Description
The goal of this project is to write a Python module called Vector that provides functions for performing
some standard vector operations, detailed below. Vectors in this project will be represented by lists of
numbers, either floats or ints. Your module will be stored in a file called Vector.py. Begin by copying
the files VectorStub.py and VectorTest.py from the examples section of the class webpage. Rename
the file VectorStub.py to Vector.py and begin filling in the nine missing function definitions. Note
that one definition, angle() which you should not change, is already included. Thus the module will
contain ten vector operations in all.
Some of the required functions (add(), sub(), zip(), dot() and angle()) will take two vector
arguments as input. These functions are not well defined when their two arguments are incompatible (i.e.
have different list lengths). All functions will return either a new vector (a list object) or a number (a float
or an int). None of the functions will alter their list arguments. The word “length” could have two different
meanings in this project. On the one hand we speak of the length of a list meaning its number of elements.
On the other hand the length of a vector is commonly understood to mean the geometric length of the
directed line segment it represents. The number of components in a vector is more properly called its
dimension. In the following descriptions of required vector operations we will use length and dimension in
this geometric sense.
add(u, v)
This function will return the sum u+v of the two vectors u and v. To do this just add corresponding elements
in the two lists.
Example: [1, 3, -5] + [2, -2, 1] = [3, 1, -4]
negate(u)
Returns the negative –u of the vector u.
Example: -[2, -2, 1] = [-2, 2, -1]
sub(u, v)
Returns the difference u-v of the two vectors. You may use add() in conjunction with negate() to accomplish
this.
Example: [1, 3, -5] – [2, -2, 1] = [-1, 5, -6]
scalarMult(c, u)
Returns the result cu of multiplying the number c by the vector u. Each element of u is multiplied by c.
Example: 2[1, 3, -5] = [2, 6, -10]
zip(u, v)
This is not a standard vector operation, but is useful in computing dot() below. Function zip() returns
the component-wise product vector of u with v, i.e. multiply corresponding elements in the two lists.
Example: zip( [1, 3, -5] , [2, -2, 1] ) = [2, -6, -5]
dot(u, v)
Returns the sum of the elements in zip(u, v).
Example: dot( [1, 3, -5] , [2, -2, 1] ) = -9
2
length(u)
Returns the (geometric) length of the directed line segment represented by vector u. To compute this
quantity take the square root of the sum of the squares of the components of u, or more succinctly the square
root of dot(u, u).
Example:
length ([1, 3, 5]) 1 3 ( 5) 35 5.916 2 2 2
unit(v)
Returns a unit vector (i.e. a vector whose geometric length is 1) having the same direction as u. To compute
this quantity, scalar multiply u by the reciprocal of its length.
Example:
] [0.169, 0.507, 0.845]
35
5
,
35
3
,
35
1
unit ([1, 3, 5] ) [
angle(u, v)
This function returns the angle between vectors u and v, and is already defined in VectorStub.py. Do
not change it.
randVector(n, a, b)
Returns a vector of dimension n (i.e. list length n) whose components are random floats in the range [𝑎, 𝑏).
Note that the random module contains a method called random() (small r) returning a random float in the
range [0, 1). Use random.random() to generate the random components returned by this function.
Each of the above functions should include a doc string describing its operation. This doc string should be
composed in such a way that a call to help(Vector) produces the following output.
>>> import Vector
>>> help(Vector)
Help on module Vector:
NAME
Vector
DESCRIPTION
This module provides functions to perform standard vector operations. Vectors
are represented as lists of numbers (floats or ints). Functions that take two
vector arguments may give arbitrary output if the vectors are not compatible,
i.e. of the same dimension.
FUNCTIONS
add(u, v)
Return the vector sum u+v.
angle(u, v)
Return the angle (in degrees) between vectors u and v.
dot(u, v)
Return the dot product of u with v.
length(u)
Return the (geometric) length of the vector u.
negate(u)
Return the negative -u of the vector u.
randVector(n, a, b)
3
Return a vector of dimension n whose components are random floats
in the range [a, b).
scalarMult(c, u)
Return the scalar product cu of the number c by the vector u.
sub(u, v)
Return the vector difference u-v.
unit(v)
Return a unit (geometric length 1) vector in the direction of v.
zip(u, v)
Return the component-wise product of u with v.
FILE
c:\users\ptantalo\desktop\programs\python3.3\cmps 5p\programs\pa6\vector.py
The only exception to this output should be the path quoted in the FILE section at the end. Otherwise the
output from your module will match the above exactly.
Test your module by placing the files Vector.py and VectorTest.py in the same directory then running
VectorTest as a script. The command python VectorTest.py should produce the following output.
[-3, -4, 7]
[6, -2, 2]
[3, -6, 9]
[-6, 2, -2]
[-9, -2, 5]
[-7.5, -10.0, 17.5]
[-21.0, 7.0, -7.0]
[-18, 8, 14]
4
8.602325267042627
6.6332495807108
[-0.34874291623145787, -0.46499055497527714, 0.813733471206735]
[0.9045340337332909, -0.30151134457776363, 0.30151134457776363]
85.98027117814442
[0.0, 0.0, 0.0]
What to turn in
Submit the file Vector.py to the assignment name pa7 in the usual way. As always start early and ask
questions if anything is not clear.
