position vector

position vector, straight line having one end fixed to a body and the other end attached to a moving point and used to describe the position of the point relative to the body. As the point moves, the position vector will change in length or in direction or in both length and direction. If drawn to some scale, the change in length will signify a change in the magnitude of the vector, while a change in direction will signify a rotation of the vector. Changes in magnitude and direction are the only changes that a position vector can experience, and the velocity of the point is defined as the time rate of change of the position vector.

For a point moving on a straight path, a position vector coinciding with the path is the most convenient; the velocity of the point is equal to the rate at which the magnitude of the vector changes with respect to time, and it will be a vector lying along the line. For a point moving on a circular path, a position vector coinciding with a radius of the circle is the most convenient; the velocity of the point is equal to the rate at which the direction of the vector changes with respect to time, and it will be a vector at right angles to the position vector. For a point moving on a noncircular curved path, the position vector changes in both magnitude and direction; the velocity of the point is the sum of the two rates of change, one a vector along the position vector and the other a vector at right angles to it.