Physics·General Physics · NSSCO 2.2
Scalars & vectors
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Some quantities in physics are just a size — like mass or time. Others carry a direction too — like a force or a velocity. In this lesson we meet the two families, scalars and vectors, learn to sort everyday quantities into them, draw a vector as a simple arrow, and add two (or more) forces that act along the same straight line to find their resultant.
What you'll learn in this lesson
By the end you should be able to (NSSCO Physics 2.2):
- Define a scalar as a quantity which has magnitude but no direction (e.g. mass)
- Define a vector as a quantity which has both magnitude and direction (e.g. velocity)
- Explain the difference between scalars and vectors and give common examples of each
- Represent a vector as an arrow, where the length shows the magnitude and the arrowhead shows the direction
- Find the resultant of two or more forces acting along the same line — add them if they act in the same direction, subtract them if they act in opposite directions
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Ms Elizabeth and Mike talk through the whole topic — with the figure and working drawn live.