Question

THE FILE THE QUESTION MENTIONS:

function vectarrow(p0,p1)
%Arrowline 3-D vector plot.
% vectarrow(p0,p1) plots a line vector with arrow pointing from point p0
% to point p1. The function can plot both 2D and 3D vector with arrow
% depending on the dimension of the input
%
% Example:
% 3D vector
% p0 = [1 2 3]; % Coordinate of the first point p0
% p1 = [4 5 6]; % Coordinate of the second point p1
% vectarrow(p0,p1)
%
% 2D vector
% p0 = [1 2]; % Coordinate of the first point p0
% p1 = [4 5]; % Coordinate of the second point p1
% vectarrow(p0,p1)
%
% See also Vectline
% Rentian Xiong 4-18-05
% $Revision: 1.0
if max(size(p0))==3
if max(size(p1))==3
x0 = p0(1);
y0 = p0(2);
z0 = p0(3);
x1 = p1(1);
y1 = p1(2);
z1 = p1(3);
plot3([x0;x1],[y0;y1],[z0;z1]); % Draw a line between p0 and p1

p = p1-p0;
alpha = 0.1; % Size of arrow head relative to the length of the vector
beta = 0.1; % Width of the base of the arrow head relative to the length

hu = [x1-alpha*(p(1)+beta*(p(2)+eps)); x1; x1-alpha*(p(1)-beta*(p(2)+eps))];
hv = [y1-alpha*(p(2)-beta*(p(1)+eps)); y1; y1-alpha*(p(2)+beta*(p(1)+eps))];
hw = [z1-alpha*p(3);z1;z1-alpha*p(3)];

hold on
plot3(hu(:),hv(:),hw(:)) % Plot arrow head
grid on
xlabel('x')
ylabel('y')
zlabel('z')
hold off
else
error('p0 and p1 must have the same dimension')
end
elseif max(size(p0))==2
if max(size(p1))==2
x0 = p0(1);
y0 = p0(2);
x1 = p1(1);
y1 = p1(2);
plot([x0;x1],[y0;y1]); % Draw a line between p0 and p1

p = p1-p0;
alpha = 0.1; % Size of arrow head relative to the length of the vector
beta = 0.1; % Width of the base of the arrow head relative to the length

hu = [x1-alpha*(p(1)+beta*(p(2)+eps)); x1; x1-alpha*(p(1)-beta*(p(2)+eps))];
hv = [y1-alpha*(p(2)-beta*(p(1)+eps)); y1; y1-alpha*(p(2)+beta*(p(1)+eps))];

hold on
plot(hu(:),hv(:)) % Plot arrow head
grid on
xlabel('x')
ylabel('y')
hold off
else
error('p0 and p1 must have the same dimension')
end
else
error('this function only accepts 2D or 3D vector')
end

USE MATLAB TO SOLVE

Answer 1

The MATLAB function plots 2D or 3D arrows to represent vectors, checking input dimensions and plotting the resulting vector from p0 to p1, including an arrowhead to signify direction. it can be applied to physical representations of motion in two dimensions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The MATLAB function provided in the question is designed to plot 2D or 3D vectors with arrows, representing the magnitude and direction. in the script, a vector is represented by a line from point p0 to p1, with an arrowhead added at p1 to indicate the vector's direction. the function checks the dimensionality of the input points, proceeds with plotting, and finally, it draws the arrowhead using the specified proportions given by alpha and beta parameters to control the size and width of the arrowhead in relation to the vector's length.

For example, in physics, the movement of an object can be represented by vectors; in two-dimensional motion, we can use a vector to represent the total motion and other vectors to represent the independent horizontal and vertical components. these component vectors, when perpendicular, can be combined using the Pythagorean theorem to find the magnitude of the total displacement, which is also represented as a vector.