Basics Vectors

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Vectors

◮ Vectors have both magnitude and direction

◮ ~a is a vector with magnitude |~a|
~a
◮ ~u = |~a| is the unit vector in the direction of ~a

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Vector Addition

~ =A
C ~ +B
~

~
PSfrag replacements B

~
A

◮ Sum or resultant of two vectors is defined by parallelogram

rule/law
◮ Vector addition is commutative by construction/definition

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 Cartesian coordinate system

eplacements

~
A

~k
AZ
~j Y
~i

AX
X AY ~ XY
A

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Cartesian coordinate system
◮ ~i, ~j and ~k are unit vector along X , Y and Z axes respectively
◮ ~ = AX~i + AY~j + AZ ~k
A
◮ ~ XY = AX~i + AY~j is projection of A
A ~ on X − Y plane
◮ Magnitude of A ~ using pythagorean theorem:
q
~ =
|A| A2X + A2Y + A2Z

◮ ~
Unit vector in the direction of A

~ A = AX ~i + AY ~j + AZ ~k
U
~
|A| ~
|A| ~
|A|
= cos(θX )~i + cos(θY )~j + cos(θZ )~k

◮ θX , θY , θZ are direction angles

◮ cos(θX ), cos(θY ), cos(θZ ) are direction cosines
◮ Note: θX + θY + θZ 6= 180 in general
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 Direction Angles

eplacements
~
A
θZ

~k
~j θY Y
θX

~i

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Dot Product

◮ ~ ·B
A ~ = |A||
~ B|~ cos θ
◮ ~ and B
where θ is the angle between A ~
◮ Properties
1. Linear
2. Commutative: A ~ ·B
~ =B ~ ·A
~
3. ~ ~ ~ ~ are orthogonal
A · B = 0 if and only if A and B
◮ ~i · ~i = ~j · ~j = ~k · ~k = 1
◮ ~i · ~j = ~j · ~k = ~k · ~i = 0
p
◮ ~ =
|A| ~ ·A
A ~
◮ ~ = AX~i + AY~j + AZ ~k and
Exersise: Let A
~
B = BX i + BY~j + BZ ~k, then prove that
~
~ ·B
A ~ = AX BX + AY BY + AZ BZ

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Projection and Dot Product

~
B
PSfrag replacements
~A
U
θ ~
A

BA

◮ ~ onto the line of action of A

BA projection of B ~
~ · A~ ~ ·U~ A = |B||
~ U ~ A | cos θ = |B|
~ cos θ
◮ BA = B ~ =B
|A|
~· ~
B ~ ·U
~ B = |A||
~ U ~ B | cos θ = |A|
~ cos θ
◮ Similarly, AB = A ~ =A
|B|

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 Cross product

◮ ~ ×B
A ~ = |A||
~ B|~ sin θ~nAB
◮ ~ and B
where θ is the angle between A ~
◮ ~ and B
and ~nAB is the unit normal to the plane formed by A ~
◮ Right hand rule is used to determine the direction of ~nAB

~
B
PSfrag replacements
00000000000000
11111111111111
00000000000000
11111111111111
~
A
00000000000000
11111111111111
~nAB
00000000000000
11111111111111
00000000000000
11111111111111
11111111111111
00000000000000
θ11
00
00000000000000
11111111111111
00000000000000
11111111111111
00
11
00000000000000
11111111111111
00000000000000
11111111111111
00000000000000
11111111111111
00000000000000
11111111111111
00000000000000
11111111111111
00000000000000
11111111111111

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Properties of cross product

◮ Linear
◮ ~ ×A
Antisymmetric: B ~ = −(A
~ × B)
~ = |A||
~ B|~ sin θ(−~nAB )
◮ ~nBA = −~nAB
◮ ~ ×B
A ~ = 0 if and only if A
~ and B
~ are scalar multiples of each
other
◮ ~i × ~i = ~j × ~j = ~k × ~k = 0
◮ ~i × ~j = ~k, ~j × ~k = ~i, ~k × ~i = ~j
~ B
A× ~ ~ and B
~
◮ ~nAB = ~ B|
~ – normal to the plane of A
|A×

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Exersise: Interaction between dot and cross products

◮ ~ = AX~i + AY~j + AZ ~k and B

Let A ~ = BX~i + BY~j + BZ ~k, then
show that
~ ×B
A ~ = (AY BZ − AZ BY )~i − (AZ BZ − AZ BX )~j + (AX BY − AY BX )~k
~i ~j ~k
= AX AY AZ
BX BY BZ

◮ ~ × (B
Prove that A ~ ×C ~ ) = B(
~ A~ ·C
~)−C ~ (A~ · B)
~
◮ ~ · (B
Interchange of dot cross: Prove that A ~ ×C ~ ) = (A
~ × B)
~ ·C
~

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