GCSE Maths, Unit 27, Lesson 2 of 4

Vectors between points

About 1 min to read, then 8 practice questions

From A to B

The vector AB takes you from A to B, so subtract: AB = B − A, row by row.

BA goes the other way, so BA = −AB.

  1. A(2, −1) and B(7, 3)
  2. AB: top 7 − 2 = 5, bottom 3 − (−1) = 4
  3. BA: top −5, bottom −4

Routes and parallel vectors

To get from A to C, you can go A to B and then B to C: AC = AB + BC.

Going backwards along a vector changes its sign.

Two vectors are parallel when one is a multiple of the other: (2, 3) and (6, 9) are parallel, because (6, 9) = 3 × (2, 3). A negative multiple is parallel too, but points the other way.

Practise this: 8 questions, about 10 min

Answering from memory soon after reading is what makes it stick, so now is a good time.

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