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CHAPTER 30
Vectors
In this chapter you will learn how to:
write vectors as column vectors, and find their magnitudes
add and subtract vectors, and multiply a vector by a number
use vectors to prove geometric theorems.
You will also be challenged to:
investigate Queens on a chessboard.
Starter: Knights tours
When a knight moves on a chessboard, it can move two squares in a straight
line and one square at right angles, like this:
A knight can also move one square in a straight line and two squares sideways.
See if you can work out how to move a knight around a chessboard so that it
visits all 64 squares. The first three moves have been done to start you off.
2
1
3
If possible, try to find a route so that the 64th square is a knights hop away
from the first square; this will close the tour so that the knight can get back to
its starting position.
[]
3
5
[ ]
2
4
[ ]
3
2
[ ]
1
3
EXAMPLE
a) Illustrate the vector a
SOLUTION
The vector a
8
6
a)
2
82
b) Magnitude of a is 6
36
4
6
100
10
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EXERCISE 30.1
1 The diagram below shows some vectors drawn on a grid of unit squares.
Write down column vectors to describe each one.
a)
b)
c)
d)
h)
f)
e)
g)
j)
i)
d)
3
2
e)
4
7.5
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1 3 1 3 4
7
12
Geometrically, addition corresponds to placing the two vectors head to tail like
this:
[ ]
12
4
[]
5
3
[]
7
1
Vectors are often named using letter a, b, c, etc. The letters are usually
underlined if written by hand, but they are in bold type in examination papers
and textbooks.
EXAMPLE
The vectors a, b and c are given by a
a) a b
Work out:
b) a c
c) a b c
SOLUTION
62
a) a b
b) a c
c) a b c
64
624
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5
When drawn on a grid, the vector a will be parallel to the vector a, but will
point in the opposite direction.
EXAMPLE
Given that p
a) p q
b) p q
Illustrate your answers graphically.
SOLUTION
a) p q
b) p q
q
pq
pq
q
EXERCISE 30.2
The vectors a, b and c are given by a
3
Work out each of these as a column vector. Illustrate your answer with a diagram.
1 ab
2 bc
5 Work out a c b
3 ac
4 cb
6 Work out b a c
Work out each of these as a column vector. Illustrate your answer with a diagram.
7 pq
8 qr
11 Work out p q r
9 rp
12 Work out p r q
10 r q
13 31
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32
1 3 1 3
2
[]
[]
2
1
6
3
EXAMPLE
The vectors a, b and c are given by a
SOLUTION
b)
33
a) 3a 3
[ ]
6
2
[ ]
5
7
c) 4a 3b 2c 4
[ ]
1
5
12
12
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EXERCISE 30.3
The vectors a, b and c are given by a
1
Work out:
1 3a
2 2b c
3 a 3c
4 3c 5b
5 4a 5b
6 2a 4c
2
Work out:
8 3r
7 5p
9 2r 3p
10 4p 2q r
11 5r 3q
12 2p 3r q
20
In these problems it is often helpful to use AB, for example, to represent the
vector that would translate you from A to B. You can always rewrite the vector
if you need to travel via an intermediate point P:
AB AP PB
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EXAMPLE
ABCD is a parallelogram. AB p, BC q.
q
b) AC
a) BA
c) BD
SOLUTION
a) BA AB
p
b) AC AB BC
pq
c) BD BA AD
p q
EXAMPLE
A
AM p and AN q.
SOLUTION
a) MN MA AM
AM AN
(p) q
p q
b) BC BA AC
(2p) 2q
2p 2q
c) BC 2p 2q
2(p q)
2 MN
Therefore BC is parallel to MN
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Some exam questions might refer to a line being divided in a certain ratio.
For example, you might be told that X is the point on AB for which
AX : XB 2 : 1. This simply means that AX is twice as long as XB, so that
X is two-thirds of the way along AB.
EXAMPLE
C
Y
6p
A
X
a) AC
b) AD
c) DC
d) XD
e) DY
f) XY
SOLUTION
a) AC AB BC
6p 6q
b) AD BC since they are opposite sides of the parallelogram
6q
c) DC AB since they are opposite sides of the parallelogram
6p
d) XD 3 AD
2
3 6q
4q
e) DY 3 DC
2
3 6p
4p
f) XY XD DY
4q 4p
4p 4q
Now AC 6p 6q = 6(p q)
and XY 4p 4q = 4(p q)
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EXERCISE 30.4
1 The
diagram
shows two squares ABXY and CDYX.
AB p and AY q.
X
b) AX
a) BX
c) AD
d) AC
2 The
diagram
shows a trapezium PQRS.
PQ a and QR b.
PS is twice the length of QR.
b
a) QP
b) PR
c) PS
d) QS
1
3 The
diagram
shows a triangle ABC. AP 3AB, and AQ 3AC.
AP p and AQ q.
A
p
P
q
Q
(ii) AB
(iii) AC
(iv) BC
(i) PQ
b) Use your results from a) to prove that PQ is parallel to BC.
4 A quadrilateral ABCD is made by joining points A (1, 1), B (5, 8), C (11, 11) and D (7, 4).
a) Write column vectors for:
(i) AB
(ii) DC
b) What do your answers to part a) tell you about AB and DC?
c) Write column vectors for:
(i) BC
(ii) AD
d) What kind of quadrilateral is ABCD?
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PQ a and PS b.
E is the mid-point of QS.
Q
a
E
(ii) QE
(iii) PE
(i) QS
b) Explain why SR a.
(i) AB
(ii) DC
b) What do your answers to part a) tell you about AB and DC?
c) What kind of quadrilateral is ABCD?
7 The
diagram
shows a quadrilateral
PQRS.
R
H
2a
E
2c
F
P
2b
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
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Review exercise 30
REVIEW EXERCISE 30
1 Given that 3
16
0
and the length of AD the length of AB.
D is the point such that BD is parallel to
1
O is the point (0, 0).
[Edexcel]
4 OPQ is a triangle.
R is the midpoint of OP.
S is the midpoint of PQ.
OP p and OQ q.
P
Diagram not
accurately drawn
p
R
[Edexcel]
5 OPQ is a triangle.
T
is the point
on PQ for which PT : TQ 2 : 1.
OP a and OQ b.
Q
T
Diagram not
accurately drawn
[Edexcel]
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OA 6a and OC 6c.
A
Diagram not
accurately drawn
6a
P
6c
[Edexcel]
7 PQRS is a parallelogram.
T is the midpoint of QR.
U is the point on SR for which SU : UR 1 : 2.
PQ a and PS b.
U
S
Diagram not
accurately drawn
b
T
a) PT
b) TU
[Edexcel]
8 ABCD is a quadrilateral.
C
Diagram not
accurately drawn
M
c
D
L
N
b
A
AK a, AN b and DM c
a) Find, in terms of a, b and c, the vectors:
(ii) AC
(iii) BC
(iv) LM
(i) KN
b) Write down two geometrical facts about the lines KN and LM which could be deduced
from your answers to part a).
[Edexcel]
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Review exercise 30
9 The diagram shows a regular hexagon ABCDEF with centre O.
A
6a
F
Diagram not
accurately drawn
X
6b
OA 6a and OB 6b.
a) Express in terms of a and/or b.
(i) AB
(ii) EF
X is the midpoint
of BC.
[Edexcel]
Diagram not
accurately drawn
M
b
N
O
6a
(i) OM
(ii) MN
a) What can you deduce about the directions of the vectors PQ and PR?
[Edexcel]
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Key points
1 A vector has a direction and a length, or magnitude. Vectors are usually written in
4
, which represents a translation of 4 units in the
column form, such as
6
x direction and 6 in the y direction.
2 Vectors are often used in examination questions to prove geometric theorems. The
method is to use given base vectors a, b, c, etc. and then express other lines in
terms of these, for example 2a b.
3 Two vectors will be parallel if one is a scalar multiple of the other. For example,
6a 3b is parallel to 2a b, since 6a 3b 3 (2a b)
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Internet Challenge 30
Internet Challenge 30
Queens on a chessboard
Here is another chessboard problem.
The Queen is the most powerful piece on a chessboard. A Queen can attack any squares in a straight line
from it, forwards, backwards, left, right or diagonal. The diagram below shows this in green for one
position of the Queen:
Place eight Queens on a chessboard so that no two Queens attack each other.
You may want to use squared paper to record your attempts. This problem does have more than one solution.
Once you have solved it, you might want to use the internet to help answer the following questions.
1
How many solutions are there in which no three Queens lie on an oblique line?
How many knights can be placed on a chessboard so that no knight attacks any other?
Obviously it is not possible to place nine Queens on a board without at least two Queens attacking each
other. (Why not?) There is, however, a nine Queens problem:
Place nine Queens and one pawn on a chessboard so that no two Queens attack each other.
6
Try to solve the nine Queens problem. Use the internet if you get stuck.
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