Subtracting vectors is described as analogous to the subtraction of:

1. Vector operations are introduced by comparison with familiar arithmetic. 2. Vector subtraction reverses one vector and then adds it. 3. This is analogous to the subtraction of scalars. 4. The difference is that direction has to be reversed as well as sign. _Source: OpenStax College Physics for AP(R) Courses 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 3 'Two-Dimensional Kinematics', sections 3.1-3.4_