What is the difference between a vector and a scalar?

A vector is a measurement of something that has more than 1 number associated with it, for example velocity. I can tell you how fast a car is going using the magnitude of velocity, speed, and I can tell you in which direction it is going. Another example is force. A force acts with a certain amount of Newton’s in some given direction. A scalar on the other hand is only associated with 1 number. An example is temperature. I can tell you what temperatures something is at and that is all I can tell you. There is no direction or other quantity involved. A second example is time.

MZ
Answered by Max Z. Physics tutor

4291 Views

See similar Physics IB tutors

Related Physics IB answers

All answers ▸

How do I use the conservation of linear momentum to solve problems?


An electron is trapped within a square well potential of width 10 nm. What would be the wavelength of the photon emitted when an electron moves from the first energy level to the ground level.


What are elastic and inelastic collisions? After a head on elastic collision of two balls of mass m1 and m2, deduce an equation relating the final and initial velocities of both balls.


How De Broglie's wavelength found/derived?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning