2.3 Nature of Quantities Flashcards
what is a scalar quantity?
a quantity which has only magnitude, not direction
what is a vector quantity?
a quantity which has both magnitude and direction
what are some examples of scalar quantities?
mass, time, temp, length, speed, energy, volume, power
what are some examples of vector quantities?
force, displacement, velocity, acceleration, momentum, pressure, impulse
what does it mean to resolve a vector?
the splitting of a vector into its horizontal and vertical components (Vx = Vcos θ and Vy = Vcosθ)
how do you calculate the resultant vector of two vectors in the same plane (coplanar)?
use a vector triangle and always draw ‘tip to tail’
what should you do to calculate the resultant vector when they vectors are not at right angles?
you should draw a scaled diagram and manually measure it
what should you do to calculate the resultant vector when they vectors are at right angles?
use pythagoras and trigonometry