CSEC Mathematics General Proficiency Vectors and Matrices

VECTORS
A vector is a quantity which has both magnitude (length) and direction.

 Vectors may be represented as a directed line segment.

 Vectors may also be written as a translation in the form ( xy ).

Sample vectors

→ 4
CD = −3( )
The translation of C to D is 4 rightwards and 3 downwards.

The magnitude and the direction of a vector can be determined as follows:


→
If AB = ( xy ) then

(1) | |
→
The magnitude of the vector = AB = √ x 2+ y 2

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 CSEC Mathematics General Proficiency Vectors and Matrices

(2) The direction oof the vector = θ = ta n

−1
( xy )
Questions:
→ →
1. In the diagram below, the translations vectors, PQ and RS , are given as

(a) Express each one as a column vector.

(b) Determine, for each vector

(i) the magnitude

(ii) and the direction.

Solution:

(a) Expressing as position vectors

→
PQ = (−23)
RS = ( 0 )
→ 4
ans.

(b) (i) the magnitude of PQ

→
| |→
= PQ = √ ¿ ¿ = 3.61 units ans.

the magnitude of PQ
→
| |
→
= RS = √ ¿ ¿ = 4 units ans.

(ii) the direction e of each vector

Direction of PQ
→
= ta n
−1
( xy ) = ta n
−1
( −23 ) = − 56º + 180 = 124º Ans.

Direction of RS
→
= ta n
−1
( xy ) −1
= ta n ( 04 ) = 0º Ans.

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 CSEC Mathematics General Proficiency Vectors and Matrices


OA is the position vector relative to the origin O. Given that the point A is A(3 , 4).
2.


(a)
x
()
Express in the form y the vector OA .


(b) Draw the vector represented by OA .

→
(c) Calculate the magnitude of OA

→
(d) Determine the direction of OA .

Solution:
(a)
→
Expressing OA in the form ( xy )
the vector: OA
→
= ( 34 ) Ans.

(b)

(c)
→
Calculating the magnitude of OA : OA | | →
= √ 32 +4 2 = √ 25 = 5 units Ans.

(d)
→
Calculating the direction of OA : Direction = ta n
−1
( xy ) = ta n ( 43 ) = ta n
−1 −1
( 1.33 ) = 53.1º Ans.

3. The points A and B are given as (0 , 4 ) and (3 , 6) respectively. O is the origin.

(a) Represent the points A and B on a cartesian plane.

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 CSEC Mathematics General Proficiency Vectors and Matrices

(b)
→
Express AB in the form
x
y ()
→
(c) Calculate the magnitude of AB

→
(d) Determine the direction of AB.
Solution:

(a) Representing each point by a position vector

→ →
OB =OA + AB 
→ → → → 3 0 3
AB = OB −OA = 6 − 4 = 2 () () () Ans.

→
(b) Calculating the magnitude of OA

|AB| →
= √ 32 +22 = 3.61 units Ans.

→
(c) Calculating the direction of AB

Direction
= −1
tan ()
y
x
= −1
ta n ()
2 =
3
ta n−1 ( 0.667 )
= 33.7º Ans.

4. The position vectors of the points P, Q and R, relative to the origin, are:

→ 4 →
() 6
( ) →
()
9
OP = 2 , ¿ = 10 , OQ = 5 .

Express in the form ( )

x
y
→
(a) PQ
→
(b) QR
→
(c) PR

Solution:
 x
→  
OA
Expressing in the form  y  the vector

(a)
→ → → → → 9 4 5
PQ = PO + OQ = OQ  OP = 5  2 = 3 () () () ans.

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 CSEC Mathematics General Proficiency Vectors and Matrices

(b)
→ → → → → 6 9 −3
OQ = ¿ + RQ = ¿  QR = 10  5 = 5 ( ) () ( ) ans.

(c)
→ → → → → 6 4 2
PR = PO + ¿ = ¿  OP = 10  2 = 8 ( ) () () ans.

Vector arithmetic.

The triangle law and the parallelogram law are used to add vectors.

The triangle law

Addition
→ → →
AC = AB + BC
→
AC =a+b

The parallelogram law

Addition
→ → →
AC = AB + BC
→
AC =a+b

Sample questions:

1. Work out the following if PQ =

→
(−23) →
, PR = ( 64) and QR= ( 41 )
→
,

Evaluate:
→ →
(a) PQ + QR
→ →
(b) PR  QR

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 CSEC Mathematics General Proficiency Vectors and Matrices

Solution:

(a)
→
PQ + QR =
→
(−23) + ( 41) = ( 24) Ans.

(b)
→ → 6 4
PR  QR = 4  1 ( ) ( ) = (23) Ans.

2.
→
PQRS is a parallelogram. Given that PQ =
5
0
→
and SP =()2
−3 ( )

(a) Express each of the following vectors as a column vector.

→
(i) QR

→
(ii) SR

→ →
(b) If SR = t and SP = u, express each of the following vectors in terms of u.

→
(i) QP

→
(ii) QR

Solution:

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 CSEC Mathematics General Proficiency Vectors and Matrices

(a) (i)
→ → 2
QR =  PS = − −3 ( ) = (−23 ) ans.

(ii)
→ → 5
SR = PQ = 0 ans. ()
→ → →
(b) (i) QP = RS =  SR =  t ans.
→ →
(ii) QR = PS =  u ans.

3. Work out the following if PQ =

→
(−23) →
, PR = ( 64) and QR= ( 41 ),
→

Determine:
→
(a) 3 PQ

1 →
(b) PR
2

1 →
(c) QR
2

Solution:

(a)
→ −2
3 PQ = 3 3 =( ) (−69) Ans.

(b)
1 →
2
PR =
1 6
2 4( ) (32 )
= Ans.

(c)
1 →
2
QR =
1 4
2 1 ( ) = (0.52 ) Ans.

4. In the figure below, O is the origin, and ABCD is a parallelogram.

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 CSEC Mathematics General Proficiency Vectors and Matrices

Given that:
→
OA = a+ 2b
→
OB = 4 a+3 b
→
OD = 2 a+5 b

Determine:
→
(a) AB
→
(b) OC
→
(c) DB

Solution:
→ → → → →
(a) AB = AO + OB = OB  OA = (4 a+3 b )  (a+ 2b ) = 4 a−a+3 b−2 b = 3 a+ b ans.
→ → → → →
(b) OC = OD + DC = OD + AB = (2 a+5 b ) + (3 a+ b) = 2 a+3 a+ 5 b+b = 5 a+6 b

→ → →
(c) DB = OB  OD = (4 a+3 b )  (2 a+5 b ) = 4 a−2 a+3 b−5b = 2 a−7 b ans.

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 CSEC Mathematics General Proficiency Vectors and Matrices

Vector geometry (Relationship among Vectors)

1. Equal vectors have the same magnitude and the same direction. When vectors are equal, the
directed line segments are parallel.

→
AB = a
→
CD = a
→ →
AB and CD have the same magnitude ( a ) and the same
(shown in the diagram).
→ →
 AB and CD are equal vectors.

2. Inverse vectors have the same magnitude but opposite directions.

( )
→ →
CD = − AB =  a

→ →
AB and CD have the same magnitude ( a ) but opposite
directions (shown in the diagram).

→ →
 AB and CD are inverse vectors.

3. Parallel vectors have the same direction but magnitudes are multiple of each other.
→ →
AB = a, CD = 2a

→ 1 →
 AB = CD
2

→ →
AB = k CD
→ →
AB and CD are parallel vectors.

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 CSEC Mathematics General Proficiency Vectors and Matrices

4. Collinearity are parallel vectors on the same straight line.

→ →
AB = a, AC = 3a

→ 1 →
 AB = AC
3
→ →
The points A, B and C are collinear if AB = k AC

where k is a multiplying constant and AB is parallel to AC and A is a

common point.

Sample:

1.
→
Given that AB =
3
−2 ( ) →
and CD =
−3
2 ( ) → →
, state one geometric relation between AB and CD .

Solution:
→
CD = (−32) −(−23 ) AB =  CD
→ → → →
 AB is the inverse of CD Ans.

2. Given that
→
( )
8 → 2
() → →
AB = 12 and OP = 3 , state the relationship between AB and AP

Solution:

→ 2
AP = 3() → 8
( ) ()
2
AB = 12 = 4 3

→ →
AB is 4 times longer than AP and the points A, B and P are collinear.

3. Given that
→
( )
8 → 2
() → →
AB = 12 and AP = 3 , state the relationship between AB and AP

Solution:

→ 2
AP = 3()

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 CSEC Mathematics General Proficiency Vectors and Matrices

→ 8
( ) ()
2
AB = 12 = 4 3

→ →
AB is 4 times longer than AP and the points A, B and P are collinear.

4. KLNM is a quadrilateral. The position vector of K is (−21), of L is( 14), and of M is(11 ):
(a) Find:
→
(i) LM
→
(ii) KM

(b) P is the midpoint of KM. Find the position vector of P:

Solution:

→ −2
( )→ 1 →
()1
OK = 1 , OL = 4 and OM = 1 ()
(a) (i)
→ →
LM = OM  OL =
→
(11 )  ( 14 ) = (−30 ) ans.

(ii)
→ →
KM = OM  OK =
→
(11 )  (−21) = (30 ) ans.

(b)
→
OP =
1 →
2
KM =
1 3
2 0
= ( ) (1.50) ans.

5. The coordinates of the points, E, D and F, are (1, 3), (2, 1) and (m, n) respectively.

(a)
→ → →
Express OE , OD and OF in the form ( xy )
→ → →
(b) Given that OF = 3OE  OD , determine the values of m and n.

(c) If G is the midpoint of OD, use a vector method to prove that:

(i) EF : GE = 2 : 1

(ii) G, E and F are collinear

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 CSEC Mathematics General Proficiency Vectors and Matrices

Solution:

(a)
→ 1
OE = 3 () → 2
OD = −1 ( ) → m
()
OF = n ans.

(b)
→ →
OF = 3OE  OD
→
(mn ) = 3(13)  (−12 ) = (39)  (−12 ) = (101 ) ans.

(c) (i)
→ →
EF = OF  OE =
→
(101 )  (13) = (07)
→
OG =
1 →
2
OD = (2 −1) = (−0.5
1 2 1
)
→ →
¿ = OE  OG =
→
(13)  (−0.5
1
) = (3.50 )
→ 0 →
()
EF = 7 = 2≥ ¿

 EF : GE = 2 : 1 ans.

(ii)
→
since EF =
7 (0 ) →
= 2≥ ¿  the points G, E and F are collinear. ans.

6.

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 CSEC Mathematics General Proficiency Vectors and Matrices

Given that a and b are unit vectors as shown in the diagram above,

(a) Write, in terms of a and b, the position vectors for:

→
(i) OP
→
(ii) OQ
→
(iii) PQ

(b) Determine the length of:

→
(i) OP

→
(ii) OQ

→
(iii) PQ

(c) Determine the direction of:

→
(i) OP
→
(ii) OQ

→
(iii) PQ

Solution:
→
(a) (i) OP = 2 a+b ans.
→
(ii) OQ = 3 a+ 4 b ans.

→ → →
(iii) PQ = OQ  OP = (3 a+ 4 b )  (2 a+b ) = 3 a−2 a+4 b−b = a+ 3 b ans.

(b) (i) |OP| = √ 2 + 1

→
2 2
= √ 5 = 2.24 units Ans.

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 CSEC Mathematics General Proficiency Vectors and Matrices

(ii) |OQ| = √ 3 +4
→ 2 2
= √ 25 = 5 units Ans.

(iii) |PQ| = √ 1 + 3
→ 2 2
= √ 10 = 3.16 units Ans.

( 12 )
→
(i) Direction = 26. 6° ans.
OP =tan−1 ❑
(c)

( 43 )
→
Direction −1 = 53. 1° ans.
OQ =tan ❑
(ii)

(iii)
→
Direction PQ = tan ❑
1
−1
(3 ) = 71.6º Ans.

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