◄Back

# Long description

The figure shows a right-handed Cartesian coordinate system. At the top of the figure, a right hand is depicted with the fingers closing from the x-direction towards the y-direction, such that the thumb points in the z-direction.

The lower portion of the figure illustrates the splitting of a vector F into the sum of three vectors. A cuboid is placed in the space with three of its edges aligned with the coordinate axes. A vector F starts from the origin and is aligned with the body diagonal of the cuboid. The vector F makes an angle theta subscript x with the x-axis. The component of vector F on an edge of the cuboid aligned with the x-axis is F subscript x times vector e subscript x. The component of vector F on an edge of the cuboid aligned with the y-axis is F subscript y times vector e subscript y. The component of vector F on an edge of the cuboid aligned with the z-axis is F subscript z times vector e subscript z.