Question

Why do we use vectors?

Answer 1

There are some quantities (like force, velocity, torque etc) in physics which have both direction and magnitude. These are known as vectors. For these quantities, the direction is quite important. For example, if two equal and opposite forces are applied to a body, the net force acting on it will be zero and not the algebraic sum of the forces. To represent and analyze such quantities, we use the concept of vectors.