Vectors

I'm doing a 2d physics simulation and as such I need to use vectors a lot. However I'm new to programming so I don't know the best way to implement them. For instance I tried to make a function that you pass two vectors to and it return their sum as a vector.

Function Add_Vectors.Tvector(v1.Tvector,v2.Tvector)

u.Tvector = new Tvector
u\x = v1\x + v2\x
u\y = v2\y + v2\y
return u

End Function

Now I realise that this is just passing the memory address of the new vector just created so every time this is called it creates a new Tvector. Is there a way to use nice functions like this properly?

Also, is it bad programming practice to continually create/delete objects. This is what I intended to do for my collision sorting algorithm.

http://blitzbasic.com/codearcs/codearcs.php?code=936

That library is almost identical to the one I made.

The problem is that new vectors are being made constantly; there were about 2000 vector objects made in the first 3 seconds by my Euler algorithm:

Function Approximate_Next_Quantities(b.Tbody)

delta_t# = 1/Float(EULER_STEPS)
t# = 0

left_a.Tvector = New Tvector
right_a.Tvector = New Tvector
average_a.Tvector = New Tvector

v.Tvector = New Tvector
r.Tvector = New Tvector
; set initial values
v = b\v
r = b\r

temp_v.Tvector = New Tvector
temp_r.Tvector = New Tvector

For i = 0 To EULER_STEPS-1
left_a = Acceleration_Function(t, v, r)

temp_v = Add_Vectors(v,Multiply_Scalar_Vector(delta_t,left_a))
temp_r = Add_Vectors(r,Multiply_Scalar_Vector(delta_t,v))

right_a = Acceleration_Function(t+delta_t, temp_v, temp_r)

average_a = Multiply_Scalar_Vector(0.5,Add_Vectors(left_a,right_a))

v = Add_Vectors(v,Multiply_Scalar_Vector(delta_t,average_a))
r = Add_Vectors(r,Multiply_Scalar_Vector(delta_t,v))

t = t + delta_t
Next

b\next_v = v.Tvector
b\next_r = r.Tvector

;Delete objects
Delete left_a
Delete right_a
Delete average_a

Delete temp_v
Delete temp_r

End Function

Function Acceleration_Function.Tvector(t#,v.Tvector,r.Tvector)

u.Tvector = New Tvector
u\x = 0
u\y = 0.1

Return u

End Function

Is there a way I can do this properly?

You could just define as many of those temporary Tvectors as needed as globals, outside the function.

Type Tvector
	Field x#
	Field y#
	Field z#
End Type

Global u.Tvector = New Tvector

Function Acc.Tvector ()
    u\x = 0
    u\y = 0.1
    Return u
End Function

test.Tvector = Acc ()

Print test\x
Print test\y

MouseWait

Thanks! That's exactly what I needed. Now I just send one of the global temporary vectors to the function as an argument. This makes very complicated vector equations possible by using different temporary vectors in the same equation.

Thanks again,

Sam