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(Review: ) How do you compute a unit vector?

Answer:

Divide a vector by its length


Projection Procedure

w projected onto v

Rather than memorize the formula for projection, follow what it means step-by-step. To project w onto v:

  1. Compute the lengths:
    • | w |  =  √(w · w)
    • | v |  =  √(v · v)
  2. Compute the unit vectors:
    • wu  =   w / | w |
    • vu  =   v / | v |
  3. Compute the cosine of the angle between the vectors:
    • wu · vu
  4. Assemble the projection:
    • kv  =  | w | (wu · vu) vu

QUESTION 6:

Is w projected onto v the same vector as v projected onto w ?

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