A handheld computing device (40) comprises a software application adapted to provide instructions to graphically display a vector on a display screen (48) simultaneously along with the numerical values for components of the vector. The software application may be further adapted to provide instructions to perform a vector math operation on one or more vectors, to allow a user to pick the vector for use in the vector math operation, concurrently while graphically viewing the vector on the display screen (48) simultaneously with its numerical values for components, and/or to allow a user to graphically input the vector by incrementing a vector component with an arrow key (101-104) on the input device (50), concurrently while graphically viewing the vector and vector changes on the display screen (48).