By KULDEEP CHAUHAN

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BASIC CONCEPTS OF VECTOR

DEFINITION
1. Vectors and their representation:

Vector quantities are specified by definite magnitude and definite direction. A vector is
generally represented by a directed line segment, say AB . A is called the initial point
and B is called the terminal point.
⃗⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗⃗⃗
The magnitude of vector AB is expressed by  AB .
Direction ratio of Vector :- ̂ ̂ ̂
Direction ratio of Vector :- :-
̂ ̂ ̂

√
Note:-

2. Types of Vectors:
(i) Zero vectors:

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 By KULDEEP CHAUHAN
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A vector of zero magnitude i.e. which has the same initial and terminal point, is called a
zero vector. It is denoted by O. The direction of zero vector is indeterminate.

(ii) Unit vector :

A vector of unit magnitude(| | ) in the direction of a vector a is called unit vector

a
along a and is denoted by a , symbolically â  .
|a|

(iii) Equal vectors :

Two vectors are said to be equal if they have the same magnitude, direction and
represent the same physical quantity.

(iv) Collinear vectors :

Two vectors are said to be collinear if their directed line segments are parallel
irrespective of their directions. Collinear vectors are also called parallel vectors.
If they have the same direction they are named as like vectors otherwise unlike
vectors.
Symbolically, two non-zero vectors a and b are collinear if and only if, a  b , where 
R

    a a a
a  b  a1ˆi  a2 ˆj  a3kˆ =  b1ˆi  b2 ˆj  b3kˆ  a1 = b1, a2= b2, a3 = b3  1 = 2 = 3
b1 b2 b3
( =)
a1 a2 a3
Vectors a = a1 î + a2 ˆj + a3kˆ and b = b1 î + b 2 ˆj + b3kˆ are collinear if = =
b1 b2 b3

(v) Coplanar vectors :

A given number of vectors are called coplanar if their line segments are all
parallel to the same plane. Note that “two vectors are always coplanar”.

DOT PRODUCT BETWEEN TWO VECTORS

Let ̂ ̂ ̂ ⃗ ̂ ̂ ̂ ⃗

Properties of the Scalar product

1. a  b  b  a (Dot product is commutative)

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2.  
a  b  c  a  b  a  c (Dot product is distributive)

3. a  b  0 either when a  0 or b  0 or the vectors a and b are orthogonal. Thus for

any two perpendicular vectors the dot product vanishes.

a b
4. cos   where  is the acute angle made by a with b .
a b

i) ⃗ ⃗

a  a  a2  a
2
5.

6. For the unit vectors iˆ, ˆj and k̂

iˆ  iˆ  ˆj  ˆj  kˆ  kˆ  1

iˆ  ˆj  ˆj  iˆ  iˆ  kˆ  kˆ  iˆ  ˆj  kˆ  kˆ  ˆj  0

7. If a1iˆ  a2 ˆj  a3kˆ and b1iˆ  b2 ˆj  b3 kˆ, then a  b  a1b1  a2b2  a3b3 . so that

a1b1  a2b2  a3b3

cos  
a  a22  a32 b12  b22  b32
2
1

a b
8. The projection of a on another direction represented by b is  a  bˆ
b

9. If a  a1iˆ  a2 ˆj  a3kˆ, then

a  iˆ  a1iˆ  iˆ  a1

Similarly a  ˆj  a2 and a  kˆ  a3 so that

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    
a  a  iˆ iˆ  a  ˆj ˆj  a  kˆ kˆ 
10. Work done by a force F in a displacement AB when the point of application of the force

 
is displaced from A to B, is, F  AB  F  OB  OA  F . (position vector of B - position

vector of A )

CROSS PRODUCT BETWEEN TWO VECTORS

If a  a1iˆ  a2 ˆj  a3kˆ and b  b1iˆ  b2 ˆj  b3kˆ

iˆ ˆj kˆ
a  b  a1 a2 a3
b1 b2 b3

Properties of the vector product

1. a  b  b  a (vector product is not commutative)

2.  
a  b  c  a  b  a  c (vector product is distributive)

3. a  b  0 either a  0 or b  0 or the vectors have the same direction. Thus the vector
product between two collinear vector is zero.

4. A vector perpendicular to both a and b is ( ⃗)

5. a  a  0 for any vector a

6. For the unit vectors iˆ, ˆj and k̂ taken along the coordinate axes

iˆ  iˆ  ˆj  ˆj  kˆ  kˆ  0 while

iˆ  ˆj   ˆj  iˆ  kˆ; ˆj  kˆ  kˆ  ˆj  iˆ and kˆ  iˆ  iˆ  kˆ  ˆj

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7. If a  a1iˆ  a2 ˆj  a3kˆ and b  b1iˆ  b2 ˆj  b3kˆ

a  b   a2b3  a3b2  iˆ   a3b1  a1b3  ˆj   a1b2  a2b1  kˆ

or in an equivalent determinant form,

iˆ ˆj kˆ
a  b  a1 a2 a3
b1 b2 b3

|⃗ ⃗|
i) ⃗
| ⃗ | |⃗ |

8. a  b represents the vector area of the parallelogram whose adjacent sides are
represented by a and b .
a  b  area of ABCD

D C
b

A a B

9. Let F be a force directed along a line. Let O be a point (origin). Let OP  r be the
position vector of any point P on the line of action of F . The r  F gives the moment of
the force F about the point O.

10. Let  be the angular velocity of body rotating about an axis through O. If P be any point
of the body with position vector OP  r , then   r gives the velocity vector of P in the
rotatory motion about the axis with an angular velocity .

11. Area of triangle, let ⃗

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| ⃗| |⃗ | | |

12. Area of parallelogram

⃗⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗

⃗⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗

⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗

|⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗⃗ | | ⃗|

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