Vectors are mathematical entities characterized by both magnitude and direction. Unlike scalars, which are defined solely by magnitude, vectors represent quantities like displacement, velocity, and force, where direction is essential. Vectors are graphically represented as directed line segments, extending from an initial point to a terminal point, denoted with bold letters or arrows placed above the symbol. Two vectors are deemed equal if they share identical magnitudes and directions,...

Overview

Vectors are physical quantities that have both magnitude and direction. The vector operations include addition, subtraction, and scalar multiplication.
A vector multiplied by a scalar value is called scalar multiplication. The result obtained is a new vector with a different magnitude. If the scalar is positive, the direction of the vector remains the same, but if it is negative, the direction of the vector is reversed. For example, the product of the mass and velocity yields the momentum.

To learn more about the function of a gene, researchers can observe what happens when the gene is inactivated or “knocked out,” by creating genetically engineered knockout animals. Knockout mice have been particularly useful as models for human diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes.

While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.

Gene therapy is a technique where a gene is inserted into a person’s cells to prevent or treat a serious disease. The added gene may be a healthy version of the gene that is mutated in the patient, or it could be a different gene that inactivates or compensates for the patient’s disease-causing gene. For example, in patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) due to a mutation in the gene for the enzyme adenosine deaminase, a functioning version of the gene can be...