2.3 - Nature of Quantities

Question 1

What is a scalar quantity?

Answer 1

A quantity which has only magnitude, not direction.

Question 2

What is a vector quantity?

Answer 2

A quantity which has both magnitude and direction.

Question 3

What are some examples of scalar quantities?

Answer 3

Mass, time, temperature, length, speed, energy, volume, power.

Question 4

What are some examples of vector quantities?

Answer 4

Force, displacement, velocity, acceleration, momentum, pressure, impulse.

Question 5

What does it mean to resolve a vector?

Answer 5

The splitting of a vector into its horizontal and vertical components (Vx = Vcos θ and Vy = Vsin θ).

Question 6

How do you calculate the resultant vector of two vectors in the same plane (coplanar)?

Answer 6

Use a vector triangle and always draw ‘tip to tail’.

Question 7

What should you do to calculate the resultant vector when the vectors are not at right angles?

Answer 7

You should draw a scaled diagram and manually measure it.

Question 8

What should you do to calculate the resultant vector when the vectors are at right angles?

Answer 8

Use Pythagoras and trigonometry.