Scalar and Vector Quantities Definition, Differences, & Examples

In this article, I will provide you the definition of scalar and vector quantities. I'll also provide the differences between them along with some examples to clear the concept.

Scalar Quantities

Those physical quantities which are specified only by their magnitude or size are known as scalar quantities. For example:- Length, speed, mass, work, density, temperature, etc. Scalar quantities do not have direction, and are expressed as single number. Take the temperature of your city for instance. How do you express it? Suppose i ask you, what’s the temperature of your city today, if your phone says 24 degrees celsius? You would probably answer “It’s 24 degrees celsius today”, right? Yes you’re right! You express it by just a number, no further explanation. But Vectors are different.

Vector Quantities

Those physical quantities which are specified by both magnitude as well as direction are known as vector quantities, such as displacement, force, velocity, acceleration, etc. Vector quantities are expressed with the symbol of the quantity along with an arrow above it. In the example given above, how did you express the temperature? Just by a single number, right? Let's talk about displacement now which is a vector quantity. Displacement means the shortest distance between any two points in a fixed direction. See how i define it? I'm emphasizing on its direction. Displacement cannot simply be expressed as 4 meters or 10 meters, we always need to specify the direction too. We can say 4 meters towards east, which is a valid example of displacement. Simply saying 4 meters would not be considered as displacement, it's distance, which is a scalar quantity.

Difference Between Scalar and Vector Quantity in Tabular Form

Scalar Quantity	Vector Quantity
Only has magnitude	Has magnitude & direction both
Can be expressed as symbol of the specified quantity. Eg: 't' for temperature	Must been expressed with its symbol and an  arrow above it.
Involves simple calculations	Involves complex calculations
Eg: mass, length, temperature, etc.	Eg: velocity, displacement, force, etc.