Page 18 - eEISBN FINALIZE

• Scalars are quantities that are fully described by a magnitude (or numerical value) alone.

• Vectors are quantities that are fully described by both a magnitude and a direction.

A scalar or scalar quantity in physics is a physical quantity that can be described by a single

element of a number field such as a real number, often accompanied by units of measurement. A
scalar is usually said to be a physical quantity that only has magnitude and no other characteristics.

This is in contrast to vectors, tensors, etc. which are described by several numbers that characterize
their magnitude, direction, and so on.

Figure 2.2: Scalar quantities

Vector quantities are often represented by scaled vector diagrams. Vector diagrams depict a vector
by use of an arrow drawn to scale in a specific direction. Vector diagrams were introduced and

used in earlier units to depict the forces acting upon an object.

F N

Figure 2.3: Vector quantities

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