Glossary of physics

Ever wondered how scientists track the spread of diseases?

Imagine you have a map showing where a flu outbreak started and how it's spreading. You want to predict where it will go next.

Think of the outbreak as a dot moving across the map. The dot's path shows us the direction and speed of the spread. This path is what we call a "vector" in math and physics.

Example

If the dot moves 5 miles north and 3 miles east, the vector shows this combined movement.

Remember this

A vector is a mathematical way to represent direction and magnitude, helping us predict and understand movement in the real world.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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