Which of the following is scalar quantity? Inertia, force and linear momentum. Explain.
CLASS - XI PHYSICS (Laws of Motion)
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In general we say inertia is represented by mass. Mass is a scalar. It does not have a specific direction and does not follow law of addition of vectors.
Force is a vector quantity. It has a magnitude, it has a direction as that of the change in linear momentum. Force follows the vector addition law (parallelogram law of addition).
Linear Momentum is a vector quantity. It has a magnitude, it has a direction as that of the linear velocity. It follows the parallelogram law of vector addition.
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Often inertia means the resistance to the change in state of an object. Mass is the quantity that resists a body from changing its state from rest to motion. That is why it is often called the inertial mass. Mass is a scalar quantity. It does not have a unique direction and it does not follow the laws of vector addition.
Also, when a body is in motion, inertia of motion is represented by its momentum rather than its mass. In that case the inertial is a vector, as momentum has a direction and follows the vector addition law.
Force is a vector quantity. It has a magnitude, it has a direction as that of the change in linear momentum. Force follows the vector addition law (parallelogram law of addition).
Linear Momentum is a vector quantity. It has a magnitude, it has a direction as that of the linear velocity. It follows the parallelogram law of vector addition.
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Often inertia means the resistance to the change in state of an object. Mass is the quantity that resists a body from changing its state from rest to motion. That is why it is often called the inertial mass. Mass is a scalar quantity. It does not have a unique direction and it does not follow the laws of vector addition.
Also, when a body is in motion, inertia of motion is represented by its momentum rather than its mass. In that case the inertial is a vector, as momentum has a direction and follows the vector addition law.
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