Question

Fill in the blanks:
Displacement is a __________quantity.
A. vector
B. scalar
C. pseudo scalar
D. pseudo vector

Answer 1

In physics, we talk mainly about two types of quantities: a vector quantity and a scalar quantity. A scalar quantity is one which does not have any direction but only a magnitude. A vector quantity is one which has both direction as well as a magnitude.

Complete step by step answer:
We need to understand what are scalar and vector quantities.
Some physical quantities can be completely described by just their magnitude. Such quantities are known as scalar quantities. These quantities can be added or subtracted from each other by simple rules of algebra. For example: mass of a body, speed of a body, etc.
But there are certain physical quantities which cannot be described by just their magnitude but also require some knowledge of their direction to get their complete knowledge. Such quantities are known as vectors. For example: velocity of a body, acceleration of a body, etc.
The displacement of a body is defined as the amount by which a body’s position has changed from the initial position and the direction in which it has changed its position.
Since, we need to specify both magnitude and direction in case of displacement, the displacement is considered as a vector quantity. Hence, the correct answer to the question is option A.

Note:
It should be noted that pseudo scalar quantities are those quantities which are actually vectors but behave like scalar quantities. Similarly, the pseudo vector quantities are those which are actually scalar but behave like a vector. These types of quantities are not encountered in daily life but frequently encountered in particle physics experiments.