DP IB Physics: SL

Revision Notes

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First teaching 2014

Last exams 2024

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1.3.1 Vector & Scalar Quantities

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Vector & Scalar Quantities

  • A scalar is a quantity which only has a magnitude (size)
  • A vector is a quantity which has both a magnitude and a direction
  • For example, if a person goes on a hike in the woods to a location which is a couple of miles from their starting point
    • As the crow flies, their displacement will only be a few miles but the distance they walked will be much longer

Displacement v distance, downloadable AS & A Level Physics revision notes

Displacement is a vector while distance is a scalar quantity

  • Distance is a scalar quantity
    • This is because it describes how an object has travelled overall, but not the direction it has travelled in

  • Displacement is a vector quantity
    • This is because it describes how far an object is from where it started and in what direction

  • Some common scalar and vector quantities are shown in the table below:

Scalars and Vectors Table

Scalars and Vectors Table, downloadable AS & A Level Physics revision notes

Exam Tip

Do you have trouble figuring out if a quantity is a vector or a scalar? Just think - can this quantity have a minus sign? For example - can you have negative energy? No. Can you have negative displacement? Yes!

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