I read that it is a convention. But what does that mean in physics? If it would have been a sign assigning matter, I could confess but what convention means here? When we decide the direction of linear velocity, it is in real life self-indicating, observable and so it is logical. How can we assign direction to a vector quantity with just saying that it is a convention?
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It's not "just a convention" - the direction of angular velocity has direct physical meaning: The direction of angular velocity is the axis around which the object rotates, in the direction given by the right hand rule - if you point your right thumb along the angular velocity, and make the rest of your fingers into a fist, then the direction of the rest of your finger indicates the actual direction of the rotational motion.
ACuriousMind
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Right hand rule! I see. Where does it come from? What is its physical significance? – Dec 20 '15 at 19:47
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@SufyanNaeem: If you want to complicate this simple operation: The right hand rule is a way to associate an oriented plane to any vector - the plane whose normal vector the vector is - and as such it is the most primitive realization of a Hodge duality, signifying that angular velocity is a pseudo-vector, not a vector, see also this question. – ACuriousMind Dec 20 '15 at 19:59