A term used to describe a quantity which has both magnitude and direction. Common examples are displacement and velocity. Both these terms are defined in this section. It is important to remember that for vector quantities the direction is just as important as the magnitude. Typically, vector quantities are represented by arrows in figures and diagrams. For example, a skater's velocity could be represented by an arrow. The length of the arrow would represent the speed (how fast) the skater was traveling, while the direction of the arrow would indicate the direction of motion of the skater.
|
|
|
© April, 1998, Montana State University-Bozeman
