Scalars and Vectors: O Level, Igcse and Gcse Revision Notes
Scalars and Vectors: O Level, Igcse and Gcse Revision Notes
Scalars and Vectors: O Level, Igcse and Gcse Revision Notes
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O level, Igcse and Gcse revision notes
Scalar quantities are quantities that need only a number to describe them fully.
Examples include:
Vector quantities are quantities that have both number and direction. Examples
include: velocity, displacement, force, acceleration.
Some scalar quantities have commonly used vector versions. For example, we
may use either speed or velocity in conversation, and when we speak of
distance, which is a scalar, we usually mean the distance from somewhere to
somewhere else, which makes it a vector.
The distance from London to Birmingham is 101 miles, and 101 miles is a
scalar, but to travel from London to Birmingham we can't start from London
and go in any direction – we have to travel north west, and this pairing of
distance with direction defines a vector.
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O level, Igcse and Gcse revision notes
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O level, Igcse and Gcse revision notes
Now draw in the diagonal so that it represents the sum of the two vectors.
We can use the triangle ABC to find the resultant R using the cosine rule.
We can also find the bearing, given by the angle using the sine rule:
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