4.2 Scalars and vectors

In physics, we can classify quantities as scalars or vectors. Basically, the difference is that a direction is associated with a vector but not with a scalar. A scalar quantity is a quantity with magnitude only. It is specified completely by a single number, along with the proper unit. Examples are : the distance between two points, mass of an object, the temperature of a body and the time at which a certain event happened. The rules for combining scalars are the rules of ordinary algebra. Scalars can be added, subtracted, multiplied and divided just as the ordinary numbers*.NEETprep Audio Note:

A vector quantity is a quantity that has both a magnitude and a direction and obeys the triangle law of addition or equivalently the parallelogram law of addition. So, a vector is specified by giving its magnitude by a number and its direction. Some physical quantities that are represented by vectors are displacement, velocity, acceleration and force.

To represent a vector, we use a bold face type in this book. Thus, a velocity vector can be represented by a symbol v. Since bold face is difficult to produce, when written by hand, a vector is often represented by an arrow placed over a letter, say . Thus, both v and represent the velocity vector. The magnitude of a vector is often called its absolute value, indicated by |v| = v. Thus, a vector is represented by a bold face, e.g. by A, a, p, q, r, ... x, y, with respective magnitudes denoted by light face A, a, p, q, r, ... x, y.

4.2.1 Position and Displacement Vectors

To describe the position of an object moving in a plane, we need to choose a convenient point, say O as origin. Let P and P′ be the positions of the object at time t and t′, respectively [Fig. 4.1(a)]. We join O and P by a straight line. Then, OP is the position vector of the object at time t. An arrow is marked at the head of this line. It is represented by a symbol r, i.e. OP = r. Point P′ is represented by another position vector, OP′ denoted by r′. The length of the vector r represents the magnitude of the vector and its direction is the direction in which P lies as seen from O. If the object moves from P to P′, the vector PP′ (with tail at P and tip at P′) is called the displacement vector corresponding to motion from point P (at time t) to point P′ (at time t′).

Fig. 4.1 (a) Position and displacement vectors. (b) Displacement vector PQ and different courses of motion.

It is important to note that displacement vector is the straight line joining the initial and final positions and does not depend on the actual path undertaken by the object between the two positions. For example, in Fig. 4.1(b), given the initial and final positions as P and Q, the displacement vector is the same PQ for different paths of journey, say PABCQ, PDQ, and PBEFQ. Therefore, the magnitude of displacement is either less or equal to the path length of an object between two points. This fact was emphasised in the previous chapter also while discussing motion along a straight line.

4.2.2 Equality of Vectors

Two vectors A and B are said to be equal if, and only if, they have the same magnitude and the same direction.**

Fig. 4.2 (a) Two equal vectors A and B. (b) Two vectors A� and B� are unequal though they are of the same length.

Figure 4.2(a) shows two equal vectors A and B. We can easily check their equality. Shift B parallel to itself until its tail Q coincides with that of A, i.e. Q coincides with O. Then, since their tips S and P also coincide, the two vectors are said to be equal. In general, equality is indicated as A = B. Note that in Fig. 4.2(b), vectors A′ and B′ have the same magnitude but they are not equal because they have different directions. Even if we shift B′ parallel to itself so that its tail Q′ coincides with the tail O′ of A′, the tip S′ of B′ does not coincide with the tip P′ of A′. NEETprep Audio Note (English):