what is the difference between a vector and phasor?

Answer 1

*Vector, is a concept characterized by a magnitude and a direction.

A spatial vector can be formally defined by its relationship to the spatial coordinate system under rotations. Alternatively, it can be defined in a coordinate-free fashion via a tangent space of a three-dimensional manifold in the language of differential geometry.

*A phasor is a vector drawn to represent a wave, such that the vector sum of several phasors can be used to determine the intensity and phase of the several waves after interference.
Phasors are used directly in optics, radio engineering and acoustics. The constant length of the phasor gives the amplitude and the angle it makes with the x-axis gives the phase angle.
Because the mathematics of waves frequently carries over to electronics, phasors can be used there in rudimentary circuit analysis of AC circuits. Finally, phasors can be used to describe the motion of an oscillator, with its various properties including projections onto the x and y axes having different physical meanings.

*a vector is a quantity characterized by a magnitude (in mathematics a number, in physics a number times a unit) and a direction, often represented graphically by an arrow. Examples are "moving north at 90 km/h" or "pulling towards the center of Earth with a force of 70 newtons".
*A vector can have any dimension n. A phasor has only two dimensions because it just describes a vector in polar coordinates (radius, r, and angle, theta; the radius can be thought of as the amplitude and theta the phase orientation). N dimensional just means there are n components to a vector (so if n = 3 you havea 3 dimensional vector, if n= 4 a four dimensional vector, ec.).

Answer 2

A vector is a geometric object, a phasor is not. For example, computer animation makes extensive use of vectors, but phasors are nowhere to be seen. On the other hand, electrical circuit analysis makes use of phasors, but not vectors, because for the most part, electrical circuitry has no "geometry", and involves graph theory instead. More specifically, a vector can have any number of dimensions but phasors are complex quantities with just two "dimensions", real and imaginary.

Answer 3

The -only- difference between a vector and a phasor is that a phasor is understood to be rotating at some number of radians per second.

HTH

Doug

Answer 4

A simple Phasor is a mathemtical representation of a single frequency AC signal. Vector is more of a graphical one. In general however, a Vector and a phasor are not directly related. A vector merely means that it has a "direction". The opposite of a vector is a scalar. If I say "I drove 5 miles" - thats scalar. If I say "I drove 5 miles east" - thats a vector.

Answer 5

They're basically the same thing.

Phasors are generally limited to AC electrical engineering calculations. (and as a weapon on Star Trek)

Vectors are used in many disciplines. Civil, mechanical and aerospace engineering, navigation, etc. Usually as a magnitude and a direction in the XYZ planes.

"What's your vector, Victor?"

"Set phasors to stun"

Answer 6

Vector has magnitude and direction while Phasor has magnitude , direction and phase

Answer 7

vector: magnitude and direction
phasor: magnitude and phase

essentially, they are the same thing. phasors are use more in physics and communications (to represent waves).

Answer 8

for anything to be a vector it should follow 3 laws:
1. it should have magnitude.
2. it should have direction.
3. it should follow the triangular law of vector addition.

phasors doesn't obey the 3rd law.. eg current or voltage