Question: Define unit vector and give its physical significance?
A unit vector is a vector that has a magnitude of one and points in a specific direction. A unit vector is usually denoted by a letter with a hat on top, such as v̂. A unit vector can be obtained by dividing any non-zero vector by its magnitude. For example, if u is a vector, then û = u/|u|, where |u| is the norm or length of u.
Unit vectors are useful for representing the direction of physical quantities, such as force, velocity, acceleration, etc. For instance, if F is a force vector, then F = |F|F̂, where |F| is the magnitude of the force and F̂ is the unit vector in the direction of the force. Unit vectors can also be used to define coordinate systems, such as the Cartesian system with unit vectors î, ĵ and k̂ along the x-, y- and z-axes respectively.
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