September 2003   The second edition of my book Maths: a student's survival guide is published this month. I've registered   www.mathssurvivalguide.com as its homepage in case I change my ISP. There is a link from there to this page.
For this new edition, I've included some changes and additions to the text arising from reader feedback and suggestions. I've also added a new chapter on vectors which will be based on these pages. Putting them in book form has made it possible to expand them and add lots of examples and problems.
If you want any more information please email me by taking out the xyz from xyzjenolive@netcomuk.co.uk but please don't send attachments as I don't open them. The xyz is against robot viruses.

Basic Stuff

• INDEX
• Some general rules
• Adding vectors and what this can mean physically
• Using components to describe vectors
• Basic trig for working out components
• Trying to pull a boulder up a hill
• Finding the magnitude or length of a vector

Multiplying vectors

• The scalar or dot product and work done by a force
• Finding the direction cosines of a vector
• The vector or cross product and the moment of a force
• Can we multiply 3 vectors together? The vector triple product
• The scalar triple product and what it means geometrically

Lines and planes

• Finding the vector equation of a line
  
• Finding vector equations of planes
• Finding equations of planes using normal vectors
• Finding a normal vector
• Angles between lines and planes
• Equations of planes in the form Ax + By + Cz = D
• What does the equation 3x + 4y = 12 give us?
• Writing the equation of a line in 3 dimensions
• Examples of problems involving lines and planes

Extra bits

• Finding the shortest distance from a point to a line
• Finding the shortest distance between 2 skew lines
• Finding where the medians of a triangle intersect
• changing x,y,z coordinates into spherical polar coordinates
• Where next? (includes external links)

  I've also added to my site some help with percentages pages. You might know someone who would find this useful.

  Note I have used bold print to show vectors in my text and underlining when writing vectors in my drawings.

  
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  Copyright © Jenny Olive 1999 - 2003 (Last altered September 2003)

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