| English | Vector quantity |
|---|---|
| Bahasa Melayu | Kuantiti vektor |
| 中文 | 矢量 |
Definition
A physical quantity that has both magnitude and direction, such as displacement, velocity and force.
In exam terms
A vector quantity is a physical quantity that has both magnitude and direction. To describe it fully you must state how much and which way.
Examples in SPM include displacement, velocity, acceleration, force, momentum and weight. Vectors are drawn as arrows: the length shows magnitude and the arrowhead shows direction.
They are added using the triangle or parallelogram method, not simple arithmetic. A correct sentence: Velocity is a vector quantity of 20 m s⁻¹ to the north.
Do not confuse it with scalar quantity
Do not confuse a vector with a scalar quantity, which has magnitude only. Two forces of 3 N and 4 N do not always give 7 N: if they act at right angles the resultant is 5 N, found using the parallelogram method.
In Paper 2, a question may ask you to determine the resultant of two vectors or to state why a quantity is a vector. Always mention direction in the reason, and show the arrow diagram when adding vectors.
Source: DSKP KSSM Physics Form 4 and 5 (Versi English) (Bahagian Pembangunan Kurikulum (BPK), KPM)