GCSE Maths Practice: vectors

Question 5 of 10

This question teaches interpreting vectors in terms of direction.

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\( \begin{array}{l}\text{Which vector represents a movement left and down?}\end{array} \)

Choose one option:

Negative top → left, negative bottom → down. Plot to confirm.

Column vectors indicate movement along the horizontal (top) and vertical (bottom) axes. A negative top number shows leftward movement, and a negative bottom number shows downward movement. For example, \(\begin{pmatrix}-3\\-2\end{pmatrix}\) represents 3 units left and 2 units down. Understanding vector directions is crucial in geometry, physics, and navigation. Practicing with various positive and negative components helps students visualize vectors on grids and solve problems involving movement, displacement, or resultant vectors. Visualization and plotting strengthen comprehension and accuracy when performing vector operations such as addition, subtraction, and scalar multiplication. Recognizing the direction from component signs ensures correct interpretations of vectors in real-world and mathematical contexts.