A scalar is a physical quantity that has a magnitude. A vector quantity has both magnitude and direction.
Examples
Some scalars are:
- distance
- speed
- mass
Some vectors are:
- displacement
- velocity
- acceleration
- force
Classifications of vectors
Vectors can be described in terms of their direction:
- Horizontal
- Vertical
- Oblique
Vectors can also be classified relative to each other:
- Parallel
- Anti-parallel
- Perpendicular
Research Questions
- What is a scalar quantity?
- What are some examples of scalar quantities?
- What is a vector quantity?
- What are some examples of vector quantities?
- What are horizontal, vertical and oblique vectors?
- What does it mean for vectors to be parallel, perpendicular or anti-parallel?
- What does it mean to resolve a vector?
- What is the role of resolving vectors when combining multiple vectors into a single resultant vector?
- What is a resultant vector?
- Is the adjacent component of a vector always $R\cos{\theta}$ if the vector has a magnitude of $R$ and angle $\theta$?