Which of the following quantities are vectors?
Select all that apply: distance, acceleration, mass, displacement, speed, velocity.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The quantities that are vectors are acceleration, displacement, and velocity.
Explanation:
- Distance: This is a scalar quantity because it only measures the total path length traveled by an object, without considering direction. It does not provide information about the direction of motion, making it a scalar.
- Acceleration: This is a vector quantity because it describes the rate of change of velocity and includes both the magnitude and direction of the change in velocity. For example, an object accelerating to the east or north has both magnitude and direction, making acceleration a vector.
- Mass: Mass is a scalar quantity because it only refers to the amount of matter in an object. It has magnitude but no direction, so it is not a vector.
- Displacement: Displacement is a vector quantity because it refers to the shortest distance from the starting point to the endpoint in a specific direction. It has both magnitude (distance) and direction, making it a vector.
- Speed: Speed is a scalar quantity because it only describes how fast an object is moving, regardless of its direction. It gives the magnitude of velocity but not the direction.
- Velocity: Velocity is a vector quantity because it provides both the speed of an object and the direction in which it is moving. For example, a car moving at 60 km/h to the north has a velocity that specifies both its speed and direction.
In summary, vectors are quantities that have both magnitude and direction, while scalars only have magnitude. Therefore, acceleration, displacement, and velocity are vectors, while distance, mass, and speed are scalars.