Physics - Scalars and Vectors

Front

What is a scalar quantity?

Back

A scalar quantity is a physical quantity that has only magnitude and no direction, such as temperature or mass.

Front

What is a vector quantity?

Back

A vector quantity is a physical quantity that has both magnitude and direction, such as velocity or force.

Front

What is displacement?

Back

Displacement is the distance and direction of an object's change in position from a starting point.

Front

What is distance?

Back

Distance is a scalar quantity that represents the total length of the path traveled by an object, regardless of direction.

Front

How do you represent vector quantities?

Back

Vector quantities are represented by arrows, where the length of the arrow indicates the magnitude and the direction of the arrow indicates the direction.

Front

What is the difference between distance and displacement?

Back

Distance is the total path length traveled, while displacement is the shortest straight-line distance from the starting point to the ending point, including direction.

Front

If a person walks 3 miles east and then 4 miles west, what is their displacement?

Back

The displacement is 1 mile west.

Front

What is the formula for calculating displacement?

Back

Displacement = Final Position - Initial Position.

Front

What does it mean if a vector is negative?

Back

A negative vector indicates that the direction of the vector is opposite to the defined positive direction.

Front

What is the significance of the direction in vector quantities?

Back

The direction in vector quantities is crucial as it determines the vector's effect in physical scenarios, such as force or velocity.