Differences between revisions 1 and 11 (spanning 10 versions)
Revision 1 as of 2023-10-30 17:52:37
Size: 726
Comment: Initial commit
Revision 11 as of 2025-09-24 14:30:33
Size: 2851
Comment: Details
Deletions are marked like this. Additions are marked like this.
Line 1: Line 1:
= Vector Multiplication = = Vector Operations =

'''Vector operations''' can be expressed numerically or geometrically.
Line 9: Line 11:
== Addition ==

Vectors are added numerically as piecewise summation. Given vectors a⃗ and b⃗ equal to ''[1,2]'' and ''[3,1]'', their sum is ''[4,3]''.

Vectors are added geometrically by joining them tip-to-tail, as demonstrated in the below graphic.

{{attachment:add.png}}

These two views of vector addition also demonstrate that addition is commutative.

Furthermore, it follows that if a⃗ + b⃗ = c⃗, then c⃗ - b⃗ = a⃗.

----



== Scalar Multiplication ==

----


Line 11: Line 35:
The '''dot product''' of two vectors gives a single scalar value. Two vectors of equal dimensions can be multiplied as a '''dot product'''. The notation is ''a ⋅ b''.

It is also known as a '''scalar product''' because the multiplication yields a single scalar.
Line 24: Line 50:
julia> A = [2,3,4]
3-element Vector{Int64}:
 2
 3
 4

julia> B = [5,6,7]
3-element Vector{Int64}:
 5
 6
 7
Line 37: Line 51:
julia> AB julia> [2,3,4][5,6,7]
Line 43: Line 57:
=== Properties ===

Dot product multiplication is commutative.

The dot product is 0 only when ''a'' and ''b'' are [[LinearAlgebra/Orthogonality|orthogonal]].

The dot product effectively measures how ''similar'' the vectors are.



=== Usage ===

The dot product is also known as the '''projection product'''. The dot product of ''a'' and ''b'' is equivalent to multiplying the distance of ''a'' by the distance of the [[LinearAlgebra/Projections#Vectors|projection]] of ''b'' into ''C(a)'', the column space of ''a''. (Because a vector is clearly of [[LinearAlgebra/Rank|rank]] 1, this space is in ''R^1^'' and forms a line.) Trigonometrically, this is ''||a|| ||b|| cos(θ)''.

This provides a geometric intuition for why the dot product is 0 when ''a'' and ''b'' are orthogonal: there is no possible projection, and necessarily multiplying by 0 results in 0.

----



== Inner Product ==

The '''inner product''' is a generalization of the dot product. Specifically, the dot product is the inner product in Euclidean space. The notation is ''⟨a, b⟩''.

----



== Cross Product ==

Two vectors of 3-dimensional vectors can be multiplied as a '''cross product'''. The notation is ''a × b''.



=== Properties ===

Cross product multiplication is '''anti-commutative''': ''a × b = -b × a''.

The cross product effectively measures how ''dissimilar'' the vectors are.



=== Usage ===

The cross product is a vector that is orthogonal to both ''a'' and ''b''.


Vector Operations

Vector operations can be expressed numerically or geometrically.


Addition

Vectors are added numerically as piecewise summation. Given vectors a⃗ and b⃗ equal to [1,2] and [3,1], their sum is [4,3].

Vectors are added geometrically by joining them tip-to-tail, as demonstrated in the below graphic.

add.png

These two views of vector addition also demonstrate that addition is commutative.

Furthermore, it follows that if a⃗ + b⃗ = c⃗, then c⃗ - b⃗ = a⃗.


Scalar Multiplication


Dot Product

Two vectors of equal dimensions can be multiplied as a dot product. The notation is a ⋅ b.

It is also known as a scalar product because the multiplication yields a single scalar.

Generally, given two vectors (a and b) with n dimensions, the dot product is computed as:

dot1.svg

Concretely, if a and b have three dimensions (labeled x, y, and z), the dot product can be computed as:

dot2.svg

julia> using LinearAlgebra

julia> # type '\cdot' and tab-complete into '⋅'
julia> [2,3,4] ⋅ [5,6,7] 
56

Properties

Dot product multiplication is commutative.

The dot product is 0 only when a and b are orthogonal.

The dot product effectively measures how similar the vectors are.

Usage

The dot product is also known as the projection product. The dot product of a and b is equivalent to multiplying the distance of a by the distance of the projection of b into C(a), the column space of a. (Because a vector is clearly of rank 1, this space is in R1 and forms a line.) Trigonometrically, this is ||a|| ||b|| cos(θ).

This provides a geometric intuition for why the dot product is 0 when a and b are orthogonal: there is no possible projection, and necessarily multiplying by 0 results in 0.


Inner Product

The inner product is a generalization of the dot product. Specifically, the dot product is the inner product in Euclidean space. The notation is ⟨a, b⟩.


Cross Product

Two vectors of 3-dimensional vectors can be multiplied as a cross product. The notation is a × b.

Properties

Cross product multiplication is anti-commutative: a × b = -b × a.

The cross product effectively measures how dissimilar the vectors are.

Usage

The cross product is a vector that is orthogonal to both a and b.


CategoryRicottone

Calculus/VectorOperations (last edited 2026-02-02 17:05:38 by DominicRicottone)