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Which of the following are vector quantities?

1) acceleration
2) age
3) speed
4) temperature
5) velocity

User Imogene
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Acceleration and velocity are vector quantities because they include both magnitude and direction in their descriptions. Age, speed, and temperature are scalar quantities as they are described only by magnitude. A vector quantity always combines both magnitude and direction, unlike scalars.

Step-by-step explanation:

The vector quantities among the options given are acceleration and velocity. A vector quantity is not only described by a magnitude but also has a direction associated with it, while a scalar quantity is described solely by its magnitude and does not include any information about direction.

  • Acceleration is a vector because it describes the rate of change of velocity, with both magnitude and direction. For instance, 'the car accelerates at 3 m/s2 east' specifies both how fast it is speeding up and in which direction.
  • Age is a scalar quantity as it only has magnitude (the number of years).
  • Speed is a scalar because it is the magnitude of velocity but without any direction. For example, saying something is moving at 50 km/h doesn't specify which way it's moving.
  • Temperature is a scalar as it only describes the degree of heat or cold (e.g., 21°C) without any directional component.
  • Velocity is a vector as it describes both the speed of an object and the direction in which it's moving, like '60 km/h north'.

As for example questions given in the reference:

  • A weather forecast describing a temperature of -5°C is referring to a scalar quantity since temperature doesn't have a direction.
  • An example of a device used to measure time is a stopwatch, and the change in the display readout on the stopwatch indicates a change in time.
User Nanu
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