UP High Court RO / ARO 10 Dec 2021 Shift 1

Which of the following is not a vector quantity?

Verified Answer
A. Momentum
B. Moment of a force
C. Electric current
D. Displacement

Explanation:

A vector quantity possesses both magnitude and direction and obeys vector addition rules. A scalar quantity has only magnitude. Momentum ($\vec{p} = m\vec{v}$), moment of a force (torque, $\vec{\tau} = \vec{r} \times \vec{F}$), and displacement (change in position, $\Delta\vec{x}$) are all vector quantities as they have both magnitude and direction and follow vector algebra. Electric current, while having a direction of flow, does not obey the triangle law of vector addition (or parallelogram law) and thus is considered a scalar quantity. For example, currents flowing into a junction add arithmetically, not vectorially. Therefore, electric current is the correct answer as it is not a vector quantity.