Which of the following quantities are vectors? distance, time, mass, area, energy, impulse, temperature, displacement, volume, speed, acceleration, momentum, work, velocity, force.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
Answer:
The quantities that are vectors from the given list are:
- Displacement
- Acceleration
- Velocity
- Force
- Impulse
- Momentum
Explanation:
A vector is a physical quantity that has both magnitude and direction. In contrast, a scalar is a quantity that only has magnitude and no direction.
Scalars (Not Vectors)
- Distance – It is the total length of the path traveled and has no direction.
- Time – A fundamental scalar quantity, measured in seconds.
- Mass – The amount of matter in an object, measured in kilograms (kg).
- Area – A measure of surface extent, always positive, and directionless.
- Energy – The capacity to do work; examples include kinetic and potential energy.
- Temperature – A measure of thermal energy but has no associated direction.
- Volume – The three-dimensional space occupied by an object.
- Speed – The rate of motion without regard to direction.
- Work – Defined as force applied over a distance, but since it results in energy transfer (a scalar), it is not a vector.
Vectors
- Displacement – The shortest path between two points in a specific direction.
- Acceleration – The rate of change of velocity with direction.
- Velocity – The speed of an object with a specified direction.
- Force – A push or pull acting in a specific direction, measured in Newtons (N).
- Impulse – The change in momentum due to force applied over time.
- Momentum – The product of mass and velocity, meaning it has direction.
Vectors are essential in physics because they provide complete information about motion, forces, and energy transfer. Scalars only tell “how much,” while vectors tell “how much and in which direction,” making them crucial in mechanics, electromagnetism, and other branches of physics.