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Physics vocabulary · Measurement and Units

Scalar

Meaning in physics, with examples

/ˈskeɪlər/nounCore term

In physics, scalar means: A quantity that has size (magnitude) but no direction, such as mass, time, temperature, energy or speed. Scalars are added like ordinary numbers.

In Turkish: skaler, skaler büyüklük

How it is used

Often used in the phrase 'scalar quantity' and contrasted with 'vector quantity'. A classic first-week question is 'Is work a scalar or a vector?' The answer is scalar, even though force and displacement are both vectors.

Example sentences

  1. Energy is a scalar, so you can simply add the energies of the two objects.

  2. Sort the list into scalar and vector quantities.

Common collocations

  • scalar quantity
  • scalar product
  • scalar field
  • vectorA quantity that has both a size (magnitude) and a direction, such as displacement, velocity, force or acceleration. It is often drawn as an arrow.
  • speedHow fast an object is moving, found by dividing the distance travelled by the time taken. It has no direction, so it is a scalar, measured in metres per second (m/s).
  • massThe amount of matter in an object, which also measures how hard it is to change the object's motion. It is measured in kilograms (kg) and does not depend on location.
  • energyThe ability of a system to do work or cause change. It comes in many forms, such as kinetic, potential, thermal and chemical, and it is measured in joules (J).
  • temperatureA measure of how hot or cold something is, linked to the average kinetic energy of its particles. In science it is measured in kelvin (K) or degrees Celsius (°C).

More terms: Measurement and Units

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