why is force a vector quantity?

Question

anonymous · Answer

because F=m x a  
and acceleration is a vector quantity

anonymous · Answer

Think about it: the concept of force makes little sense unless there is a direction associated with it! 

For instance, if you encountered a problem that said, "a large mass exerts a 3N force on a neighboring particle - describe the motion of the particle", you would have no way to solve it, because you wouldn't know in which direction the force acts. Is it a repulsive force? Is it an attractive force? Does it act in strange manner like the magnetic force? Clearly, then, direction is key when talking about pushes and pulls, and that is why "force" is a vector quantity.

I hope that solidifies your understanding!

anonymous · Answer

because when describing a force, a direction must be specified otherwise it would be a scalar quantity.

anonymous · Answer

because It is not a Scalar Quantity.

hba · Answer

force is a vector quantity bcoz it has a specific direction

anonymous · Answer

Thank you so much! this really made sense! :]