This exam tips covers Common Mistakes within Vectors (Basics) for GCSE Mathematics. Revise Vectors (Basics) in Geometry & Measures for GCSE Mathematics with 12 exam-style questions and 5 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 6 of 7 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
Common Mistakes
X Adding magnitudes instead of vectors
Add components separately
|a| + |b| ≠ |a + b|
X Forgetting negative signs
−a means reverse direction
−(3,4) = (−3,−4)
Practice questions for Vectors (Basics)
A column vector is written as (3 / −2) (3 on top, −2 on bottom). What does this vector represent?
Explain what it means for two vectors to be parallel. Give an example of a vector that is parallel to a = (2, −3), and one that is parallel but in the opposite direction.
Quick recall flashcards
Vector Magnitude
|v| = √(x² + y²). Length of vector using Pythagoras. Always positive!
Vector Addition
Add components separately. (a,b) + (c,d) = (a+c, b+d). Represents combined movement.