All Flashcards
Define a scalar quantity.
A scalar quantity has only magnitude (size). It is a number with a unit.
Define a vector quantity.
A vector quantity has both magnitude and direction.
What is 'distance'?
Distance is a scalar quantity representing how far something has traveled in total.
What is 'displacement'?
Displacement is a vector quantity representing how far something is from its starting point, with a direction.
Define 'speed'.
Speed is a scalar quantity that measures how fast something is moving.
Define 'velocity'.
Velocity is a vector quantity that measures how fast something is moving in a specific direction.
What is a unit vector?
A unit vector is a vector with a magnitude of 1, used to represent direction (e.g., , , ).
What is a scalar quantity?
A quantity with only magnitude (size).
What is a vector quantity?
A quantity with both magnitude and direction.
Define displacement.
The distance an object is from its starting point, with a direction.
Define velocity.
How fast something is moving in a specific direction.
What is a unit vector?
A vector with a magnitude of 1, used to represent direction (e.g., , , ).
What is speed?
How fast something is moving, irrespective of direction.
What is the key difference between scalars and vectors?
Scalars have only magnitude, while vectors have both magnitude and direction.
Compare distance and displacement.
Distance: Scalar, total path length. Displacement: Vector, change in position from start to end.
Compare speed and velocity.
Speed: Scalar, rate of motion. Velocity: Vector, rate of motion with direction.
Differentiate between mass and weight.
Mass: Scalar, amount of matter in an object. Weight: Vector, force of gravity on an object.
Compare using vector notation in 1D vs 2D.
1D: +/- signs indicate direction. 2D: Use components or magnitude and angle.