2007-06-29 08:00:52 · 4 answers · asked by attiqzafar 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
No, but you can multiply and divide them. A scalar only has a magnitude such as the term speed. A vector has both magnitude AND direction, such as the term velocity. You cannot add these two together, but you can multiply them to increase/decrease the magnitude.
2007-06-29 08:05:29 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No - a vector has both magnitude and direction while a scalar has just magnitude. It's the direction inherent in the vector that makes it unable to be added to a scalar. For example if you are mvoing with a velocity of 10 mph to the north and 40 mph to the east (a vector), how do add 10 mph (a scalar) which direction? Picking north gives a different result than pick east and adding to both directions is just as arbitrary a choice as picking either direction. So scalars add with scalars and vectors add with vectors, and teh two don't add with each other.
2007-06-29 15:10:09 · answer #2 · answered by nyphdinmd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, you definately cannot. A vector has both a magnitude AND a direction, while a scalar has only a magnitude. In mathematics, you can only add apples to apples, not apples to oranges. That is to say, you can only add quantities that have the same units for it to make sense, for example, you can only add two LENGTHS together, not a length and a time: this does not make sense.
You can however multiply a vector by a scalar: this is perfectly fine.
2007-06-29 15:05:54 · answer #3 · answered by Mikey C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
xjmox14x got it. Straight out the text book!
2007-06-29 15:09:14 · answer #4 · answered by Ian M 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋