2 2

ur r
The magnitude or length of v  ai  b j  c k is v  a  b  c .
2 2 2

Scalar Multiplication
ur
 If c is a scalar and v  a i  b j is a vector, then

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 ur
c v  c(a i  b j )  (ca) i  (cb) j

uu
r
 If c is a scalar and A  a1 i  a2 j  a3k is a vector, then

uu
r
c A  (ca1 ) i  (ca2 ) j  (ca3 ) k

Definition

r ur ur
If c is a scalar and v is a vector, then cv  c v

Example

uu
r uu
r uu
r
If A  a1 i  a2 j  a3k , then find A and 2 A

Solution

ur
 1   2    3  14 and
2 2 2
A

ur ur
2 A  2 A  2  14

The Zero Vector

In terms of components, the zero vector is the vector

ur
0 0 i0 j

In terms of components, the zero vector is the vector

r
0  0i  0 j  0 k

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Unit Vectors

A vector of length 1 is called unit vector.

 The vectors i , j and k are unit vectors.

r
 The unit vector u making angle  with the positive x-axis

r
is represented as: u  cos i  sin  j

(For details please see class notes)

Definition

ur
If v  0 , then
ur
v
1- ur is a unit vector in the direction of v .
v

ur
ur ur v
The equation v  v ur ur
2- v expresses v in terms of its length and

direction.

Example

2
Find the unit vector obtained by rotating j counterclockwise rad
3

about the origin and express this in the form ai  b j .

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Solution

r
If v is the vector obtained by rotating j counterclockwise through

2
radians, then
3

r   2    2 
v  cos   i  sin   j
 2 3   2 3 

  
 cos(2  )i  sin  2  j
3  3 

   
  cos   j  sin  
 3  3

1 3
 i j
2 2

Example

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 i j 
Find the unit vector obtained by rotating counterclockwise
2 2

rad about the origin.

Solution

r i j
If v is the vector obtained by rotating counterclockwise
2


through radians, then
2

r      
v  cos   i  sin    j
 2 4  2 4

   
  sin  i  cos   j
 4  4

1 1
 i j
2 2

Example
r
Express v  3 i  4 j as a product of its length and direction.

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Solution
r
r r r v 3i  4 j  3 4 
v  9  16  5 . Therefore, v  v  r  5   5  i  j 
v 5  5 5 

Example

Find a vector of length 2 whose direction is the opposite of the

ur
direction of the vector A  i  2 j .

Solution
ur
ur A i  2 j 1 2
The direction of A is uAr  5
 i
5
j
5 .

This implies that the direction of the required vectors is

1 2
i j . Since the required vector has magnitude 2, therefore,
5 5

 1 2  2 4
the required vector is 2   i j  i j.
 5 5  5 5

Slopes, Tangents, and Normals

ur b
 If a  0 , then the slope of the vector v  a i  b j is .
a

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  A vector is tangent or normal to a curve at a point if it is

parallel or perpendicular to the line that is tangent to the

curve at that point.

Example

Find unit tangent and normal vectors to the curve

x3 1
y 
2 2

at the point  1,1 .

Solution

dy 3 2 dy 3
 x and dx  . Since the slope of vector tangent to the
dx 2  1,1 2

curve is same as the slope of tangent line to the curve at  1,1 ,

3
therefore, slope of tangent vector is . This implies that tangent
2

vector is 2 i  3 j .

Unit tangents are unit vectors in the direction of   2 i  3 j  , that is

1
unit tangents are   2i  3 j  .
13

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 2
Now slope of the normal vector is  . Therefore, normal vector is
3

1
3 i  2 j . This implies that unit normal vectors are   3i  2 j  .
13

Distance in Space

The distance between P1 ( x1 , y1 , z1 ) and P2 ( x2 , y 2 , z 2 ) is:

→
P1 P2  ( x2  x1 ) 2  ( y 2  y1 ) 2  ( z 2  z1 ) 2

Example

Find the distance between P1 (2,1,5) and P2 ( −2,3,0) , the direction of

uuuu
r
P1P2 and the mid-point of the line segment P1P2 .

Solution

uuuuur
 2  2    3  1   0  5  16  4  25  45
2 2 2
P1 P2 

uuuuur uuuuur
We have P1 P2  4 i  2 j  5 k . Therefore, the direction of P1 P2 is
uuuuur
PP 4 i  2 j  5 k
uuuuur 
1 2
P1 P2 45

Mid point of the line segment P1P2 is:

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  2  2 1 3 5  0 

 2
,
2
,
2  
 0,2, 5 2 
 The Standard Equation for the Sphere of Radius a and

center ( x0 , y0 , z0 ) is:

( x  x0 ) 2  ( y  y 0 ) 2  ( z  z 0 ) 2  a 2

Example

Find the center and radius of sphere

x 2  y 2  z 2  3x  4 z  1  0 .

Solution

We have

x 2  y 2  z 2  3x  4 z  1  0

This implies that

x 2
 
 3 x  y 2  z 2  4 z  1

   9

  x 2  2 3 2 x  9 4  y 2  z 2  4 z  4  1   4
  4

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 2
 3 21
  x    y 2   z  2 
2

 2 4

2 2
  3   21 
  x       y  0    z  2   
2 2

 2   2 
 

 3  21
Therefore, centre=   2 ,0, 2  and radius=
  2

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