Vector Algebra - An Introduction - Field Theory.
Most of the physical quantities are either scalar or vector quantities. SCALAR QUANTITY: - Scalar is a number that defines magnitude. Hence a scalar quantity is defined as a quantity that has magnitude only. - A scalar quantity does not point to any direction i.e. a scalar quantity has no directional component. For example when we say, the temperature of the room is 30 o C, we don’t specify the direction. - Hence examples of scalar quantities are mass, temperature, volume, speed etc. - A scalar quantity is represented simply by a letter – A, B, T, V, S. VECTOR QUANTITY: - A Vector has both a magnitude and a direction. Hence a vector quantity is a quantity that has both magnitude and direction. - Examples of vector quantities are force, displacement, velocity, etc. - A vector quantity is represented by a letter with an arrow over it. UNIT VECTORS (a A ): - When a simple vector is divided by its own magnitude, a new vector is created known as the unit vect...