The magnitude and directional sense refer to the size and direction of a vector, which is a quantity that has both magnitude and direction.
The magnitude of a vector can be found by using the Pythagorean theorem, which involves taking the square root of the sum of the squares of its components. The directional sense can be found by using trigonometric functions to calculate the angle between the vector and a reference direction.
Examples of vectors include force, velocity, and displacement. For instance, if a car is moving at a speed of 60 miles per hour in a direction of 45 degrees east of north, the magnitude of its velocity vector is 60 miles per hour and its directional sense is 45 degrees east of north.
Knowing the magnitude and directional sense of a vector allows us to understand the size and direction of a quantity, which can be useful in various scientific and engineering applications. For example, in physics, the magnitude and directional sense of a force vector can help determine the motion of an object.
A vector can be represented graphically using an arrow, where the length of the arrow represents the magnitude and the direction of the arrow represents the directional sense. It can also be represented algebraically using coordinates or unit vectors.