Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Position Vectors
A position vector represents a point in space relative to an origin. In a two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, it is expressed in terms of its components along the x-axis and y-axis, typically denoted as v = xi + yj, where x and y are the coordinates. For the vector v = -6i - 2j, the position vector indicates a point located 6 units left and 2 units down from the origin.
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Vector Magnitude
The magnitude of a vector is a measure of its length and is calculated using the Pythagorean theorem. For a vector v = xi + yj, the magnitude is given by the formula |v| = √(x² + y²). In this case, for v = -6i - 2j, the magnitude would be |v| = √((-6)² + (-2)²) = √(36 + 4) = √40, which simplifies to 2√10.
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Vector Components
Vector components are the projections of a vector along the coordinate axes. In a two-dimensional space, a vector can be broken down into its horizontal (i) and vertical (j) components. For the vector v = -6i - 2j, the component -6 represents movement along the x-axis, while -2 represents movement along the y-axis, indicating the direction and distance in each dimension.
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