-
Vector quantity
What do you mean by ‘Vector Quantity’?
-
1 Reply
-
In physics, a vector quantity refers to a physical quantity that has both magnitude and direction. It is distinguished from a scalar quantity, which has only magnitude and no direction.
Vectors are commonly represented using arrows, where the length of the arrow represents the magnitude of the vector, and the direction of the arrow represents the direction of the vector. The magnitude of a vector is a scalar value, while its direction is specified by an angle or by reference to a coordinate system.
Examples of vector quantities include displacement, velocity, acceleration, force, momentum, and electric field. These quantities require both a numerical value (magnitude) and a specified direction to be fully described. For instance, velocity is a vector because it not only tells you the speed of an object but also the direction in which it is moving.
Vector quantities follow specific rules for addition, subtraction, and multiplication. They can be added together to form a resultant vector, and they can be multiplied by scalars to change their magnitude or direction. The mathematical study of vectors is known as vector algebra or vector analysis.
It’s worth noting that in some contexts, the term “vector” may have slightly different meanings. For example, in computer science, a vector can refer to an ordered collection of elements or a one-dimensional array. However, in the context of physics, the definition of a vector quantity remains as described above.
Log in to reply.