Learn in the textbookLinear Algebra, Calculus, and Error
DefinitionA vector (ベクトル) is a quantity that has both magnitude and direction, and it can be written as a set of numbers arranged in a single line.
ExplanationFor example, a move of 4 to the right and 3 up on a plane is the vector (4, 3): the arrow's length, 5, is its magnitude, and the way the arrow points is its direction. A quantity that has magnitude only is called a scalar (スカラー), with temperature and mass as typical examples.
AnalogyDirections such as "300 m northeast of the station" give both a distance and a bearing, so they can be drawn as a single arrow.
Memory hook"Vector" comes from the Latin for "carrier": picture an arrow that carries a point from one place to another.