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Week01 - Course Module - Scalar and Vector Quantity
Week01 - Course Module - Scalar and Vector Quantity
Module 1 Scalar and Vector Quantity Commented [O1]: SME: Why just scalar quantities?
Why not include vector quantities as well? The course
“Physical Science” is a combination of more than one
Physical science is a field that tries to explain natural branch of science. You might run out of weeks to cover all
phenomena, usually, through quantitative measurements. It is topics that need to be considered for the course.
therefore important that you understand the nature of the Commented [O2]: SME: The course content that you
will develop is on “Physical Science”. Please start
measurement you are dealing with. It may be a scalar or a
developing the concept of physics from “Physical Science”
vector quantity. This module is designed for you to learn about
Scalar and Vector quantities.
Scalar Quantities
As stated in the definition of a scalar quantity, only the magnitude of a
measurement is involved in this type of quantity. There is no directional
component present. The list below gives the common examples of scalar
quantities.
1. Time
It is the measurement of the progression of events. It is what a clock
measures. Time may be expressed in seconds, minutes, hours, days,
months, and years.
Examples:
a. 5 seconds or 5 s
b. 15 minutes or 15 mins
Physical Science 2
Scalar and Vector Quantity
2. Mass
It is the amount of matter present in an object. Mass may be expressed
in grams, kilograms, ounces, pounds, tons, and so on.
Examples:
a. 100 grams or 100 g
b. 50 kilograms or 50 kg
c. 7 tons
3. Volume
It defines the amount of space occupied by an object. Volume may be
expressed in liters, milliliters, pints, and so on.
Examples:
a. 200 Liters or 200 L
b. 80 milliliters or 80 mL
c. 20 pints
4. Distance
It gives the amount of space covered by an object during its motion.
Distance may be expressed in meters, kilometers, inches, feet, miles,
and so on.
Examples:
a. 90 meters or 90 m
b. 25 kilometers or 25 km
c. 16 feet or 16 ft
5. Speed
It tells you how fast an object covers a certain distance.
Mathematically, it is the ratio of distance with respect to time. Speed
may be expressed in meters per second, miles per minute, kilometers
per hour, and so on.
Examples:
a. 65 meters per second or 65 m/s
b. 30 miles per minute or 30 M/min
c. 40 kilometers per hour or 40 km/hr
Physical Science 3
Scalar and Vector Quantity
6. Temperature
It tells you how hot or how cold an object is. Temperatures are often
expressed in Kelvin, degrees Celsius, and degrees Fahrenheit.
Examples:
a. 300 Kelvin or 300 K
b. 100 degrees Celsius or 100°C
c. 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 400°F
Vector Quantities
As explained above, vectors involve both the magnitude of the measured
quantity and a directional component. The absence of a directional
component means the quantity is not a vector. The list below gives the
common examples of vector quantities.
1. Displacement
It refers to how far out of place an object is based from its original
position. This quantity is often misunderstood as distance since they
have the same unit. Note that a change in position is not the same as
the amount of covered space.
Examples
a. 5 meters North or 5 m North
b. 90 miles down or 90 M down
c. 7 kilometers left or 7 km left
2. Velocity
It tells you how fast an object has changed in position. Mathematically,
it is the ratio of displacement with respect to time. This quantity is
often mistaken as speed since they have the same unit. Note that
speed has no direction involved unlike velocity.
Examples
a. 25 meters per second West or 25 m/s West
b. 10 miles per minute up or 10 M/min up
Physical Science 4
Scalar and Vector Quantity
3. Acceleration
It is the rate at which velocity changes with respect to time.
Mathematically, it is the ratio of velocity over time. It is commonly
expressed in terms of meters per second squared and kilometer per
hour squared.
Examples
a. 15 meters per second squared West or 15 m/s2 West
b. 20 miles per minute squared down or 20 M/min2 down
c. 50 kilometers per hour squared right or 50 km/hr2 right
4. Momentum
It refers to the amount of movement of an object. Mathematically, it is
the product of the mass of a moving object and its velocity. It is
expressed in units such as grams meter per second, kilograms
kilometers per hour, kilograms miles per minute, and so on.
Examples
a. 17 grams meters per second East or 17 gm/s East
b. 12 kilograms miles per minute up or 12 kgM/min up
c. 35 kilograms kilometers per hour lefy or 35 kgkm/hr left
Glossary
References and Supplementary Materials Commented [O4]: SME: Please provide the glossary
here as indicated in the template provided.
Physical Science 5
Scalar and Vector Quantity
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-vector-scalar-quantity-
physics.html; March 2, 2017