Understanding Vectors for Physics and Engineering

This course contains the use of artificial intelligence only for some graphics. All content is ultimately written and produced by the instructor.

Vectors are a fundamental concept in physics and engineering. They arise at all levels of science because they are simply quantities in the same way that temperature and mass are quantities.

In this course, we build a thorough understanding of:

• What vectors actually are

• Why vectors arise proverbially in physics and engineering

• How vector connect to their mathematical definition

• The basics of how calculus applies to vectors

We approach vectors from the perspective of someone who wants to use them — in engineering and science — while still respecting their mathematical foundation.

You will learn:

• Why displacements, velocities, accelerations, and forces are vector quantities

• How exactly vectors relate to the primary coordinate system of a given problem as well as the coordinate system of their own vector space.

• The meaning and evaluation process of the multiplication of a vector by a scalar as well as addition, subtraction, and multiplication of vectors.

• The dot and cross products

• The fundamentals of calculus applied to vectors.

This course is ideal for:

• Engineering students

• Physics students

• Applied math students

• Anyone who has used vectors but never fully understood what they are

By the end of this course, you will not only be able to compute with vectors — you will understand what they mean.