Grade 10 Physical Sciences: Vectors and Scalars Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards based on Grade 10 Physical Sciences notes covering vectors, scalars, physical quantities, units, and vector addition properties.

Vector

A physical quantity with magnitude and direction.

Scalar

A physical quantity with magnitude only.

Displacement

The change in position of an object from a point of reference, defined as the length and direction of the straight line drawn from the beginning to the endpoint.

Distance

The total path length travelled by an object.

Force

Any influence which tends to change the motion of an object.

Mass

The amount of matter in an object.

Resultant

A single vector having the same effect than two or more vectors acting together.

Tail-to-head method

A method used to determine the resultant of two or more vectors by drawing the first vector, then drawing each subsequent vector with its tail at the head of the preceding one, and drawing the resultant from the tail of the first vector to the head of the last vector.

Weight

The force of attraction of the earth on an object.

Equal vectors

Vectors that possess the same magnitude and the same direction.

Acceleration

A vector quantity represented by the symbol $a$ and measured in metre per second squared ($\text{m}\text{s}^{-2}$ or $\text{m/s}^2$).

Velocity

A vector quantity represented by the symbol $V$ and measured in metre per second ($\text{m}\text{s}^{-1}$).

Volume

A scalar quantity represented by the symbol $V$ and measured in cubic decimetre ($\text{dm}^3$).

Temperature

A scalar quantity represented by the symbol $T$ and measured in kelvin ($\text{K}$) or degrees Celsius ($^\times\text{C}$).