Applications of Vectors

Some of the common applications of vectors are:

• Physics
  • Representing forces, velocities, and accelerations.
  • Calculating work done by a force.
  • Describing electric and magnetic fields.
• Engineering
  • Analyzing forces and moments in structures.
  • Representing displacements and velocities in mechanics.
• Computer Graphics
  • Modeling and transforming objects.
  • Calculating lighting and shading effects.
  • Determining normals to surfaces.
• Navigation
  • Determining direction and speed of movement.
  • Pathfinding and route optimization.
• Robotics
  • Controlling the movement and orientation of robotic arms.
  • Path planning and navigation.
• Machine Learning and Data Science
  • Representing data points in high-dimensional space.
  • Calculating distances and similarities between data points.

Read More about the scalar and vector product of vector.

Vectors are one of the most important concepts in mathematics. Vectors are quantities that have both magnitude and direction. A vector quantity is represented by an arrow above its head. Vectors help us understand the behaviour of directional quantities in 2D and 3D planes. Vectors are also used for determining the position and change of position of points.

Every vector follows a certain set of rules, known as the properties of vectors. It is highly important to know these properties to have a strong command of vector algebra. In this article, we will see the definition of a vector, the properties of vectors, and the properties of vector products.