Imagine: Looking for a friend who is sick whose house is 5 kilometers away from the school…

Search for your lost brother or sister to unknown place 4 kilometers from the market…

Listen to the radio on the weather forecast of the coming typhoon but was not specified on to where it will strike…

SCALARS versus VECTORS

To which way will

he pass in order to catch up with the class…?

In Physics, everything must be specified. Each quantities must be

described according to its characteristics and behavior.

One of which is through directions. Considered the

example of a moving typhoon and a tornado…

A typhoon or a tornado is unpredictable in nature. They

should be monitored every now and then in order to determine its movements in order to warn the

people of their effects to the places it will pass.

(typhoon video clips ≥ 1&2)

What really happened during the typhoon “FRANK”?

FRANK

Weather forecast by PAGASA is

very important

in cases like this, since it

serves as the eye of the public to where direction

the typhoon is

headed to…

SCALARS and VECTORS

How important are the directions?

To best understand this, let’s associate direction to scalars and

vectors. With this, we would know if to what quantity it is very

important.

“What Scalars and Vectors?”Scalars are quantities having numerical values but do not need to be specified it its movement to where it is headed to or located.Vectors are quantities having numerical values and a specified direction for its movement or location.

SCALARS and VECTORS

SCALARSSCALARS VECTORSVECTORSLength, Length,

Distance, Distance, Speed, Time, Speed, Time, Area, Volume, Area, Volume, Temperature, Temperature, Mass, Amount Mass, Amount

of Mater, of Mater, Intensity, and Intensity, and many moremany more

Displacement, Displacement, Velocity, Velocity,

Acceleration, Acceleration, Force, Work, Force, Work,

Weight, Weight, Pressure, and Pressure, and many more many more

especially those especially those pairs with pairs with directions.directions.

These are the common examples of scalars and vectors:

Directions in VECTORS

Basically, there are four (4) known directions: They are:

1. NORTH2. SOUTH3. EAST4. WESTFour (4) other

directions were base on the known directions. These other directions are:

1. North East 2. North West

3. South East 4. South West

SCALARS and VECTORS

NW

SW

NE

SE

W E

N

S

SCALARS and VECTORS

Scalars can be represented as:

Vectors can be represented as:

Length of the line is the magnitudewith no

direction.

Length of the line is the magnitudeand arrowhead points the direction.

SCALARS and VECTORS

Vectors can also be plotted in a Cartesian coordinate system; or simply known as x – y coordinate

system.y

x

Vectors expressed in

4 or 8 directions can

also be plotted using x and y axis. y-axis can be

either north or south; x-axis can be

either east or west. Those

other directions will just fall within

the four quadrants of

the plane.

SCALARS and VECTORSVectors may exist in 2 or even

more.

SCALARS and VECTORS

SCALARS and VECTORS