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GCSE Physics · key term
A quantity with a size, or magnitude, but no direction.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Specification 4.5.6.1.3 · Paper 2
Revise: VelocityA quantity with a size but no direction is a scalar. Speed is a scalar: 6 m/s tells you how quickly something moves, but not where it is heading. A quantity with both size and direction is a vector.
Specification 2.5 · Paper 1
A quantity with a size but no direction.
Revise: Velocity DefinitionSpeed is a scalar quantity, while velocity is a vector quantity because direction is part of its description.
Specification P2.2q · Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher)
A quantity that has magnitude but no direction.
Revise: Circular motionSpeed is a scalar quantity, whereas velocity is a vector quantity.
Paper 1, Paper 2
A quantity that has magnitude but no direction, such as distance or speed.
Revise: Speed, Velocity and Scalar vs Vector QuantitiesA scalar has magnitude—a numerical size and unit—but no direction. Distance and speed are scalars. A vector has both magnitude and direction.
To distinguish a vector from a scalar, state whether direction is included, not just whether the quantity has a number and unit.
State explicitly that speed is a scalar but velocity is a vector: constant speed does not mean constant velocity when direction changes.
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