Category: 05. Scalar and Vector

1. What do you mean by Scalars and Vectors, in physics? Scalars are the physical quantities that have magnitude or size only. While vectors are the physical quantities that have both magnitude and direction. 2. What are examples of Vectors Quantities? 3. What are some Scalar Quantities? 4. Is Force is a Scalar or a…

This law is just another way of understanding vector addition. This law states that if two vectors acting on the same point are represented by the sides of the parallelogram, then the resultant vector of these vectors is represented by the diagonals of the parallelograms. The figure below shows these two vectors represented on the…

Consider the vectors given in the figure above. The line PQ represents the vector “p”, and QR represents the vector “q”. The line QR represents the resultant vector. The direction of AC is from A to C.   Line AC represents,  �⃗+�⃗p​+q​ The magnitude of the resultant vector is given by,  ∣�∣2+∣�∣2+2∣�∣∣�∣���(�)∣p∣2+∣q∣2+2∣p∣∣q∣cos(θ)​ θ represents the…

Vectors cannot be added by usual algebraic rules. While adding two vectors, the magnitude and the direction of the vectors must be taken into account. Triangle law is used to add two vectors, the diagram below shows two vectors “a” and “b” and the resultant is calculated after their addition. Vector addition follows commutative property,…

Multiplying a vector a with a constant scalar k gives a vector whose direction is the same but the magnitude is changed by a factor of k. The figure shows the vector after and before it is multiplied by the constant k. In mathematical terms, this can be rewritten as,  ∣��⃗∣=�∣�⃗∣∣kv∣=k∣v∣  if k > 1,…

Two vectors are considered to be equal when they have the same magnitude and same direction. The figure below shows two vectors that are equal, notice that these vectors are parallel to each other and have the same length. The second part of the figure shows two unequal vectors, which even though have the same…

The differences between Scalar and Vector Quantities are shown in the table added below, Difference Between Scalar and Vector Quantity Scalar Vector Scalar quantities have magnitude or size only. Vector quantities have both magnitude and direction. It is known that every scalar exists in one dimension only.  Vector quantities can exist in one, two, or…

Vector notation is a way or notation used to represent a quantity that is a vector, through an arrow (⇢) above its symbol, as shown below:

A vector quantity is a physical quantity that has both magnitude and direction. In other words, a vector quantity is described by a number, a unit, and a direction. Examples of vector quantities include velocity, acceleration, force, displacement, and momentum. These quantities are commonly represented graphically using arrows to show both their direction and magnitude.…

A scalar quantity is a physical quantity that has only magnitude and no direction. In other words, a scalar quantity is described only by a number and a unit, and it does not have any associated direction or vector. Examples of scalar quantities include temperature, mass, time, distance, speed, and energy. These quantities can be…