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Any vector can be "decomposed" into components along any two non-parallel directions. In particular, a vector may be decomposed along a pair (more in higher dimensional spaces) of orthogonal directions. Orthogonal means at right angles and so you have the original vector split up into components that are at right angles to each other - for example, along the x-axis and the y-axis. These components are the rectangular components of the original vector.

The reason for doing this is that vectors acting at right angles to one another do not affect one another.

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Q: What does rectangular component of a vector mean?
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