Scalars and Vectors

The motion of objects can be described by words.

going fast, stopped, slowing down, speeding up, and turning provide a sufficient vocabulary for describing the motion of objects. In physics, we use these words and many more. We will be expanding upon this vocabulary list with words such as distance, displacement, speed, velocity, and acceleration.

Vector
A vector has
magnitude as well as direction, and vectors follow certain (vector) rules of combination. A vector quantity is a quantity that has both a magnitude and a direction and thus can be represented with a vector. Some physical quantities that are vector quantities are displacement, velocity, and acceleration.

Scalar
A Scalar has
Involved Magnitude only. Not involved a direction. Temperature, pressure, energy, mass, and time, for example, do not "point" in the spatial sense. We call such quantities scalars, and we deal with them by the rules of ordinary algebra.

In short
Scalars are quantities that are fully described by a magnitude (or numerical value) alone. Vectors are quantities that are fully described by both a magnitude and a direction.

Vector
A vector is a quantity that has both magnitude and direction. The magnitude is a scalar quantity, a scalar being defined as a quantity which may be completely specified by a number and perhaps a unit. Common textbook representations of vectors include boldfaced letters and boldface with an arrow above them. For example a displacement vector of 30 meters east could be represented in a variety of ways: The magnitude of the vector might be represented by absolute value signs around the vector symbol, or just the letter without the boldface. A vector might also be expressed in terms of unit vectors.

Check your understanding??

Quantity 5m 30 m/sec, East 5 mi., North 20 degrees Celsius 256 bytes Category

Example
Distance and displacement are two quantities that may seem to mean the same thing yet have distinctly different definitions and meanings. Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to "how much ground an object has covered" during its motion. Displacement is a vector quantity that refers to "how far out of place an object is"; it is the object's overall change in position.

distance = 12 m; displacement = 0

Adding vector geometrically

AC is the vector sum of the vectors AB and BC.

Adding vector geometrically

Components of Vector

Unit Vector

Self study
Sample Problem

Sample Problem

Vectors and Laws of Physics

Multiplying Vectors
Scalar Product

Appendix

Appendix

Try Urself
A hiker takes a trip involving three segment path A is 20m long at a direction of 30 degree N of E, path B is 30m due East, path C is 5m long at a direction of 45 degree E of S. Find the resultant displacement?

Good Luck!!!