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1 Measurements and Vectors Lesson

Galileo is considered the father of modern physics due to his pioneering use of the scientific method and mathematical modeling of experimental results. He established that gravity causes all objects to fall at the same rate, disproving Aristotle's theory. Galileo also studied pendulums, determining through experimentation that their period of oscillation depends only on length and is independent of mass. He developed equations to quantitatively describe physical phenomena, an important step in establishing physics as a mathematical science.

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Xavier Raghunanan
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42 views

1 Measurements and Vectors Lesson

Galileo is considered the father of modern physics due to his pioneering use of the scientific method and mathematical modeling of experimental results. He established that gravity causes all objects to fall at the same rate, disproving Aristotle's theory. Galileo also studied pendulums, determining through experimentation that their period of oscillation depends only on length and is independent of mass. He developed equations to quantitatively describe physical phenomena, an important step in establishing physics as a mathematical science.

Uploaded by

Xavier Raghunanan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Galileo is often hailed as the father of modern Physics and this title is well earned.

Galileo & the Scientific Method

The scientific method is the process of objectively establishing facts through testing and
experimentation. The basic process involves making an observation, forming a hypothesis, making a
prediction, conducting an experiment and finally analysing the results.

Steps in the Scientific Method:

 Make an observation or ask a question


 Gather background information
 Create a hypothesis
 Create a prediction and perform a test
 Analyse the results and draw a conclusion
 Share the conclusion or decide what question to ask next

Important to Remember:

 A hypothesis is a guess or tentative answer to a scientific question


 A hypothesis is enshrined as a law or principle if repeated testing does not contradict it
 A hypothesis or theory is rejected or disproven if it is found to be wrong even once

Galileo was also instrumental in establishing mathematical relationships based on observation as an


integral part of science. This was done by establishing a variable to be manipulated in an experiment
which would then affect a change in another variable thus allowing for a mathematical relationship
between the two quantities to be established. This gives way to the ability to develop equations
describing aspects of reality which can be used to accurately predict the behaviour of the variables
involved.

Galileo & Gravity

According to legend, Galileo dropped weights off of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, showing that gravity
causes objects of different masses to fall with the same acceleration.

This disproved the previously accepted theory that the time an object takes to fall is directly
proportional to its weight as established by Aristotle.
What is a Pendulum?

A simple pendulum is an arrangement consisting of a heavy, but relatively small, mass hanging from
one end of a length of light string or thread, with the other end of the thread or string attached to a
fixed support.

There are several factors which might affect the period of a pendulum:

 the length of string


 the mass of the bob
 the angle of displacement/the amplitude

Experiments involving the Simple Pendulum:

Observation Length of pendulum, Time for 10 Time for one T2/s2


l/m oscillations, T10/s oscillation, T/s
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
From experiments it was determined that the period of a simple pendulum is governed by the
equation:

T =2 π
√ l
g
Where;

 T – periodic time/time taken for the pendulum to complete a single oscillation


 L – the length of the pendulum
 g – the acceleration due to gravity

As such it can be seen that the length of the pendulum is the only factor which effects the period of
oscillation.

June 2012 – P2

102
−3
Mass 102 g 1000 102× 10 −3
Density= = = = =680 kg m
Volume 150 cm 3
150 150× 10−6

1000000
cm3 vs cm
m vs cm

100cm to 1m

100 × 100 × 100 cm3 to m3

c cm3 to 1m3
Scalar Quantity – A quantity which only possess a magnitude

(i.e. it can only be big or small/it has a number associated with it)

Vector Quantity – A quantity which possesses both magnitude and direction

(i.e. it can be big or small but also has a direction associated with it/the number associated with it
has a sign + or -)

Scalar Quantity Vector Quantity


(Any of the base quantities are eligible) (Any derived quantity)
Length/m Displacement/m
Mass/kg Velocity/ms-1
Time/s Acceleration/ms-2
Thermodynamic Temperature/K Momentum/kgms-1
Current/A Force/N or kgms-2
Moles/mol Work Done/Energy/J or Nm or kgm2s-2
Candela/Cd Moments/Torque/Nm or kgm2s-2
Vector quantities can be represented as arrows pointing in a certain direction and with a certain
length.

5N
These vectors are parallel/have the exact same
direction
7N However, they differ in magnitude

PARALLEL & ANTI-PARALLEL VECTORS

5N
12N

7N

Since these vectors are parallel/have


the exact same direction the resultant
vector can be calculated by basic
addition and will possess the same
direction.
These vectors both possess the same magnitude but
-5N +7N are anti-parallel/possess completely opposite
directions.

As such we let the right equal positive (+) and the


left equal negative (-). Note that the allocation of
signs is arbitrary and may vary from question to

+2N question.

Thus the resultant vector can be calculated similarly


to the previous one by simple algebra.

(+7) + (-5) = (+2)

ORTHOGONAL VECTORS

These vectors are orthogonal/ they are at


right angles to each other. Thus the
resultant can be expressed using a right
C angle triangle.
B B
’ From the diagram above the resultant is the
hypotenuse of a right angle triangle with
θ
two sides.
A
Thus the length/magnitude of the
hypotenuse can be expressed by
Pythagoras’s theorem.

hypotenuse=√ side2 + side2

∴ C= √ A 2+ B2
OBLIQUE VECTORS

Vectors are oblique when they exist at some angle which is not 90 or 180 i.e. they are neither
parallel/anti-parallel or orthogonal.

The diagram above shows two oblique vectors, A


and B, and their subsequent resultant, C. The three
vectors all together form an oblique/scalene
triangle.

Thus given the magnitudes of A and B as well the


angles the sine rule can be used to determine the
magnitude of the resultant, C.

The diagram above shows two oblique vectors, P


and Q, and their subsequent resultant, R. Using the
two original vectors the resultant can be derived by
applying a parallelogram to the diagram.

You will be expected to use a scale to draw a similar


diagram for exams and measure the length of the
resultant to derive a force value.

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