What is a vector?

A quantity may be a scalar (just a magnitude, just a number) or a vector, with magnitude and direction. For example, speed is a measure of how fast something is going, but velocity is a measure of how fast something is going AND the direction it is moving in. Vectors are often represented by arrows, with the size of the arrow representing the magnitude, and the direction the arrowhead is pointing representing the vector's direction.
Vectors may be written mathematically, as the product of their magnitude and unit vector (the unit vector just contains the information about the direction a vector is pointing in).e.g.
v = v*v^Vector = Magnitude * Unit vector
(The unit vector is often written like a normal vector with a "hat" pointing upwards on top of it, this is the best I could do.)

PC

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

A 100g mass is on a circular turntable spinning at 78 revolutions per minute. The maximum frictional force between the mass and turntable is 0.50N. Find the maximum distance from the center of the turntable at which the mass would stay on the turntable.


What's the moment of a force and why would I need to understand it?


A spherical object of mass 150kg is orbiting the Earth. The distance between the centre of the object and the centre of the Earth is 25,000m. What is the kinetic energy of the object?


Show that a mass on a spring obeys simple harmonic motion.