COURSE INTRODUCTION
AND
VECTOR ALGEBRA
Electromagnetics
➢Electromagnetics (EM) is a branch of physics or electrical
engineering in which electric and magnetic phenomena are
studied
➢(EM) may be regarded as the study of the interactions between
electric charges at rest and in motion
➢ EM principles find
applications in various
disciplines such as
microwaves, antennas,
electric machines, satellite
communications, fibre
optics, electromagnetic
interference and
compatibility ….
Scalars and Vectors
➢Vector analysis is a mathematical tool with which EM concepts
are most conveniently expressed and comprehended
➢A scalar is a quantity that has only magnitude (time, mass,
distance ....)
➢A vector is a quantity that has both magnitude and direction
(velocity, force, electric field intensity …)
➢EM theory is essentially a study of some particular fields
➢A field can be scalar or vector and is a function that specifies a
particular quantity everywhere in a region
➢Examples of scalar fields are temperature distribution in a
building, electric potential in a region …
➢The gravitational force on a body in space is an example of
vector field
Scalars and Vectors
➢A vector A has both magnitude and direction
➢A unit vector aA along A is defined as a vector whose magnitude is
unity and its direction is along A, that is
𝐀
𝒂𝑨 =
𝐀
➢A vector A in Cartesian (or rectangular) coordinates may be
represented as:
𝑨 = 𝐴𝑥 𝒂𝒙 + 𝐴𝑦 𝒂𝒚 + 𝐴𝑧 𝒂𝒛
➢Where Ax, Ay and Az are called the components of A in the x, y,
and z directions, respectively
➢ax, ay and az are the unit vectors in the x, y, and z directions,
respectively
➢Therefore, the unit vector along A may be written as:
Vector Addition and Subtraction
➢Two vectors A and B can be added together to give another
vector C, that is:
➢The vector addition is carried out component by component
➢Thus, if A = (Ax, Ay, Az) and B = (Bx, By, Bz), then
➢Vector subtraction is similarly carried out as:
Vector Addition and Subtraction
➢The three basic laws of algebra obeyed by any given vectors A, B,
and C, are summarized as follows:
Position Vector
➢Point P in Cartesian coordinates may be represented by (x, y, z)
➢The position vector rp (or radius vector) of point P is defined as
the directed distance from the origin O to P, i.e.
➢ For point (3, 4, 5), the position
vector is shown in the figure
Distance Vector
➢The distance vector is the displacement from one point to
another
➢For two points P and Q given by (xP, yP, zp) and (xQ, yQ, zQ), the
distance vector (or separation vector) is the displacement from P
to Q, that is:
Distance Vector
➢ Both P and A may be represented in the same manner as (x, y,
z) and (Ax, Ay, Az), respectively
➢ However, the point P is not a vector; only its position vector rP
is a vector
➢A vector field is said to be constant or uniform if it does not
depend on space variables x, y, and z
➢For example, vector B = 3ax — 2ay + 10az is a uniform vector
while vector A = 2xyax + y2ay — xz2az is not uniform
Vector Multiplication – Dot Product
➢The dot product of two vectors A and B, written as A • B, is
defined geometrically as the product of the magnitudes of A and
B and the cosine of the angle between them
➢Also called scalar product
➢If A = (Ax, Ay, Az) and B = (Bx, By, Bz), then
➢Note that:
Vector Multiplication – Cross Product
➢The cross product of two vectors A and B, written as A x B, is a
vector quantity whose magnitude is the area of the parallelopiped
formed by A and B and is in the direction of the right thumb when
the fingers of the right hand rotate from A to B
Vector Multiplication – Cross Product
➢If A = (Ax, Ay, Az) and B = (Bx, By, Bz), then
➢Note that:
Components of a Vector
➢Scalar Component:
➢Vector Component:
Problem- 1
➢Let E = 3ay + 4az, and F = 4ax - 10ay + 5az
(a) Find the vector component of E along F
(b) Determine a unit vector perpendicular to both E and F
