Forces

Scalar

Scalar quantities only have a magnitude or a size.

Examples of scalar quantities include:

  • Energy
  • Distance
  • Speed
  • Area
  • Volume
  • Speed
  • Mass
  • Temperature

Vector

Vector quantities have a magnitude and an associated direction.

Examples of vector quantities include:

  • Displacement
  • Velocity
  • Acceleration
  • Momentum
  • Force
  • Weight

Vectors can be represented by an arrow. The length of the arrow represents the size and the direction of the arrow shows the vector quantity.Forces, figure 1

The difference between them is the fact that vector quantities have a direction, where scalar quantities do not.

Define a scalar quantity
Your answer should include: size / magnitude
Are the following quantities scalar or vector? Force, weight and acceleration
vector
Define a scalar quantity
Your answer should include: size / magnitude
Explanation: Has size or magnitude