The rotation of a body can be specified by the direction of the axis of rotation, and the angle of rotation about the axis. Does that make any rotation a vector ?
Answers
Answered by
2
No. A physical quantity having both magnitude and direction need not be considered a vector. For example, current having magnitude and direction, current is a scalar quantity. The essential requirement for a physical quantity to be considered a vector is that it should follow the law of vector addition.
Generally speaking, the rotation of a body about an axis is not a vector quantity as it does not follow the law of vector addition. However, rotation by a certain small angle follows the law of vector addition and is therefore considered a vector.
Similar questions