Vectors are directed line segments in the coordinate plane that possess both magnitude and direction. In this chapter, you plot vectors in the coordinate plane, identify equivalent and opposite vectors, express vectors in component form, calculate vector magnitude, and investigate unit vectors. Although Chapters 14–16 deal exclusively with vectors, many of the concepts you explore in this chapter are echoed in later concepts, including complex numbers and the parametric representation of graphs.
If you have had your fill of triangles, you’re in luck. The final five chapters of this book are a startling change of pace. For example, in this chapter you study vectors, which are basically rays lying in the coordinate plane. Like line segments, they have a length you can calculate, but unlike line segments, they have direction. One end of a vector is represented by an arrowhead, while the other is just a point.