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It's not that I'm so smart; it's just that I stay with problems longer.
The study of matter, energy, and the interactions between them in other words, everything!
All physical phenomena in our world are more or less successfully described in terms of one or more of the following theories:
Classical Mechanics matter, motion, forces, and energy. Only describes objects bigger than atoms and slower than light.
Thermodynamics heat and temperature
Electromagnetism electricity, magnetism, and light
Relativity particles moving at any speed, including very high speeds (close to the speed of light)
Quantum Mechanics behavior of submicroscopic particles
Side Note
Theory of Classical Mechanics (Newton) worked perfectly for more than 100 years and still works in most circumstances today.
Limitation: it cannot successfully describe fast moving small particles.
Leaders of Modern physics (Einstein, Planck, Heisenberg, Bohr, etc.) had to be open-minded
when data didnt fit with established theories
The goal of physics is to gain deeper understanding of the world in which we live.
Physics is the study of the fundamental laws of nature.
Remarkably, we have found that these laws can be expressed in terms of mathematical equations. As a result, it is possible to
make precise, quantitative comparisons between the predictions of the theory-derived from the mathematical form of the laws
and the observations of experiments.
No physicist or engineer ever solves a real problem. Instead she/he creates a model of the real problem and solves this model
problem. This model must satisfy two requirements: it must be simple enough to be solvable, and it must be realistic enough to be
useful.
The theories and "laws" of physics are also models. Whether in the solving of a particular engineering problem or in the search for
the wide ranging laws of physics, the art of scientific analysis consists in the creation of useful models of reality. The model is the
interface between reality and the human mind. When we try to explain a new phenomenon we reach
for something familiar.
For example Rutherford's atomic model resembles the planetary motion in solar system. Therefore,
Rutherford's model of an atom is called planetary model.
The model must be expressed in human terms. Our models speak as much about us, our experience
and our modes of thought as they do about the external reality being modeled.
Point object:
We know everything about the motion if we know the position and the velocity of that object at any time.
Questions: Do all points on the ball follow the same path at the same time?
hammer: Do legs follow the same path as the head?
This is the combination of rotation (around its center of mass)
and the motion along a line - parabola.
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Motion of an object can be very complicated and complex.
In order to describe the motion of an object in mathematical language we have to introduce
the model of the object, simplifying complicated situations.
Look at the center of mass of the hammer. The path is very simple: parabola
The simplest model: we choose to ignore everything that is not important (color) or
too complicated (shape, size, spin, relative motion of the body parts, air resistance).
The systems we are going to study will be treated as POINT OBJECTS.
Point Object: imagine the center of mass of the car or hammer and imagine that we squished
the car or hammer so that the whole mass is concentrated at that point
we draw the whole object as a small circle. Now, our hammer is a point and follows parabola path.
Scientific Notation
Why do we use Scientific Notation?
The mass of the Earth is 5972000000000000000000000000 kg.
Much better way: 5.972 X 1027 kg
Swine flu virus: diameter of 10 to 300 nanometers (nanometer is equal to one billionth of a meter)
0.0000000000001 m becomes 1.0 x 10-13 m in scientific notation pretty decent
We use Scientific Notation or Prefixes when dealing with numbers that are very small or very big.
Examples:
1. The best estimate of the age of the universe is 13 700 000 000 years = 13.7 109 years = 13.7 billion years
If I say that a pumpkin is 2.00 X 102 lbs, the precision is clear it is between 201 and 199. More on this, later!
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1 3
Every step is 10 power They are grouped into steps 10
smaller unit
bigger number
5 = __? _
1
3
1 = 10
5 = 5 ( ) = 5 ( 3 ) = 5 106
1 10
or
1 =1
5 = 5 ( 6 ) = 5 106
10
or
103 1
=1
5 = 5 ( ) ( 3 ) = 5 106
1 10
or
1 = 106 5 = 5 106
4
larger unit
smaller number
5 = _? _
1
1 102
5 = 5 ( ) = 5 ( 3 ) = 5 105
=
1 10
or
105
=1
5 = 5 ( ) = 5 105
1
or
103 1
=1
5 = 5 ( ) ( 3 ) = 5 105
1 10
or
1 = 105 5 = 5 105
The wavelength of green light is 500 nm. How many meters is this?
1 start: nm
500 ( ) = 500 109 = 5 107 end: m
109
I have 906 gigabyte hard drive on my computer. How many bytes of data will it hold?
906 = 906 109 = 9.06 1011
4 8
How many liters is 16 ? 4.3 x 10 ns = ? s 5.2 x 10 ms = ? ks
-6
16 = 1.6 105 1 = 103 1 ms = 10 ks
4.3 104 = 43 s 5.2 108 = 520
A dime is 1.0 mm thick. A quarter is 2.5 cm in diameter. The average height of an adult man is 1.8 m.
PHYSICAL QUANTITIES Anything you measure or calculate in physics (Physical quantities are expressed in units)
Time, length, and weight are all separate dimensions
You can only convert between measurements within the same dimension
For example:
Time can be measured in seconds, minutes, or hours
You CAN convert seconds minutes hours
You CANNOT convert seconds centimeters
In short : Nature of the beast (physical quantity) is dimension (quality).
To express the quantity of the beast we need units.
SI Units
The International System of Units (abbreviated SI from French: Systme international d'units) is the modern form
of the metric system adopted in 1960.
Why use SI units?
universal
easy (metric system)
Dimensions aren't the same as units. For example, the physical quantity, speed, may be measured in units of meters per second,
miles per hour etc.; but regardless of the units used, speed is always a length divided a time, so we say that the dimensions of
speed are length divided by time, or simply L/T. Similarly, the dimensions of area are L2 since area can always be calculated as a
length times a length.
Confusing?????
Dimension of physical quantity distance is length.
Dimension of speed is length/time
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ALL physical dimensions can be expressed in terms of combinations of seven basic /fundamental dimensions. These seven
dimensions have been chosen as being basic because they can be measured directly and easily.
Derived dimensions are combinations of 7 basic ones.
Basic Derived
Physical Basic Basic Physical Derived Derived
Quantity Dimension SI Unit Quantity Dimension SI Unit
Distance, area L
2
m
2
Length (L) meter (m)
height,width 3 3
volume L m
Mass (m) Mass (M) kilogram (kg)
speed L/T m/s
Time (t) Time (T) second (s)
acceleration 2 2
Electric L/T m/s
Electric Current (I ) ampere (A)
2 . 2
Current (I ) force ML/T kg m/s newton (N)
Temperature Temperature kelvin (K) power 2 3 . 2 3
M L /T kg m /s watt (W)
Amount of matter Amount of matter mole 3 3
mass density M/ L kg/m
Intensity of light Intensity of light candela (cd)
Which one of the following quantities are dimensionless (and therefore unitless)?
1. 68 dimensionless
2. sin 68 dimensionless
3. e dimensionless
4. force not dimensionless
5. 6 dimensionless
6. frequency not dimensionless
7. log 0.0034 dimensionless
In the study of mechanics, we shall be concerned with physical quantities (and units) that can be
described in terms of three fundamental quantities:
Length 1 meter (1m) is the distance traveled by the light in a vacuum during a time of 1/299,792,458 second.
Mass 1 kilogram (1 kg) is defined as a mass of a specific platinum-iridium alloy cylinder kept at
the International Bureau of Weights and Measures at Sevres, France
1 kg is basic unit of mass, not, I repeat, not 1g !!!!!!!!!!
kilogram is the only SI unit with a prefix as part of its name and symbol.
Time 1 second (1s) is defined as 9,192,631,770 times the period of one oscillation of radiation
from the cesium atom.
DIMENSION ANALISYS:
LSequation = RSequation in numbers, units and dimensions
Which of the following most accurately describes the velocity of boulder the instant before hitting the ground.
The acceleration due to gravity is g.
1/2 1/2
A) (gh)1/2 ( 2) = C) (2gh)1/2 ( 2) =
2 2
B) 2gh = D) mgh 2
= 2
2 2
Practice time
13 =time
Practice 1(102 )3 = 106 3
13 = 1(103 )3 = 109 3
13 = 1(102 )3 = 106 3
13 = 1(103 )3 = 109 3
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Uncertainty and error in measurement
No measurement can be "exact". You can never, NEVER get exact value experimentally
The inevitable uncertainty is inherent in measurements.
It is not to be confused with a mistake or blunder.
Accuracy is the closeness of agreement between a measured value and a true or accepted value
Precision is really about detail. It has nothing to do with accuracy. Accuracy is about giving true readings, not detailed readings.
Systematic: (measurements that are either consistently too large, or too small) can result from:
zero error of an instrument (e.g. a ruler that has been shortened by wear at the zero end,
or a scale that reads a value when nothing is on it); Instrument does not read zero when it should
to correct for this, the value should be subtracted from every reading an instrument being
wrongly calibrated (e.g. every time measurement is measured too large).
can be detected using different methods of measurement.
Reading: 52.8 m
are reliably known digits + one uncertain
52 m reliably known
0.8 muncertain estimate