Source: https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/definitions/scalars-vectors/

# Scalars & Vectors

Scalars are quantities with a magnitude (size) only. Vectors have a magnitude (size) and a direction.

**Speed vs Velocity**

- Speed is a scalar.
   - Speed describes how fast something is travelling but says nothing about direction.
- Velocity is a vector.
   - Velocity describes how fast something is going and in what direction.

**Distance vs Displacement**

- Distance is a scalar.
   - Distance describes how far something has travelled.
- Displacement is a vector.
   - Displacement describes the distance from one place to another.
   - Displacement also describes the direction from the start to the end.
- E.g. If an ant travels 6 metres east then 2 metres west:
   - Distance = 8 metres.
   - Displacement = 4 metres east.

**Mass**

- Mass is a scalar.
   - Mass describes how much of something there is.
   - Mass has no direction.

**Acceleration**

- Acceleration is a vector
   - We must know the magnitude (how quickly something is speeding up) and the direction (in which direction it is speeding up).

**Force**

- Force is a vector.
   - We need to know the magnitude (size) of the force and also the direction it acts.
- Weight is an example of a force and so weight is a vector.