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Physics - Scalars and Vectors

physics H

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17 views

Physics - Scalars and Vectors

physics H

Uploaded by

Tereza Dv
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Adding Vectors

 Two vectors can be added using rules of trigonometry. Vectors differ from
scalars in that they have both magnitudes and directions. Therefore, they do
not add algebraically, but instead, they follow special rules of addition that
take into an account both their magnitudes and directions.
 Velocity is the vector equivalent to the scalar "speed". In addition, this
quantity has a negative sign, which indicates direction.
Scalars and Vectors
 A vector is any quantity that has magnitude and direction.
 A scalar is any quantity that has magnitude but no direction.
 Displacement and velocity are vectors, whereas distance and speed are
scalars.
 In one-dimensional motion, direction is specified by a plus or minus sign to
signify left or right, up or down, and the like.
Distance and displacement both describe how far something moves, but they are
different concepts.
 Distance is simply how much ground an object has covered during its
motion. It doesn't care about direction—only the total amount moved.
Distance is a scalar quantity, which means it only has a size (or magnitude)
and no direction. For example, if you walk 5 meters forward and then 5
meters back, your total distance is 10 meters.
 Displacement, on the other hand, measures how far out of place an object is
from its starting point, considering the direction. It's the straight line distance
between where you started and where you ended up. Displacement is a
vector quantity, which means it has both a size (magnitude) and a
direction. In the same example, if you walk 5 meters forward and then 5
meters back, your displacement is 0 meters because you ended up where
you started.
Vectors, like displacement, are often shown as arrows where the length of the arrow
represents how far (magnitude) and the direction the arrow points shows the
direction.
For example, if you’re walking north and then turn and walk east, your displacement
would be a straight line from your starting point to your ending point, with a
direction and length corresponding to your overall movement. Distance, on the
other hand, would just add up all the steps you took, regardless of direction.
Displacement, Velocity and Acceleration
Displacement
 Kinematics is the study of motion without considering its causes. In this
chapter, it is limited to motion along a straight line, called one-dimensional
motion.
 Displacement is the change in position of an object.

 In symbols, displacement Δ𝑥 is defined to be Δ𝑥=𝑥f−𝑥0,

where 𝑥0 is the initial position and 𝑥f is the final position. In this text, the Greek
letter Δ (delta) always means “change in” whatever quantity follows it. The SI unit
for displacement is the meter (m). Displacement has a direction as well as a
magnitude.
 When you start a problem, assign which direction will be positive.
 Distance is the magnitude of displacement between two positions.
 Distance traveled is the total length of the path traveled between two
positions.
Time, Velocity, and Speed
 Time is measured in terms of change, and its SI unit is the second (s).
Elapsed time for an event is Δ𝑡=𝑡f−𝑡0,

where 𝑡f is the final time and 𝑡0 is the initial time. The initial time is often taken to
be zero, as if measured with a stopwatch; the elapsed time is then just t𝑡
.

Average velocity 𝑣- is defined as displacement divided by the travel time. In


symbols, average velocity is 𝑣-=Δ𝑥Δ𝑡=𝑥f−𝑥0𝑡f−𝑡0.

 The SI unit for velocity is m/s.


 Velocity is a vector and thus has a direction.

 Instantaneous velocity 𝑣
is the velocity at a specific instant or the average velocity for an infinitesimal
interval.
 Instantaneous speed is the magnitude of the instantaneous velocity.
 Instantaneous speed is a scalar quantity, as it has no direction specified.
 Average speed is the total distance traveled divided by the elapsed time.
(Average speed is not the magnitude of the average velocity.) Speed is a
scalar quantity; it has no direction associated with it.
Acceleration

acceleration 𝑎- is
 Acceleration is the rate at which velocity changes. In symbols, average

𝑎-=Δ𝑣Δ𝑡=𝑣f−𝑣0𝑡f−𝑡0.
 The SI unit for acceleration is 2m/s2.
 Acceleration is a vector, and thus has a both a magnitude and direction.
 Acceleration can be caused by either a change in the magnitude or the
direction of the velocity.

 Instantaneous acceleration 𝑎 is the acceleration at a specific instant in time.


 Deceleration is an acceleration with a direction opposite to that of the
velocity.

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