The quantity of movement, known as momentum, is a vector quantity.
Vector is a term that derives from a Latin word and means "that leads." A vector is an agent that transports something from one place to another . Its meaning, however, varies according to the context.
A vector can be used to represent a physical quantity , being defined by a module and a direction or orientation. Its geometric expression consists of straight line segments directed towards a certain side, resembling an arrow . Velocity , displacement and force are three examples of vector quantities.
The vector as a representation of a magnitude
Within this scientific field, and also mathematics, it is necessary to make it clear that there is a great variety of vectors. In such a way that we can talk about fixed, parallel, sliding, opposite, concurrent, free or collinear vectors , among many others.
In the same way, it must be emphasized that a significant number of operations can be carried out with these elements. Among the most frequent are the sum, the scalar product, obtaining an ordinary derivative, the vector product, decompositions, the angle between two vectors or the covariant type derivative .
Vectors are the elements found in the algebraic structure called vector space.
The concept in biology
For biology , a vector is an agent that can spread or transmit a disease from one organism to another.
It is possible to distinguish between the epidemiological vector (which transmits an infectious agent from an affected individual to another who does not yet carry said agent), the genetic or gene vector (which is responsible for transferring genetic information from one organism to another) and the viral vector . (a virus that, after registering a modification, functions as a vehicle for the introduction of exogenous genetic material into a cell nucleus).
A disease vector (such as mosquitoes in the case of dengue or malaria) has the ability to transport pathogens that, inside an organism, can multiply. Thus, these pathogens then reach other hosts through a sting or bite of the carrier.
If we focus on dengue , infected females of the Aedes aegypti mosquito transmit the disease by biting people. However, humans are the main carriers: when the mosquito bites a carrier individual, it becomes infected and then spreads the infection by biting other subjects.
In genetic engineering, we speak of a cloning vector to refer to the gene vector that carries the recombinant DNA from the donor cell to the recipient, into which the gene to be transferred is introduced. The transgenic cell, in this framework, is obtained by infecting the host cell with the recombinant vector.
Images formed with vectors are often used in 3D modeling and digital architecture.
Vector in computing
In the field of computing , a vector (also known as a matrix or, in English, array ) is a contiguous storage space that houses elements of the same type. It can be understood as a series of elements arranged in rows or columns. The vector, thus, offers a data structure.
Vector images are digital images composed of independent geometric objects. These objects (such as polygons or segments) are defined by mathematical attributes that establish their color, position, and other characteristics.
It is common for these vector graphics to be used very frequently in areas such as logo design, font creation, digital art, web design and the creation of video games of various kinds, both for consoles and computers or even for mobile applications.
The advantage of a vector image is that it allows translation, rotation and stretching without loss of quality, unlike what happens with a bitmap (which is made up of pixels).
The notion in video games and in the aerospace sector
However, we must not overlook the fact that within the field of new technologies the term vector is also used in another sense. Specifically, we can say that this word is the one that gives the title to a game, one of the so-called arcade types, which is set in a future where the freedom of the individual does not exist.
Starting from this premise, it is established that what the participant must do is find the mechanisms to find that aforementioned freedom. For this reason, he will run and jump, being pursued at all times by a kind of Big Brother who wants to capture him so that he will once again submit to the imposed political system.
A space carrier or transport rocket, finally, is a special rocket designed to transport payload from Earth to outer space. Also known as a launcher , its main function is to transport ships, space probes and satellites; however, it can even transport people when it comes to human space flight.
This may be a reusable launch vehicle or a disposable launch vehicle , depending on whether the space vector can be used in more than one action.