Question

A weather forecast states the temperature is predicted to be −5°C the following day. Is this temperature a vector or a scalar quantity? Explain.

a) Scalar - Temperature has magnitude only and no direction.
b) Vector - Temperature has both magnitude and direction.
c) Scalar - Temperature has direction but no magnitude.
d) Vector - Temperature has neither magnitude nor direction.

Answer 1

The predicted temperature of −5°C is a scalar quantity because it has magnitude but no direction. The negative sign simply indicates the temperature's position on the scale.

Step-by-step explanation:

The temperature of −5°C predicted by the weather forecast for the following day is a scalar quantity. Temperature is described as a scalar because it has only magnitude and no direction.

This applies regardless of whether the temperature is positive or negative; the negative sign in −5°C merely identifies the temperature's position below zero on the temperature scale, not a direction. Vectors, on the other hand, are quantities that have both magnitude and a specific direction in space, whereas scalars lack this directional property.