All topics › AQA GCSE Physics › Scalar and vector quantities5.1.1 Scalar and vector quantitiesAQA GCSE Physics (8463), Higher tier · Forces › Forces and their interactions
Practise Scalar and vector quantities. 13 exam-style questions on this subtopic, at up to four difficulty levels, with full mark schemes and a progress tracker. Free, no account needed.
Build a paper on this topic ▶ Watch videos on Scalar and vector quantities (Free Science Lessons on YouTube) · Practise all of Forces and their interactions
Quick recall Cover the answers and test yourself. The app has these as flashcards that come back just before you'd forget them.
Sort the quantities in the list into scalar quantities and vector quantities. Scalars: density, energy, power. Vectors: acceleration, momentum, weight.
State one vector quantity and one scalar quantity, other than force and distance. Any correct vector (e.g. velocity) and any correct scalar (e.g. speed).
The forecast gives both a size and a direction for the wind. Velocity. Sample questions Written for this site in the style of AQA exam questions. They are not taken from real past papers.
Question 1 Easy 5 marks
(a) Which of these is a vector quantity?one box.[1]
Energy Mass Temperature Velocity (b) Which two of these are scalar quantities?two boxes.[2]
Acceleration Displacement Distance Force Time (c) Describe the difference between a scalar quantity and a vector quantity.[2]
Show the answer and mark scheme (a) Answer: Velocity
(b) Answer: Distance; Time
(c) Answer: A scalar has magnitude only; a vector has magnitude and direction.
a scalar quantity has magnitude (size) only a vector quantity has magnitude and (an associated) direction Question 2 Medium 6 marks
A student wrote down this list of physical quantities:acceleration, density, energy, momentum, power, weight
(a) Sort the quantities in the list into scalar quantities and vector quantities.[2]
(b) Explain why weight is a vector quantity but mass is a scalar quantity.[2]
(c) A student says:[2]
Show the answer and mark scheme (a) Answer: Scalars: density, energy, power. Vectors: acceleration, momentum, weight.
scalars: density, energy and power vectors: acceleration, momentum and weight (b) Answer: Weight is a force that acts in a direction (towards the centre of the Earth); mass has magnitude only.
weight is a force, which acts in a particular direction (downwards / towards the centre of the Earth) mass has magnitude only / mass has no direction (c) Answer: A negative temperature is a value below the zero of the scale, not a direction; temperature has magnitude only so it is a scalar.
a negative temperature is just a value below zero on the temperature scale / the minus sign does not show a direction temperature has magnitude only (so it is a scalar) Question 3 Hard 6 marks
A student says:
(a) Explain why the student is wrong.[3]
(b) A resultant force acts on the car as it travels around the roundabout.[1]
(c) Is the car’s acceleration around the roundabout a scalar quantity or a vector quantity? Justify your answer.[2]
Show the answer and mark scheme (a) Answer: Velocity depends on direction too; the direction keeps changing round the roundabout, so velocity is not constant even though speed is.
velocity is a vector, so it depends on direction as well as speed although the car’s speed is constant, its direction of motion continually changes around the roundabout so the car’s velocity is not constant, even though its speed is (b) Answer: Towards the centre of the roundabout.
towards the centre of the roundabout (of the circle) (c) Answer: Vector, because its direction (towards the centre) is needed as well as its size.
vector because the direction of the acceleration (towards the centre) is needed, as well as its size, to fully describe it Related subtopics
Stuck? Get 1-to-1 help. Chhetri Academy tutors GCSE and A level Maths and Science online, with a free 30-minute trial lesson.
Book a free trial