Vectors, and what they actually represent

After this lesson you can: Read a vector as a point, a direction, and a list of features.

Watch

• Vectors | Chapter 1, Essence of linear algebra - 3Blue1Brown, 10 min. Direct beginner concept video on vectors, ideal for reframing them beyond physics arrows.
• How Linear Algebra Powers Machine Learning (ML) - IBM Technology, 11 min. Connects linear algebra to machine learning, helping engineers see vectors as data representations.
• Linear combinations, span, and basis vectors | Chapter 2, Essence of linear algebra - 3Blue1Brown, 10 min. Useful next step after vectors, showing how basis directions build coordinate representations.

Notes

A vector is a compact way to represent several numbers as one object. In two dimensions it might be written as something like [3, 5]; in software terms, that is just an ordered list with meaning attached to each position. The same vector can be read as a point at coordinates 3 and 5, as a move of 3 steps right and 5 steps up, or as two measured features of some thing in your data.

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