What are vectors?
In math, a vector is an object that has magnitude and direction. It is usually put in bold and looks very similar to a ray. It has an end point called a tail and an arrow at the opposite end to show its direction.
How to add vectors:
Vectors are objects that have magnitude and direction.
A vector looks almost like a ray with an endpoint on one end and an arrow on the other end. The part of the vector with the end point is known as the tail and the arrow at the opposite end is known as the head. The length of a vector, from its tail to its head, represents its magnitude. The arrow at the head shows the direction in which the vector is going.
The coordinates of a vector can be found by placing the tail of the vector at the origin of a coordinate plane and seeing where on the coordinate plane the head lands. The coordinates of the heads location are the coordinates of the vector.
To add two vectors together, put the first vector at the origin and then put the tail of the second vector next to the head of the first vector. Then draw a line connecting the origin to the head of the last vector. This line is the sum of the two vectors.
The equation for adding vectors is:
Where:
Example:
Find the sum of the two vectors: = (3,6) and = (7, 8)
To solve this use the equation:
When we plug in the information given, we get:
Now add and the final answer is:
The sum of:
Sample Math Problems
Question
Find the sum of and , when = (3,2) and =(1,5)
