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Trajectory vs Vector - What's the difference?

trajectory | vector |

As nouns the difference between trajectory and vector

is that trajectory is the path of a body as it travels through space while vector is a directed quantity, one with both magnitude and direction; the signed difference between two points.

As a verb vector is

to set (particularly an aircraft) on a course toward a selected point.

trajectory

English

(wikipedia trajectory)

Noun

(trajectories)
  • (astronomy, space) The path of a body as it travels through space.
  • (cybernetics) The ordered set of intermediate states assumed by a dynamical system as a result of time evolution.
  • Metaphorically, a course of development, such as that of a war or career.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-03
    • , author= , title=The Smallest Cell , volume=101, issue=2, page=83 , magazine= citation , passage=It is likely that the long evolutionary trajectory' of ''Mycoplasma'' went from a reductive autotroph to oxidative heterotroph to a cell-wall–defective degenerate parasite. This evolutionary ' trajectory assumes the simplicity to complexity route of biogenesis, a point of view that is not universally accepted.}}

    Derived terms

    * (sense)

    Related terms

    * (cybernetics)

    vector

    English

    (wikify) (wikipedia vector)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (mathematics) A directed quantity, one with both magnitude and direction; the signed difference between two points.
  • *
  • (mathematics) An ordered tuple representing a directed quantity or the (soplink) between two points.
  • (mathematics) Any member of a (generalized) vector space.
    • The vectors in {\mathbb Q}[X] are the single-variable polynomials with rational coefficients: one is x^{42}+\frac1{137}x-1.
  • (aviation) A chosen course or direction for motion, as of an aircraft.
  • (senseid)(epidemiology) A carrier of a disease-causing agent.
  • (sociology) A person or entity that passes along an urban legend or other meme.
  • (psychology) A recurring psychosocial issue that stimulates growth and development in the personality.
  • The way in which the eyes are drawn across the visual text. The trail that a book cover can encourage the eyes to follow from certain objects to others.
  • (computing, operating systems) A memory address containing the address of a code entry point, usually one which is part of a table and often one that is dereferenced]] and [[jump, jumped to during the execution of an interrupt.
  • (programming) A one-dimensional array.

    • Usage notes

    * (programming) The term is used loosely when the indices are not (either positive or non-negative) integers.

    Hypernyms

    *

    Hyponyms

    * * * * * * * (hyp-mid3) * * * * * * * (hyp-mid3) * * * ) * * * (hyp-bottom)

    Derived terms

    * * * * * * * * *

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To set (particularly an aircraft) on a course toward a selected point.
  • * 1994 , Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Tendencies
    • if love is vectored toward an object and Elinor's here flies toward Marianne, Marianne's in turn toward Willoughby.

    References

    * The New Oxford Dictionary of English

    Anagrams

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