Question #0a817
1 Answer
Oct 27, 2017
In physics, a vector is a something that has both a magnitude (a number) and direction.
Explanation:
Let's say you want to visit your friend. You get on your bike and travel at 10 km/hr to the north in order to reach her house. Your velocity:
is a vector quanitity because it has both a magnitude (10 km/hr) and a direction (north).
Vectors are often represented by arrows, where the length of the arrow represents the magnitude of the vector (10 km/hr) and the arrow points in the direction of the vector (north).
Other vector quantities in physics include: displacement, acceleration, momentum.
If something does not have a direction, it is a scalar. Scalar quantities in physics include: speed, mass, time energy, and temperature.
