Understanding Vectors: A Physics Primer

In summary, a vector is a mathematical quantity that has both magnitude and direction, while scalars only have magnitude. To add or subtract vectors, the head-to-tail method is used. Displacement is a vector quantity that describes change in position, while distance is a scalar quantity that describes total length traveled. The magnitude and direction of a vector can be calculated using the Pythagorean theorem and trigonometric functions.
  • #1
bhatnv
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So my physics teacher told us about this recently but i didnt quite understand, perhaps you guys can help me on this. i understand it has to do with vectors but i don't get how it works really.
 
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  • #2
Are you referring to the Right Hand Rule for induced current?
 
  • #3
That helps when you have vector product and you like to find the direction of the resultant vector.
 
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I would be happy to help you understand the concept of vectors in physics. Vectors are quantities that have both magnitude and direction. This means that in addition to knowing how much of something there is, we also need to know which direction it is going in.

In physics, vectors are used to represent physical quantities such as velocity, force, and displacement. For example, if we want to know how fast an object is moving, we can represent its velocity as a vector with a specific magnitude (speed) and direction (e.g. north, east, etc.).

Vectors can be represented graphically using arrows, where the length of the arrow represents the magnitude and the direction of the arrow represents the direction. This can help us visualize and understand how vectors work.

One important concept in vectors is vector addition. This means combining two or more vectors to get a resultant vector. The resultant vector is the sum of all the individual vectors. This is important in understanding how forces act on objects in physics.

I hope this helps you understand the basics of vectors in physics. It is a fundamental concept that is used in many areas of science and engineering. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask.
 

1. What is a vector?

A vector is a mathematical quantity that has both magnitude (size) and direction. It is represented graphically as an arrow pointing in the direction of the vector with a length that is proportional to its magnitude. In physics, vectors are used to describe quantities such as velocity, acceleration, and force.

2. How are vectors different from scalars?

Scalars are mathematical quantities that only have magnitude, such as distance or temperature. Vectors, on the other hand, have both magnitude and direction. This means that two vectors with the same magnitude but different directions are considered different, while two scalars with the same value are considered the same.

3. How do you add and subtract vectors?

To add or subtract vectors, you must use the head-to-tail method. This involves placing the tail of one vector at the head of the other and drawing a vector from the tail of the first vector to the head of the second vector. The resulting vector is the sum or difference of the original two vectors.

4. What is the difference between displacement and distance?

Displacement is a vector quantity that describes the change in position of an object from its initial position to its final position. Distance, on the other hand, is a scalar quantity that describes the total length of the path traveled by an object. Displacement takes into account the direction of motion, while distance does not.

5. How do you calculate the magnitude and direction of a vector?

The magnitude of a vector can be calculated using the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the magnitude is equal to the square root of the sum of the squares of the individual components. The direction of a vector can be calculated using trigonometric functions, such as sine, cosine, and tangent. Alternatively, you can use the inverse tangent function to find the angle between the vector and a specified reference axis.

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