This little animation is intended to demonstrate the coordinate notation for vectors in three-dimensional space. A Cartesian coordinate system with x-axis (red), y-axis (green) and z-axis (blue) is assumed. A given vector (black arrow) can be expressed as a sum of three components (colored arrows), each of which has the direction of a coordinate axis or is opposite to it. Each of these components, in turn, can be written as a multiple of a unit vector. The associated coefficients are called the coordinates of the given vector. Additionally, auxiliary lines (black) are drawn, which generally correspond to the edges of a rectangular cuboid.
In the input fields of the control panel the coordinates of a vector can be entered. Integers from −5 to +5 are allowed. The small buttons are used to start and control the animation.