Definition talk:Vector Quantity

There doesn't seem to be much consistency in vector notation on PW, $\bf x$ or $\vec x$. Is $\bf \vec x$ too heavy handed? Is it too minor a thing to care about? --GFauxPas 13:05, 15 November 2011 (CST)
 * Some contributors prefer one notation, some another. Some of them get cross if you change their favourite notation on the page they wrote for another notation. The answer is to recommend a house style, admit in the definition page that there are alternative notations, then when the offending editor has got bored and gone change them to the notation that is preferred by me defined as house style.
 * In short: in this case it doesn't really matter although, either $\mathbf x$ or $\vec x$ is usual, would prefer it didn't deviate from either one of those. Have we got any instances of $\vec {\mathbf x}$ or $\mathbf {\vec x}$? Oh, and it ought to be \mathbf not \bf, there's a technical reason why but I can't remember what that reason is. --prime mover 14:59, 15 November 2011 (CST)
 * No I haven't seen $\mathbf {\vec x}$, I just was suggesting it as a best of (worst of?) both worlds option. --GFauxPas 15:02, 15 November 2011 (CST)

Disambiguation
As suggested by Alecscooper on GFP's talk page, there should be a disambiguation here. Due to the large amount of discussion, I haven't proceeded immediately. Rather, find below a list of different pages called Vector I propose:


 * Definition:Vector: disambiguation
 * Definition:Vector Quantity: What was described as 'directed line segment'
 * Definition:Vector (Vector Spaces): an element of a vector space
 * Definition:Vector (Euclidean Space): what we all know as a vector (i.e., something that a matrix acts on); or redirect to
 * Definition:Vector (Linear Algebra): alternative for 'Euclidean Space'

That's all I could think of. Be sure to use About. --Lord_Farin 11:10, 27 January 2012 (EST)


 * Work in progress (finally):
 * Definition:Vector Quantity stays as it is, and remains the "free vector" definition.
 * Definition:Directed Line Segment will probably be renamed to Definition:Located Vector as I have a solid definition for this with that name on it.
 * Definition:Vector (Euclidean Space) is being merged with Definition:Vector Quantity, and along with this there is to be a proof that the vector space $R^n$ obeys Euclidean geometry. This allows us to free up the concept of "Euclidean space" to be a metric space on $R^n$ which has the Euclidean metric applied to it. This is of course the same thing as the real vector space $R^n$ but the emphasis is on the metric rather than the shape of the space.
 * Definition:Vector (Vector Spaces) and its redirect target Definition:Vector (Linear Algebra) stay as they are, as elements of a general vector space.


 * The upshot of the above is that Definition:Vector (Euclidean Space) is being deprecated and will in due course be removed. --prime mover (talk) 13:12, 21 October 2020 (UTC)


 * Nope, changed my mind. Definition:Vector (Euclidean Space) defines the vector in a strictly geometrical context, and that needs to be kept. But I will subpage it to generate "plane vector" and "space vector" for the $\R^2$ and $\R^3$ versions. May also rename as necessary. --prime mover (talk) 13:33, 21 October 2020 (UTC)