5. Vector Wrap Up

We are wrapping up our discussion of vectors with a few odds and ends:

Unit Vectors

We defined unit vectors back in Lecture 2: https://github.com/drnickmines/MinesCalc3/wiki/1.-Lecture:-Vectors. A unit vector is any vector with length (magnitude) 1. We often need unit vectors just to specify a direction without a magnitude. The video shows how we can find a unit vector in the direction of a given vector:

Vectors in Physics

The following quantities that we study in Physics I are vectors:

Position
Velocity
Acceleration
Force
Torque
Electric fields
Magnetic fields

Dot and cross products often come into play. For example, work is defined as a dot product: $\large W=\vec{F}\cdot\vec{d}$. Torque is defined as a cross product $\large \vec{\tau}=\vec{F}\times\vec{d}$.