Is torque a vector or a scalar quantity?

[JayDub]

Is torque a vector or a scalar quantity? Thanks.

 

[Mr. Snookums]

It is a vector because it has direction.

 

[JayDub]

Thanks, I was thinking that but then again I was thinking of scalar because it seems weird to say 110 T 89 degrees SofW

 

[Doc Al]

Torque is a vector. But in many introductory problems, the forces all act in a single plane and all that matters is the orientation of the torque (for example: clockwise versus counterclockwise).

 

[JayDub]

Yeah, we are doing simple questions such as Tcw = Tccw to find out forces, lengths, angles or masses. So that is also why it was confusing me. Thanks both of you.

 

[einstein2603]

yeah it is a vector because it has direction. a scaler only has magnitude whilst a vector has magnitude and direction.