THE LANGUAGE OF PHYSICS SCALAR AND VECTORS SCALAR QUANTITES Physical quantities that require only a number and a unit for their complete specification are known as scalar quantities. mass of Pat = 75.2 kg mPat = 37.4 oC TPat Pat’s temperature height = 1555 mm hPat Pat’s Fig. 1. Scalar temperature field. At each location, the temperature is specified by a number in oC. Fig. 2. Scalar rainfall field. At each location, the rainfall is specified by a number in mm.
THE LANGUAGE OF PHYSICS SCALAR AND VECTORS SCALAR QUANTITES Physical quantities that require only a number and a unit for their complete specification are known as scalar quantities. mass of Pat mPat = 75.2 kg Pat’s temperature TPat = 37.4 oC Pat’s height hPat = 1555 mm Fig. 1. Scalar temperature field. At each location, the temperature is specified by a number in oC. Fig. 2. Scalar rainfall field. At each location, the rainfall is specified by a number in mm.