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Re: increasing, decreasing...



At 05:07 PM 1/3/2002 -0500, you wrote:
.Whe=
n vector quantities increase or decrease it is always their magnitude=
that changes. Directions can be positive or negative but they cannot=
increase or decrease, they just are.

As I alluded to in my first post, there are basically two opinions when
using the word "increasing" with a vector. They are:

1. It is improper so speak of an increasing vector. The word "increasing"
can only refer to a scalar quantity, not a vector.
2. When referring to an increasing vector, you are implying the magnitude
of the vector.

I vote for (1) and you vote for (2). As I said, there is inconsistency
among practicing physicists on this issue. I wonder what a mathematician
would say?

AT


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Dr. Aaron Titus
Department of Physics
316 Marteena Hall
North Carolina A&T State University
Greensboro, NC 27411

Email: titus@ncat.edu
Phone: (336) 334-7646
Fax: (336) 256-0815
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