Question Video: Finding the Unit Vector in the Direction of the 𝑦-Axis Mathematics • Third Year of Secondary School

Video Transcript

Find the unit vector in the direction of the 𝑦-axis.

We recall that a unit vector has a magnitude equal to one. Let’s consider the three-dimensional coordinate system or grid with center or origin 𝑂. We are told that the vector is moving in the direction of the 𝑦-axis. This means that its 𝑥- and 𝑧-components must be equal to zero. In order for the vector to have a magnitude of one, the 𝑦-component must also be one. The unit vector in the direction of the 𝑦-axis is equal to zero, one, zero.