A vector is any set of numbers that represents a length and a direction. Different vectors may be of the same length but have different directions. Likewise, different vectors may have the same direction but different lengths. Scalars are real numbers that describe magnitude (or size, such as length, mass or volume). If two scalars have the same magnitude, they are identical. Vectors can be multiplied by scalars or by other vectors. However, the multiplication of a vector by a scalar is much simpler.
Instructions
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1
Identify the vector and the scalar. The vector will have rows and columns, while the scalar will simply be a single number. For example, [3 4 5] is a vector, while 6 is a scalar.
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2
Take the first number of the vector and multiply it by the scalar. For example, 3 times 6 yields 18.
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3
Repeat Step 2 with the rest of the numbers in the vector to yield the product. In this example, the final product is [18 24 30].