The formula for finding the vector equation of a line is
This is given in the formula booklet
This equation can be used for vectors in both 2- and 3- dimensions
In 2D the gradient can be found from the direction vector
In 3D a numerical value for the direction cannot be found, it is given as a vector
As acould be the position vector of any point on the line and bcould be any scalar multiple of the direction vector there are infinite vector equations for a single line
Given any two points on a line with position vectors a and bthe displacement vector can be written as b - a
So the formula r = a +λ(b - a) can be used to find the vector equation of the line
This is not given in the formula booklet
How do I determine whether a point lies on a line?
Exam Tip
Remember that the vector equation of a line can take many different forms
This means that the answer you derive might look different from the answer in a mark scheme
You can choose whether to write your vector equations of lines using unit vectors or as column vectors
Use the form that you prefer, however column vectors is generally easier to work with
Worked Example
a) Find a vector equation of a straight line through the points with position vectors a = 4i – 5k and b = 3i - 3k
b) Determine whether the point C with coordinate (2, 0, -1) lies on this line.
Equation of a Line in Parametric Form
How do I find the vector equation of a line in parametric form?
By considering the three separate components of a vector in the x, y and z directions it is possible to write the vector equation of a line as three separate equations
These are given in the formula booklet
Worked Example
Equation of a Line in Cartesian Form
How do I find the vector equation of a line given the Cartesian form?