Question

One of the difficulties in studying mechanics is that many common words are used with highly specific technical meanings, among them velocity, acceleration, position, speed, and displacement. The series of questions in this problem is designed to get you to try to think of these quantities like a physicist.

Answer the questions in this problem using words from the following list:

A. position
B. direction
C. displacement
D. coordinates
E. velocity
F. acceleration
G. distance
H. magnitude
I. vector
J. scalar
K. components

1) A vector has, by definition, both ___ and direction.
2) Once you have selected a coordinate system, you can express a two-dimensional vector using a pair of quantities known collectively as ___.
3) Speed differs from velocity in the same way that ____ differs from displacement.

Answer 1

1) H. magnitude, 2) D. coordinates, 3) G. distance.

Step-by-step explanation:

1) A vector has, by definition, both magnitude and direction. (Reason: Scalars have only magnitude)

2) Once you have selected a coordinate system, you can express a two-dimensional vector using a pair of quantities known collectively as coordinates. (Reason: Coordinates are ordered pairs)

3) Speed differs from velocity in the same way that distance differs from displacement. (Reason: The distance is the magnitude of displacement)