To determine which of the given quantities is a vector, we need to examine each option and understand their physical nature.
1. Energy:
- Energy is a scalar quantity. Scalars are quantities that have only magnitude and no direction. Examples of scalar quantities include temperature, mass, and energy. Because energy does not have a directional component, it is not a vector.
2. Force:
- Force is a vector quantity. Vectors have both magnitude and direction. Force, by definition, involves both how much push or pull is involved (magnitude) and the direction in which it acts. For example, gravitational force, frictional force, and tension all have specific directions. Hence, force is a vector.
3. Mass:
- Mass is a scalar quantity. It represents the amount of matter in an object and does not include directional information. The weight of an object, a vector that depends on both mass and gravitational field direction, is an illustration of the difference between a scalar (mass) and a vector quantity.
4. Work:
- Work is also a scalar quantity. It is defined as the amount of energy transferred by a force acting through a distance. Even though force and displacement (the components involved in calculating work) may be vectors, the result, work itself, has no direction. It is solely a measure of energy transfer and thus a scalar.
Based on the analysis above:
- Energy is a scalar.
- Force is a vector.
- Mass is a scalar.
- Work is a scalar.
Therefore, the correct answer is:
☐ B force
