#AP Physics C: Mechanics - Scalars and Vectors 🚀

Hey there! Let's make sure you're totally solid on scalars and vectors—these are the building blocks of everything we'll do in mechanics. Think of this as your cheat sheet for tonight!

#Scalars vs. Vectors: The Basics

• Scalars: These are quantities that have only magnitude (size). Think of them as just a number with a unit. Examples include:

  • Mass (e.g., 5 kg)
  • Time (e.g., 10 s)
  • Temperature (e.g., 25°C)
  • Energy (e.g., 100 J)
  • Work (e.g., 50 Nm)
  • Electric charge (e.g., 1.6e-19 C)
  • 📏 Think: Just a number!

• Vectors: These have both magnitude and direction. They're like arrows pointing somewhere with a certain length. Examples include:

  • Displacement (e.g., 5 m, north)
  • Velocity (e.g., 10 m/s, east)
  • Acceleration (e.g., 9.8 m/s², down)
  • Force (e.g., 20 N, at 30°)
  • Momentum (e.g., 10 kg m/s, west)
  • Electric field (e.g., 100 N/C, right)
  • 🧭 Think: Number + Direction!

• Scalars can be added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided just like regular numbers.
• Vectors need special rules for addition and subtraction because of their direction. This is super important for analyzing motion and forces!

• Scalar: Size only, Simple math
• Vector: Velocity has direction, Very specific math

#Vector Representation

#Distance vs. Displacement & Speed vs. Velocity

• Distance (scalar): How far something has traveled ...