Vector: meaning, definitions and examples
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vector
[ ˈvɛktər ]
mathematics
A quantity having direction as well as magnitude, especially as determining the position of one point in space relative to another.
Synonyms
Examples of usage
- A vector pointing north with a magnitude of 5 units.
- The velocity of the car can be represented as a vector.
biology
A carrier of disease or infection, especially an organism that transmits a pathogen.
Synonyms
Examples of usage
- Mosquitoes are vectors for malaria.
- Ticks can act as vectors for Lyme disease.
computing
An array of data elements, especially one that represents a space in which each element corresponds to one of the dimensions of the space.
Synonyms
array, list
Examples of usage
- In computer graphics, a vector is used to represent points in three-dimensional space.
- The vector stores the pixel values of an image.
Translations
Translations of the word "vector" in other languages:
🇵🇹 vetor
🇮🇳 वेक्टर
🇩🇪 Vektor
🇮🇩 vektor
🇺🇦 вектор
🇵🇱 wektor
🇯🇵 ベクトル
🇫🇷 vecteur
🇪🇸 vector
🇹🇷 vektör
🇰🇷 벡터
🇸🇦 متجه
🇨🇿 vektor
🇸🇰 vektor
🇨🇳 向量
🇸🇮 vektor
🇮🇸 vigur
🇰🇿 вектор
🇬🇪 ვექტორი
🇦🇿 vektor
🇲🇽 vector
Word origin
The term 'vector' originated from Latin 'vehere' meaning 'to carry'. In the 18th century, it was first used in mathematics to describe a quantity with both direction and magnitude. Over time, the concept of vectors expanded to various fields like physics, biology, and computing.