alleryStart learning →A weather report gives a temperature of -20 degrees Celsius. What does the minus sign indicate?
AA direction opposite to the chosen axis
BA vector pointing towards colder places
CAn error, since scalars cannot be negative
DA point on a scale rather than a direction
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. A point on a scale rather than a direction
1. Temperature is a scalar, since it has a magnitude but no direction.
2. A scalar can still be negative, as a temperature of -20 degrees Celsius is.
3. Here the minus sign indicates a point on a scale rather than a direction.
4. Treating it as a direction would wrongly promote a scalar to a vector.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 2 "Kinematics", section 2.2 Vectors, Scalars, and Coordinate Systems_
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