Grade 11Mechanics
why electric current is a not vector quantity if it has both magnitude and direction
why electric current is a not vector quantity if it has both magnitude and direction
2 Answers
Arun
Current is not a vector because despite direction it does not obey the triangle law of vector addtion.
Imagine two current carrying branches meeting at a juntion/node, you do not add currents at junction vectorly. The currents in the two paths add numerically to equal the current coming into the junction I = I1 + I2
Quantities which have direction but do not follow the triangle law of vector addition are Known as Tensor Quantities.
In fact tensors are merely a generalisation of scalars and vectors; a scalar is a zero rank tensor, and a vector is a first rank tensor. Current is a zero rank tensor which means it is a scalar quantity.
Rakesh Tiwari Tiwari
Microscopically current is a vector quantity, but on a macroscopic scale it is a scalar as electrons follow the path of the wire or macroscopic object during the current flow.
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