User:Thedos/Math Study

Vectors
Before getting into vectors, it is important to know the difference between a Scalar and a Vector. A Scalar is a quantity with only a magnitude. For example, the number of fingers I have is a scalar, as is the distance I have walked. A Vector is a quantity with a magnitude and a direction- for example, Displacement is the direction I have traveled, and the distance. We represent a vector with an arrow.*add pic when i have the rights The beginning of the vector is the tail, and the end of the vector (where it points to) is the head. We indicate a vector using the points it goes from and to, for example in our picture our vector goes from point A to point B, so we could write it as $$\overrightarrow{A B}$$. Alternatively, we can indicate it similar to a variable in algebra, as a letter. However, we either bold it or draw a line underneath it to indicate that it is a vector, not an ordinary variable. For example, we could call it $$\underline{u}$$.

Addition
When adding vectors, we simply join them together, head to tail. For example,