Eucwidean vector

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A vector pointing from A to B

In madematics, physics, and engineering, a Eucwidean vector (sometimes cawwed a geometric[1] or spatiaw vector,[2] or—as here—simpwy a vector) is a geometric object dat has magnitude (or wengf) and direction. Vectors can be added to oder vectors according to vector awgebra. A Eucwidean vector is freqwentwy represented by a wine segment wif a definite direction, or graphicawwy as an arrow, connecting an initiaw point A wif a terminaw point B,[3] and denoted by

A vector is what is needed to "carry" de point A to de point B; de Latin word vector means "carrier".[4] It was first used by 18f century astronomers investigating pwanetary revowution around de Sun, uh-hah-hah-hah.[5] The magnitude of de vector is de distance between de two points and de direction refers to de direction of dispwacement from A to B. Many awgebraic operations on reaw numbers such as addition, subtraction, muwtipwication, and negation have cwose anawogues for vectors, operations which obey de famiwiar awgebraic waws of commutativity, associativity, and distributivity. These operations and associated waws qwawify Eucwidean vectors as an exampwe of de more generawized concept of vectors defined simpwy as ewements of a vector space.

Vectors pway an important rowe in physics: de vewocity and acceweration of a moving object and de forces acting on it can aww be described wif vectors. Many oder physicaw qwantities can be usefuwwy dought of as vectors. Awdough most of dem do not represent distances (except, for exampwe, position or dispwacement), deir magnitude and direction can stiww be represented by de wengf and direction of an arrow. The madematicaw representation of a physicaw vector depends on de coordinate system used to describe it. Oder vector-wike objects dat describe physicaw qwantities and transform in a simiwar way under changes of de coordinate system incwude pseudovectors and tensors.


The concept of vector, as we know it today, evowved graduawwy over a period of more dan 200 years. About a dozen peopwe made significant contributions.[6]

Giusto Bewwavitis abstracted de basic idea in 1835 when he estabwished de concept of eqwipowwence. Working in a Eucwidean pwane, he made eqwipowwent any pair of wine segments of de same wengf and orientation, uh-hah-hah-hah. Essentiawwy he reawized an eqwivawence rewation on de pairs of points (bipoints) in de pwane and dus erected de first space of vectors in de pwane.[6]:52–4

The term vector was introduced by Wiwwiam Rowan Hamiwton as part of a qwaternion, which is a sum q = s + v of a Reaw number s (awso cawwed scawar) and a 3-dimensionaw vector. Like Bewwavitis, Hamiwton viewed vectors as representative of cwasses of eqwipowwent directed segments. As compwex numbers use an imaginary unit to compwement de reaw wine, Hamiwton considered de vector v to be de imaginary part of a qwaternion:

The awgebraicawwy imaginary part, being geometricawwy constructed by a straight wine, or radius vector, which has, in generaw, for each determined qwaternion, a determined wengf and determined direction in space, may be cawwed de vector part, or simpwy de vector of de qwaternion, uh-hah-hah-hah.[7]

Severaw oder madematicians devewoped vector-wike systems in de middwe of de nineteenf century, incwuding Augustin Cauchy, Hermann Grassmann, August Möbius, Comte de Saint-Venant, and Matdew O'Brien. Grassmann's 1840 work Theorie der Ebbe und Fwut (Theory of de Ebb and Fwow) was de first system of spatiaw anawysis simiwar to today's system and had ideas corresponding to de cross product, scawar product and vector differentiation, uh-hah-hah-hah. Grassmann's work was wargewy negwected untiw de 1870s.[6]

Peter Gudrie Tait carried de qwaternion standard after Hamiwton, uh-hah-hah-hah. His 1867 Ewementary Treatise of Quaternions incwuded extensive treatment of de nabwa or dew operator ∇.

In 1878 Ewements of Dynamic was pubwished by Wiwwiam Kingdon Cwifford. Cwifford simpwified de qwaternion study by isowating de dot product and cross product of two vectors from de compwete qwaternion product. This approach made vector cawcuwations avaiwabwe to engineers and oders working in dree dimensions and skepticaw of de fourf.

Josiah Wiwward Gibbs, who was exposed to qwaternions drough James Cwerk Maxweww's Treatise on Ewectricity and Magnetism, separated off deir vector part for independent treatment. The first hawf of Gibbs's Ewements of Vector Anawysis, pubwished in 1881, presents what is essentiawwy de modern system of vector anawysis.[6] In 1901 Edwin Bidweww Wiwson pubwished Vector Anawysis, adapted from Gibb's wectures, which banished any mention of qwaternions in de devewopment of vector cawcuwus.


In physics and engineering, a vector is typicawwy regarded as a geometric entity characterized by a magnitude and a direction, uh-hah-hah-hah. It is formawwy defined as a directed wine segment, or arrow, in a Eucwidean space.[8] In pure madematics, a vector is defined more generawwy as any ewement of a vector space. In dis context, vectors are abstract entities which may or may not be characterized by a magnitude and a direction, uh-hah-hah-hah. This generawized definition impwies dat de above-mentioned geometric entities are a speciaw kind of vectors, as dey are ewements of a speciaw kind of vector space cawwed Eucwidean space.

This articwe is about vectors strictwy defined as arrows in Eucwidean space. When it becomes necessary to distinguish dese speciaw vectors from vectors as defined in pure madematics, dey are sometimes referred to as geometric, spatiaw, or Eucwidean vectors.

Being an arrow, a Eucwidean vector possesses a definite initiaw point and terminaw point. A vector wif fixed initiaw and terminaw point is cawwed a bound vector.[9] When onwy de magnitude and direction of de vector matter, den de particuwar initiaw point is of no importance, and de vector is cawwed a free vector. Thus two arrows and in space represent de same free vector if dey have de same magnitude and direction: dat is, dey are eqwivawent if de qwadriwateraw ABB′A′ is a parawwewogram. If de Eucwidean space is eqwipped wif a choice of origin, den a free vector is eqwivawent to de bound vector of de same magnitude and direction whose initiaw point is de origin, uh-hah-hah-hah.

The term vector awso has generawizations to higher dimensions and to more formaw approaches wif much wider appwications.

Exampwes in one dimension[edit]

Since de physicist's concept of force has a direction and a magnitude, it may be seen as a vector. As an exampwe, consider a rightward force F of 15 newtons. If de positive axis is awso directed rightward, den F is represented by de vector 15 N, and if positive points weftward, den de vector for F is −15 N. In eider case, de magnitude of de vector is 15 N. Likewise, de vector representation of a dispwacement Δs of 4 meters wouwd be 4 m or −4 m, depending on its direction, and its magnitude wouwd be 4 m regardwess.

In physics and engineering[edit]

Vectors are fundamentaw in de physicaw sciences. They can be used to represent any qwantity dat has magnitude, has direction, and which adheres to de ruwes of vector addition, uh-hah-hah-hah. An exampwe is vewocity, de magnitude of which is speed. For exampwe, de vewocity 5 meters per second upward couwd be represented by de vector (0, 5) (in 2 dimensions wif de positive y-axis as 'up'). Anoder qwantity represented by a vector is force, since it has a magnitude and direction and fowwows de ruwes of vector addition, uh-hah-hah-hah. Vectors awso describe many oder physicaw qwantities, such as winear dispwacement, dispwacement, winear acceweration, anguwar acceweration, winear momentum, and anguwar momentum. Oder physicaw vectors, such as de ewectric and magnetic fiewd, are represented as a system of vectors at each point of a physicaw space; dat is, a vector fiewd. Exampwes of qwantities dat have magnitude and direction but faiw to fowwow de ruwes of vector addition are anguwar dispwacement and ewectric current. Conseqwentwy, dese are not vectors.

In Cartesian space[edit]

In de Cartesian coordinate system, a bound vector can be represented by identifying de coordinates of its initiaw and terminaw point. For instance, de points A = (1, 0, 0) and B = (0, 1, 0) in space determine de bound vector pointing from de point x = 1 on de x-axis to de point y = 1 on de y-axis.

In Cartesian coordinates a free vector may be dought of in terms of a corresponding bound vector, in dis sense, whose initiaw point has de coordinates of de origin O = (0, 0, 0). It is den determined by de coordinates of dat bound vector's terminaw point. Thus de free vector represented by (1, 0, 0) is a vector of unit wengf pointing awong de direction of de positive x-axis.

This coordinate representation of free vectors awwows deir awgebraic features to be expressed in a convenient numericaw fashion, uh-hah-hah-hah. For exampwe, de sum of de two (free) vectors (1, 2, 3) and (−2, 0, 4) is de (free) vector


Eucwidean and affine vectors[edit]

In de geometricaw and physicaw settings, sometimes it is possibwe to associate, in a naturaw way, a wengf or magnitude and a direction to vectors. In addition, de notion of direction is strictwy associated wif de notion of an angwe between two vectors. If de dot product of two vectors is defined—a scawar-vawued product of two vectors—den it is awso possibwe to define a wengf; de dot product gives a convenient awgebraic characterization of bof angwe (a function of de dot product between any two non-zero vectors) and wengf (de sqware root of de dot product of a vector by itsewf). In dree dimensions, it is furder possibwe to define de cross product, which suppwies an awgebraic characterization of de area and orientation in space of de parawwewogram defined by two vectors (used as sides of de parawwewogram). In any dimension (and, in particuwar, higher dimensions), it's possibwe to define de exterior product, which (among oder dings) suppwies an awgebraic characterization of de area and orientation in space of de n-dimensionaw parawwewotope defined by n vectors.

However, it is not awways possibwe or desirabwe to define de wengf of a vector in a naturaw way. This more generaw type of spatiaw vector is de subject of vector spaces (for free vectors) and affine spaces (for bound vectors, as each represented by an ordered pair of "points"). An important exampwe is Minkowski space dat is important to our understanding of speciaw rewativity, where dere is a generawization of wengf dat permits non-zero vectors to have zero wengf. Oder physicaw exampwes come from dermodynamics, where many of de qwantities of interest can be considered vectors in a space wif no notion of wengf or angwe.[10]


In physics, as weww as madematics, a vector is often identified wif a tupwe of components, or wist of numbers, dat act as scawar coefficients for a set of basis vectors. When de basis is transformed, for exampwe by rotation or stretching, den de components of any vector in terms of dat basis awso transform in an opposite sense. The vector itsewf has not changed, but de basis has, so de components of de vector must change to compensate. The vector is cawwed covariant or contravariant depending on how de transformation of de vector's components is rewated to de transformation of de basis. In generaw, contravariant vectors are "reguwar vectors" wif units of distance (such as a dispwacement) or distance times some oder unit (such as vewocity or acceweration); covariant vectors, on de oder hand, have units of one-over-distance such as gradient. If you change units (a speciaw case of a change of basis) from meters to miwwimeters, a scawe factor of 1/1000, a dispwacement of 1 m becomes 1000 mm—a contravariant change in numericaw vawue. In contrast, a gradient of 1 K/m becomes 0.001 K/mm—a covariant change in vawue. See covariance and contravariance of vectors. Tensors are anoder type of qwantity dat behave in dis way; a vector is one type of tensor.

In pure madematics, a vector is any ewement of a vector space over some fiewd and is often represented as a coordinate vector. The vectors described in dis articwe are a very speciaw case of dis generaw definition because dey are contravariant wif respect to de ambient space. Contravariance captures de physicaw intuition behind de idea dat a vector has "magnitude and direction".


Vector arrow pointing from A to B

Vectors are usuawwy denoted in wowercase bowdface, as a or wowercase itawic bowdface, as a. (Uppercase wetters are typicawwy used to represent matrices.) Oder conventions incwude or a, especiawwy in handwriting. Awternativewy, some use a tiwde (~) or a wavy underwine drawn beneaf de symbow, e.g. , which is a convention for indicating bowdface type. If de vector represents a directed distance or dispwacement from a point A to a point B (see figure), it can awso be denoted as or AB. Especiawwy in witerature in German it was common to represent vectors wif smaww fraktur wetters as .

Vectors are usuawwy shown in graphs or oder diagrams as arrows (directed wine segments), as iwwustrated in de figure. Here de point A is cawwed de origin, taiw, base, or initiaw point; point B is cawwed de head, tip, endpoint, terminaw point or finaw point. The wengf of de arrow is proportionaw to de vector's magnitude, whiwe de direction in which de arrow points indicates de vector's direction, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Notation for vectors in or out of a plane.svg

On a two-dimensionaw diagram, sometimes a vector perpendicuwar to de pwane of de diagram is desired. These vectors are commonwy shown as smaww circwes. A circwe wif a dot at its centre (Unicode U+2299 ⊙) indicates a vector pointing out of de front of de diagram, toward de viewer. A circwe wif a cross inscribed in it (Unicode U+2297 ⊗) indicates a vector pointing into and behind de diagram. These can be dought of as viewing de tip of an arrow head on and viewing de fwights of an arrow from de back.

A vector in de Cartesian pwane, showing de position of a point A wif coordinates (2, 3).
3D Vector.svg

In order to cawcuwate wif vectors, de graphicaw representation may be too cumbersome. Vectors in an n-dimensionaw Eucwidean space can be represented as coordinate vectors in a Cartesian coordinate system. The endpoint of a vector can be identified wif an ordered wist of n reaw numbers (n-tupwe). These numbers are de coordinates of de endpoint of de vector, wif respect to a given Cartesian coordinate system, and are typicawwy cawwed de scawar components (or scawar projections) of de vector on de axes of de coordinate system.

As an exampwe in two dimensions (see figure), de vector from de origin O = (0, 0) to de point A = (2, 3) is simpwy written as

The notion dat de taiw of de vector coincides wif de origin is impwicit and easiwy understood. Thus, de more expwicit notation is usuawwy not deemed necessary and very rarewy used.

In dree dimensionaw Eucwidean space (or R3), vectors are identified wif tripwes of scawar components:

awso written

This can be generawised to n-dimensionaw Eucwidean space (or Rn).

These numbers are often arranged into a cowumn vector or row vector, particuwarwy when deawing wif matrices, as fowwows:

Anoder way to represent a vector in n-dimensions is to introduce de standard basis vectors. For instance, in dree dimensions, dere are dree of dem:

These have de intuitive interpretation as vectors of unit wengf pointing up de x-, y-, and z-axis of a Cartesian coordinate system, respectivewy. In terms of dese, any vector a in R3 can be expressed in de form:


where a1, a2, a3 are cawwed de vector components (or vector projections) of a on de basis vectors or, eqwivawentwy, on de corresponding Cartesian axes x, y, and z (see figure), whiwe a1, a2, a3 are de respective scawar components (or scawar projections).

In introductory physics textbooks, de standard basis vectors are often instead denoted (or , in which de hat symbow ^ typicawwy denotes unit vectors). In dis case, de scawar and vector components are denoted respectivewy ax, ay, az, and ax, ay, az (note de difference in bowdface). Thus,

The notation ei is compatibwe wif de index notation and de summation convention commonwy used in higher wevew madematics, physics, and engineering.

Decomposition or resowution[edit]

As expwained above a vector is often described by a set of vector components dat add up to form de given vector. Typicawwy, dese components are de projections of de vector on a set of mutuawwy perpendicuwar reference axes (basis vectors). The vector is said to be decomposed or resowved wif respect to dat set.

Iwwustration of tangentiaw and normaw components of a vector to a surface.

The decomposition or resowution[11] of a vector into components is not uniqwe, because it depends on de choice of de axes on which de vector is projected.

Moreover, de use of Cartesian unit vectors such as as a basis in which to represent a vector is not mandated. Vectors can awso be expressed in terms of an arbitrary basis, incwuding de unit vectors of a cywindricaw coordinate system () or sphericaw coordinate system (). The watter two choices are more convenient for sowving probwems which possess cywindricaw or sphericaw symmetry respectivewy.

The choice of a basis does not affect de properties of a vector or its behaviour under transformations.

A vector can awso be broken up wif respect to "non-fixed" basis vectors dat change deir orientation as a function of time or space. For exampwe, a vector in dree-dimensionaw space can be decomposed wif respect to two axes, respectivewy normaw, and tangent to a surface (see figure). Moreover, de radiaw and tangentiaw components of a vector rewate to de radius of rotation of an object. The former is parawwew to de radius and de watter is ordogonaw to it.[12]

In dese cases, each of de components may be in turn decomposed wif respect to a fixed coordinate system or basis set (e.g., a gwobaw coordinate system, or inertiaw reference frame).

Basic properties[edit]

The fowwowing section uses de Cartesian coordinate system wif basis vectors

and assumes dat aww vectors have de origin as a common base point. A vector a wiww be written as


Two vectors are said to be eqwaw if dey have de same magnitude and direction, uh-hah-hah-hah. Eqwivawentwy dey wiww be eqwaw if deir coordinates are eqwaw. So two vectors


are eqwaw if

Opposite, parawwew, and antiparawwew vectors[edit]

Two vectors are opposite if dey have de same magnitude but opposite direction, uh-hah-hah-hah. So two vectors


are opposite if

Two vectors are parawwew if dey have de same direction but not necessariwy de same magnitude, or antiparawwew if dey have opposite direction but not necessariwy de same magnitude.

Addition and subtraction[edit]

Assume now dat a and b are not necessariwy eqwaw vectors, but dat dey may have different magnitudes and directions. The sum of a and b is

The addition may be represented graphicawwy by pwacing de taiw of de arrow b at de head of de arrow a, and den drawing an arrow from de taiw of a to de head of b. The new arrow drawn represents de vector a + b, as iwwustrated bewow:

The addition of two vectors a and b

This addition medod is sometimes cawwed de parawwewogram ruwe because a and b form de sides of a parawwewogram and a + b is one of de diagonaws. If a and b are bound vectors dat have de same base point, dis point wiww awso be de base point of a + b. One can check geometricawwy dat a + b = b + a and (a + b) + c = a + (b + c).

The difference of a and b is

Subtraction of two vectors can be geometricawwy defined as fowwows: to subtract b from a, pwace de taiws of a and b at de same point, and den draw an arrow from de head of b to de head of a. This new arrow represents de vector ab, as iwwustrated bewow:

The subtraction of two vectors a and b

Scawar muwtipwication[edit]

Scawar muwtipwication of a vector by a factor of 3 stretches de vector out.

A vector may awso be muwtipwied, or re-scawed, by a reaw number r. In de context of conventionaw vector awgebra, dese reaw numbers are often cawwed scawars (from scawe) to distinguish dem from vectors. The operation of muwtipwying a vector by a scawar is cawwed scawar muwtipwication. The resuwting vector is

Intuitivewy, muwtipwying by a scawar r stretches a vector out by a factor of r. Geometricawwy, dis can be visuawized (at weast in de case when r is an integer) as pwacing r copies of de vector in a wine where de endpoint of one vector is de initiaw point of de next vector.

If r is negative, den de vector changes direction: it fwips around by an angwe of 180°. Two exampwes (r = −1 and r = 2) are given bewow:

The scawar muwtipwications −a and 2a of a vector a

Scawar muwtipwication is distributive over vector addition in de fowwowing sense: r(a + b) = ra + rb for aww vectors a and b and aww scawars r. One can awso show dat ab = a + (−1)b.


The wengf or magnitude or norm of de vector a is denoted by ‖a‖ or, wess commonwy, |a|, which is not to be confused wif de absowute vawue (a scawar "norm").

The wengf of de vector a can be computed wif de Eucwidean norm

which is a conseqwence of de Pydagorean deorem since de basis vectors e1, e2, e3 are ordogonaw unit vectors.

This happens to be eqwaw to de sqware root of de dot product, discussed bewow, of de vector wif itsewf:

Unit vector
The normawization of a vector a into a unit vector â

A unit vector is any vector wif a wengf of one; normawwy unit vectors are used simpwy to indicate direction, uh-hah-hah-hah. A vector of arbitrary wengf can be divided by its wengf to create a unit vector. This is known as normawizing a vector. A unit vector is often indicated wif a hat as in â.

To normawize a vector a = (a1, a2, a3), scawe de vector by de reciprocaw of its wengf ‖a‖. That is:

Zero vector

The zero vector is de vector wif wengf zero. Written out in coordinates, de vector is (0, 0, 0), and it is commonwy denoted , 0, or simpwy 0. Unwike any oder vector, it has an arbitrary or indeterminate direction, and cannot be normawized (dat is, dere is no unit vector dat is a muwtipwe of de zero vector). The sum of de zero vector wif any vector a is a (dat is, 0 + a = a).

Dot product[edit]

The dot product of two vectors a and b (sometimes cawwed de inner product, or, since its resuwt is a scawar, de scawar product) is denoted by a ∙ b and is defined as:

where θ is de measure of de angwe between a and b (see trigonometric function for an expwanation of cosine). Geometricawwy, dis means dat a and b are drawn wif a common start point and den de wengf of a is muwtipwied wif de wengf of de component of b dat points in de same direction as a.

The dot product can awso be defined as de sum of de products of de components of each vector as

Cross product[edit]

The cross product (awso cawwed de vector product or outer product) is onwy meaningfuw in dree or seven dimensions. The cross product differs from de dot product primariwy in dat de resuwt of de cross product of two vectors is a vector. The cross product, denoted a × b, is a vector perpendicuwar to bof a and b and is defined as

where θ is de measure of de angwe between a and b, and n is a unit vector perpendicuwar to bof a and b which compwetes a right-handed system. The right-handedness constraint is necessary because dere exist two unit vectors dat are perpendicuwar to bof a and b, namewy, n and (–n).

An iwwustration of de cross product

The cross product a × b is defined so dat a, b, and a × b awso becomes a right-handed system (but note dat a and b are not necessariwy ordogonaw). This is de right-hand ruwe.

The wengf of a × b can be interpreted as de area of de parawwewogram having a and b as sides.

The cross product can be written as

For arbitrary choices of spatiaw orientation (dat is, awwowing for weft-handed as weww as right-handed coordinate systems) de cross product of two vectors is a pseudovector instead of a vector (see bewow).

Scawar tripwe product[edit]

The scawar tripwe product (awso cawwed de box product or mixed tripwe product) is not reawwy a new operator, but a way of appwying de oder two muwtipwication operators to dree vectors. The scawar tripwe product is sometimes denoted by (a b c) and defined as:

It has dree primary uses. First, de absowute vawue of de box product is de vowume of de parawwewepiped which has edges dat are defined by de dree vectors. Second, de scawar tripwe product is zero if and onwy if de dree vectors are winearwy dependent, which can be easiwy proved by considering dat in order for de dree vectors to not make a vowume, dey must aww wie in de same pwane. Third, de box product is positive if and onwy if de dree vectors a, b and c are right-handed.

In components (wif respect to a right-handed ordonormaw basis), if de dree vectors are dought of as rows (or cowumns, but in de same order), de scawar tripwe product is simpwy de determinant of de 3-by-3 matrix having de dree vectors as rows

The scawar tripwe product is winear in aww dree entries and anti-symmetric in de fowwowing sense:

Conversion between muwtipwe Cartesian bases[edit]

Aww exampwes dus far have deawt wif vectors expressed in terms of de same basis, namewy, de e basis {e1, e2, e3}. However, a vector can be expressed in terms of any number of different bases dat are not necessariwy awigned wif each oder, and stiww remain de same vector. In de e basis, a vector a is expressed, by definition, as


The scawar components in de e basis are, by definition,


In anoder ordonormaw basis n = {n1, n2, n3} dat is not necessariwy awigned wif e, de vector a is expressed as

and de scawar components in de n basis are, by definition,


The vawues of p, q, r, and u, v, w rewate to de unit vectors in such a way dat de resuwting vector sum is exactwy de same physicaw vector a in bof cases. It is common to encounter vectors known in terms of different bases (for exampwe, one basis fixed to de Earf and a second basis fixed to a moving vehicwe). In such a case it is necessary to devewop a medod to convert between bases so de basic vector operations such as addition and subtraction can be performed. One way to express u, v, w in terms of p, q, r is to use cowumn matrices awong wif a direction cosine matrix containing de information dat rewates de two bases. Such an expression can be formed by substitution of de above eqwations to form


Distributing de dot-muwtipwication gives


Repwacing each dot product wif a uniqwe scawar gives


and dese eqwations can be expressed as de singwe matrix eqwation


This matrix eqwation rewates de scawar components of a in de n basis (u,v, and w) wif dose in de e basis (p, q, and r). Each matrix ewement cjk is de direction cosine rewating nj to ek.[13] The term direction cosine refers to de cosine of de angwe between two unit vectors, which is awso eqwaw to deir dot product.[13] Therefore,

By referring cowwectivewy to e1, e2, e3 as de e basis and to n1, n2, n3 as de n basis, de matrix containing aww de cjk is known as de "transformation matrix from e to n", or de "rotation matrix from e to n" (because it can be imagined as de "rotation" of a vector from one basis to anoder), or de "direction cosine matrix from e to n"[13] (because it contains direction cosines). The properties of a rotation matrix are such dat its inverse is eqwaw to its transpose. This means dat de "rotation matrix from e to n" is de transpose of "rotation matrix from n to e".


  • de determinant is unity, |C| = 1
  • de inverse is eqwaw to de transpose,
  • de rows and cowumns are ordogonaw unit vectors, derefore deir dot products are zero.

The advantage of dis medod is dat a direction cosine matrix can usuawwy be obtained independentwy by using Euwer angwes or a qwaternion to rewate de two vector bases, so de basis conversions can be performed directwy, widout having to work out aww de dot products described above.

By appwying severaw matrix muwtipwications in succession, any vector can be expressed in any basis so wong as de set of direction cosines is known rewating de successive bases.[13]

Oder dimensions[edit]

Wif de exception of de cross and tripwe products, de above formuwae generawise to two dimensions and higher dimensions. For exampwe, addition generawises to two dimensions as

and in four dimensions as

The cross product does not readiwy generawise to oder dimensions, dough de cwosewy rewated exterior product does, whose resuwt is a bivector. In two dimensions dis is simpwy a pseudoscawar

A seven-dimensionaw cross product is simiwar to de cross product in dat its resuwt is a vector ordogonaw to de two arguments; dere is however no naturaw way of sewecting one of de possibwe such products.


Vectors have many uses in physics and oder sciences.

Lengf and units[edit]

In abstract vector spaces, de wengf of de arrow depends on a dimensionwess scawe. If it represents, for exampwe, a force, de "scawe" is of physicaw dimension wengf/force. Thus dere is typicawwy consistency in scawe among qwantities of de same dimension, but oderwise scawe ratios may vary; for exampwe, if "1 newton" and "5 m" are bof represented wif an arrow of 2 cm, de scawes are 1 m:50 N and 1:250 respectivewy. Eqwaw wengf of vectors of different dimension has no particuwar significance unwess dere is some proportionawity constant inherent in de system dat de diagram represents. Awso wengf of a unit vector (of dimension wengf, not wengf/force, etc.) has no coordinate-system-invariant significance.

Vector-vawued functions[edit]

Often in areas of physics and madematics, a vector evowves in time, meaning dat it depends on a time parameter t. For instance, if r represents de position vector of a particwe, den r(t) gives a parametric representation of de trajectory of de particwe. Vector-vawued functions can be differentiated and integrated by differentiating or integrating de components of de vector, and many of de famiwiar ruwes from cawcuwus continue to howd for de derivative and integraw of vector-vawued functions.

Position, vewocity and acceweration[edit]

The position of a point x = (x1, x2, x3) in dree-dimensionaw space can be represented as a position vector whose base point is de origin

The position vector has dimensions of wengf.

Given two points x = (x1, x2, x3), y = (y1, y2, y3) deir dispwacement is a vector

which specifies de position of y rewative to x. The wengf of dis vector gives de straight-wine distance from x to y. Dispwacement has de dimensions of wengf.

The vewocity v of a point or particwe is a vector, its wengf gives de speed. For constant vewocity de position at time t wiww be

where x0 is de position at time t = 0. Vewocity is de time derivative of position, uh-hah-hah-hah. Its dimensions are wengf/time.

Acceweration a of a point is vector which is de time derivative of vewocity. Its dimensions are wengf/time2.

Force, energy, work[edit]

Force is a vector wif dimensions of mass×wengf/time2 and Newton's second waw is de scawar muwtipwication

Work is de dot product of force and dispwacement

Vectors as directionaw derivatives[edit]

A vector may awso be defined as a directionaw derivative: consider a function and a curve . Then de directionaw derivative of is a scawar defined as

where de index is summed over de appropriate number of dimensions (for exampwe, from 1 to 3 in 3-dimensionaw Eucwidean space, from 0 to 3 in 4-dimensionaw spacetime, etc.). Then consider a vector tangent to :

The directionaw derivative can be rewritten in differentiaw form (widout a given function ) as

Therefore, any directionaw derivative can be identified wif a corresponding vector, and any vector can be identified wif a corresponding directionaw derivative. A vector can derefore be defined precisewy as

Vectors, pseudovectors, and transformations[edit]

An awternative characterization of Eucwidean vectors, especiawwy in physics, describes dem as wists of qwantities which behave in a certain way under a coordinate transformation. A contravariant vector is reqwired to have components dat "transform opposite to de basis" under changes of basis. The vector itsewf does not change when de basis is transformed; instead, de components of de vector make a change dat cancews de change in de basis. In oder words, if de reference axes (and de basis derived from it) were rotated in one direction, de component representation of de vector wouwd rotate in de opposite way to generate de same finaw vector. Simiwarwy, if de reference axes were stretched in one direction, de components of de vector wouwd reduce in an exactwy compensating way. Madematicawwy, if de basis undergoes a transformation described by an invertibwe matrix M, so dat a coordinate vector x is transformed to x′ = Mx, den a contravariant vector v must be simiwarwy transformed via v′ = Mv. This important reqwirement is what distinguishes a contravariant vector from any oder tripwe of physicawwy meaningfuw qwantities. For exampwe, if v consists of de x, y, and z-components of vewocity, den v is a contravariant vector: if de coordinates of space are stretched, rotated, or twisted, den de components of de vewocity transform in de same way. On de oder hand, for instance, a tripwe consisting of de wengf, widf, and height of a rectanguwar box couwd make up de dree components of an abstract vector, but dis vector wouwd not be contravariant, since rotating de box does not change de box's wengf, widf, and height. Exampwes of contravariant vectors incwude dispwacement, vewocity, ewectric fiewd, momentum, force, and acceweration.

In de wanguage of differentiaw geometry, de reqwirement dat de components of a vector transform according to de same matrix of de coordinate transition is eqwivawent to defining a contravariant vector to be a tensor of contravariant rank one. Awternativewy, a contravariant vector is defined to be a tangent vector, and de ruwes for transforming a contravariant vector fowwow from de chain ruwe.

Some vectors transform wike contravariant vectors, except dat when dey are refwected drough a mirror, dey fwip and gain a minus sign, uh-hah-hah-hah. A transformation dat switches right-handedness to weft-handedness and vice versa wike a mirror does is said to change de orientation of space. A vector which gains a minus sign when de orientation of space changes is cawwed a pseudovector or an axiaw vector. Ordinary vectors are sometimes cawwed true vectors or powar vectors to distinguish dem from pseudovectors. Pseudovectors occur most freqwentwy as de cross product of two ordinary vectors.

One exampwe of a pseudovector is anguwar vewocity. Driving in a car, and wooking forward, each of de wheews has an anguwar vewocity vector pointing to de weft. If de worwd is refwected in a mirror which switches de weft and right side of de car, de refwection of dis anguwar vewocity vector points to de right, but de actuaw anguwar vewocity vector of de wheew stiww points to de weft, corresponding to de minus sign, uh-hah-hah-hah. Oder exampwes of pseudovectors incwude magnetic fiewd, torqwe, or more generawwy any cross product of two (true) vectors.


See awso[edit]


  1. ^ Ivanov 2001
  2. ^ Heinbockew 2001
  3. ^ Ito 1993, p. 1678; Pedoe 1988
  4. ^ Latin: vectus, perfect participwe of vehere, "to carry"/ veho = "I carry". For historicaw devewopment of de word vector, see "vector n, uh-hah-hah-hah.". Oxford Engwish Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2005. (Subscription or UK pubwic wibrary membership reqwired.) and Jeff Miwwer. "Earwiest Known Uses of Some of de Words of Madematics". Retrieved 2007-05-25.
  5. ^ The Oxford engwish dictionary (2nd. ed.). London: Cwaredon Press. 2001. ISBN 9780195219425.
  6. ^ a b c d Michaew J. Crowe, A History of Vector Anawysis; see awso his "wecture notes" (PDF). Archived from de originaw (PDF) on January 26, 2004. Retrieved 2010-09-04. on de subject.
  7. ^ W. R. Hamiwton (1846) London, Edinburgh & Dubwin Phiwosophicaw Magazine 3rd series 29 27
  8. ^ Ito 1993, p. 1678
  9. ^ Formerwy known as wocated vector. See Lang 1986, p. 9.
  10. ^ Thermodynamics and Differentiaw Forms
  11. ^ Gibbs, J.W. (1901). Vector Anawysis: A Text-book for de Use of Students of Madematics and Physics, Founded upon de Lectures of J. Wiwward Gibbs, by E.B. Wiwson, Chares Scribner's Sons, New York, p. 15: "Any vector r copwanar wif two non-cowwinear vectors a and b may be resowved into two components parawwew to a and b respectivewy. This resowution may be accompwished by constructing de parawwewogram ..."
  12. ^ U. Guewph Physics Dept., "Torqwe and Anguwar Acceweration"
  14. ^ M., Rogers, Robert (2007). Appwied madematics in integrated navigation systems (3rd ed.). Reston, Va.: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. ISBN 9781563479274. OCLC 652389481.


Madematicaw treatments[edit]

Physicaw treatments[edit]

Externaw winks[edit]