scalar
/ˈskeɪlər/
adjective
- Having only magnitude (size or amount) and no direction.
- Temperature is a scalar quantity because it only has a value, not a direction.
- The scalar measurement of the room's area was 200 square feet.
- In physics class, we learned that speed is scalar while velocity is a vector.
Synonyms
noun
- A number or quantity that has only magnitude, not direction.
- A scalar can be a simple number like 3 or a decimal like 2.7.
- The programmer stored the temperature as a scalar in the database.
- In the equation, the scalar 5 multiplies the vector to change its length.
Antonyms