All Flashcards
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.
What is the effect of adding vectors without considering their direction?
Incorrect results when analyzing motion and forces.
What is the effect of using incorrect units in vector calculations?
Incorrect final answer and loss of points.
What happens if you ignore the direction of a force vector?
The calculated acceleration and resulting motion will be incorrect.
What is the result of correctly resolving a force vector into components?
Easier analysis of motion in multiple dimensions.
What is the effect of using the incorrect angle when resolving a vector?
The components will be calculated incorrectly, leading to an incorrect final answer.