2006-11-24 07:50:36 · 12 answers · asked by Alexander M 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Above answers are right on. Here are some examples.
Velocity is vectoral. It has both speed and direction implied.
Whereas temperature is purley scalar, only quantity implied.
Other examples of vectoral quantities are acceleration ,
momentum and force. Other scalar examples are energy,
mass,volume and area.
2006-11-24 08:00:20 · answer #1 · answered by albert 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
all those answers are correct, but I'll add some examples of a vector and scalar quantitys.
Velocity is a Vector quantity in physics. A car is moving at 40 miles per hour to the northwest
A scalar quantity is someone saying that they have 5 apples. You can't have -5 apples as this is impossible we can see that quantity of apples isn't a vector quantity.
2006-11-24 08:21:48 · answer #2 · answered by travis R 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A vector has not only length but also a direction. A scalar has only length but no direction. Example:
vector v = xi + yj +zj where i,j,k are the unit vectors in the x,y,z directions, respectively. The length of this this vector, a scalar quantity is
|v| = sqr[x^2 + y^2 + z^2]
Hope this was useful
2006-11-24 07:57:35 · answer #3 · answered by kellenraid 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Now bear in mind that I am a sociologist, but I think a vector quantity has a direction, and a scalar quantity merely has magnitude.
2006-11-24 07:53:17 · answer #4 · answered by hallam_blue 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Those two questions are not worded very well. It's true that "force is a vector"; and it's also true that "pounds are a unit of force"; but it is not quite true that "2 pounds" is a vector. I understand the point that the question's author (your teacher?) is trying to make; but he/she makes it poorly. Technically speaking, in Question #1, there is only one choice which IS a vector, and that is "d". And technically, in Question #2, ALL of the choices are scalars. That is because, technically, a vector is a quantity that is expressed by using TWO numbers; one number to express a "magnitude" (an amount); and the other number to express a direction. (Or, if the vector is in 3 dimensions, then you use three numbers; one to express the magnitude, and two to express the direction). "East" can be translated into a number (you could say it's "90 degrees" in some frame of reference); so "2 kilometers per hour east" counts as a vector. None of the other choices (in either question) is truly a vector, however; because the simple fact is, it's not a vector if it's described using only one number. In physics, certain concepts (such as "force" and "momentum") are not very useful unless you attach a direction to them; so they are virtually always expressed as vectors. Other concepts (such as "mass" and "time") aren't usually associated with any particular direction; so they are virtually always expressed as scalars. Still other concepts (such as "speed" and "length") are sometimes useful with a direction attached, and in other cases useful without a direction; so they may sometimes be expressed as vectors and sometimes not (to emphasize the difference, "speed" is called "velocity" when it has a direction attached; and "length" is called "displacement" when it has a direction attached). So in summary: 1) The technically correct distinction is: If a quantity is expressed in terms of both a magnitude and a direction, it's a vector; if it's expressed in terms of magnitude only, it's a scalar. 2) In physics, some kinds of quantity are virtually always associated with a direction, and other kinds virtually never are. You can use this fact to get the "right" answer in your workbook, even though (I maintain) the workbook is technically incorrect.
2016-05-22 22:51:33 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
a vector has a direction and a quantity (magnitude) and a scalar is "just" a number
2006-11-24 21:05:21 · answer #6 · answered by Andrew J 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
who ever said that sociologist wouldn't know the difference between a vector and a scalar.
Yep, a vector has a direction and a magnitude, a scalar has only magnitude.
2006-11-24 07:57:13 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
a vector has a direction and a quantity (magnitude) and a scalar is "just" a number
2006-11-24 07:53:29 · answer #8 · answered by mesun1408 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A vector quantity has both magnitude (size) and direction.
e.g. force, velocity.
A scalar quantity has only magnitude.
e.g. mass, length.
2006-11-26 04:16:33 · answer #9 · answered by Kemmy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a scalar quantity is a magnitude [speed is scalar]
a vector is a magnitude and a direction [velocity is a vector]
2006-11-24 08:20:25 · answer #10 · answered by the professor 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋