another way to describe a position is as the path taken from the origin—point (0, 0)—to the current point. When you think of position in this way, it becomes a vector, just like velocity, as in Figure 1.4. <picture><source type="image/webp" srcSet="/static/797d06eafb90cdebf68c1301ff876f6c/caff3/01_vectors_5.webp 576w,/static/797d06eafb90cdebf68c1301ff876f6c/0f313/01_vectors_5.webp 1152w,/static/797d06eafb90cdebf68c1301ff876f6c/c86c1/01_vectors_5.webp 2304w" sizes="(min-width: 2304px) 2304px, 100vw"/><img data-gatsby-image-ssr="" data-main-image="" style="object-fit:contain;opacity:0" sizes="(min-width: 2304px) 2304px, 100vw" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="/static/797d06eafb90cdebf68c1301ff876f6c/694e8/01_vectors_5.png" srcSet="/static/797d06eafb90cdebf68c1301ff876f6c/6c4c7/01_vectors_5.png 576w,/static/797d06eafb90cdebf68c1301ff876f6c/d1c40/01_vectors_5.png 1152w,/static/797d06eafb90cdebf68c1301ff876f6c/694e8/01_vectors_5.png 2304w" alt="Figure 1.4: A computer graphics window with (0, 0) in the top left, showing a position vector and a velocity vector"/></picture>const t="undefined"!=typeof HTMLImageElement&&"loading"in HTMLImageElement.prototype;if(t){const t=document.querySelectorAll("img[data-main-image]");for(let e of t){e.dataset.src&&(e.setAttribute("src",e.dataset.src),e.removeAttribute("data-src")),e.dataset.srcset&&(e.setAttribute("srcset",e.dataset.srcset),e.removeAttribute("data-srcset"));const t=e.parentNode.querySelectorAll("source[data-srcset]");for(let e of t)e.setAttribute("srcset",e.dataset.srcset),e.removeAttribute("data-srcset");e.complete&&(e.style.opacity=1,e.parentNode.parentNode.querySelector("[data-placeholder-image]").style.opacity=0)}} Figure 1.4: A computer graphics window with (0, 0) in the top left, showing a position vector and a velocity vector In Figure 1.4, the vectors are placed on a computer graphics canvas. Unlike in Figure 1.2, the origin point (0, 0) isn’t at the center; it’s at the top-left corner. And instead of north, south, east, and west, there are positive and negative directions along the x- and y-axes (with y pointing down in the positive direction).

Marshall Islands stick chart on display at the Berkeley Art Museum (photo by Jim Heaphy) The stick chart is a navigational tool crafted by the indigenous people of the Marshall Islands, located in the central Pacific Ocean. This ancient tool was made by carefully tying together the midribs of coconut fronds. Shell markings on the chart signify the locations of islands in the region. The layout of the fronds and shells serves as a geographical guide, offering an abstract representation of vectors that capture the ocean swell patterns and their directional flow.