Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
2 Vector
Representation
2.1 Introduction
Vectors appeared in the mid-19th century, by which time analytic geometry had become
established, especially the use of Cartesian coordinates. Consequently, it was a simple step to
develop a numerical framework to represent vectors using Cartesian coordinates.
2.2 Cartesian coordinates
Figure 2.1 shows how this system works. The figure shows a vector with its
tail
located at
11 and its
head
located at 32. The words “head” and “tail” are often used to describe the
two ends of a vector, with the head always associated with the direction of the vector's arrow.
Cartesian coordinates provide a mechanism for representing a vector in terms of its horizontal
and vertical Cartesian components. We can see that the horizontal component of the vector is
Y
3
2
1
1
2
3
1
2
4
X
Figure 2.1.
11
