PHYSICS – is the study of the physical world.

Physics investigate entities as small as atoms

and as large as galaxies. They study the nature of matter and energy and how they
related. They, like other scientists, are inquisitive people who aim to understand how
the world around them behaves. They search for the causes of what they observe in
nature.

The discovery and invention of lasers, fiber optics, and wireless

communications have been beneficial to humankind. These technologies demonstrate
the importance of studying physics.

In spite of the vast knowledge gained through research and experimentations,

there is much to learn and discover in the universe. Physics have much to prove and
discover about nature in the future.

In this handouts, we will learn the following:

• Scientific method
• Different measurements
• Different formulas of geometric figures
• Review on basic trigonometry
• Graphical analysis
• Density

SCIENTIFIC METHOD is the systematic and logical approach used in

investigating a natural phenomenon. It consists of five steps, namely:
1. Identifying a Problem - a specific problem that need to be solved is identified
2. Gathering Data – Observations are made to gather data or information related to
the problem. Data may come from direct observations or from several
investigations.
3. Formulating a Hypothesis – A hypothesis is an educated guess of the solution to
the problem based on the gathered data or fact.
4. Testing the Hypothesis – the hypothesis is tested through experimentation to
establish its validity.
5. Formulating a Theory – A theory is a statement formulated after the hypothesis
has been tested it should be able to explain the observation and predict results of
new experiments.
A theory is different from a law. A law is a relationship between cause and
effect. It is a statement of what occurs in nature and proven to be always true
based on observation and experiment. (e.g., Theory of Evolution vs. Law of
Thermodynamics or Law of Entropy)
MEASUREMENTS

Problems:

1. What is the equivalent of 500 millimeters in meters?

1 mm = 1 x 10-3 meter
Therefore,
1 x 10¯3 m
500 mm x = 0.5 m
1 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚

2. What is 500 gigabytes expressed in microbytes?

1 gigabyte = 1 x 109 bytes
1 microbytes = 1 x 10-6 bytes
Therefore,
1 μb
500 x 109 bytes x = 5 x 1017 μb
1 x 10¯6 bytes

3. How many kilograms are in 1 milligrams?

1 x 10¯3 g 1 kg
1 mg x x = 1 x 10-6 kg
1 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 1 x 103 g

4. How many nanoseconds are in 10 millisecond?

1 x 10¯3 s 1 ns
10 ms x x = 10 x 106 ns = 1 x 107 ns
1 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 1 x 10¯9 s

5. How many terameters are in 100 micrometers?

1 x 10¯6 m 1 Tm
100 μm x x = 100 x 10-18 Tm = 1 x 10-16 Tm
1 μm 1 x 1012 m

6. What is the speed of a car in kph if it travels 16 km in 13 minutes?

16 km 60 min
x = 73.85 kph
13 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 1 hr
GEOMETRIC FIGURES some problems in physics involve geometric figures. The
formulae for area and volume of some geometric figures are given here.
Problems:

1. A cubit is a very old unit of measurement. It is equal to the length of a human

forearm, from the elbow to the tip of the longest finger. In the Bible, God ordered
Noah to build an ark with the given dimensions:
Length – 300 cubits
Width – 50 cubits
Height – 30 cubits
If 1 cubit is 20 inches, find the volume of Noah’s ark in meters.
Solution:
Since 1 meter = 39.37 inches = 3.28 feet
20 in 1m
300 cubits x x = 152.4 m long
1 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 39.37 in
20 in 1m
50 cubits x x = 25.4 m wide
1 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 39.37 in
20 in 1m
30 cubits x x = 15.24 m high
1 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 39.37 in

Volume = lwh = 152 m x 25.4 m x15.24 m = 58,993.43 m³

2. A family of four uses an average of 1,200 litters (about 300 gallons) of water per day.
If Angat Dam uniformly covered an area of one square kilometer and supplied a local
town with a population of 100,000 people, how many meters would the water level
drop in a year? (Neglect evaporation and other uses).

Solution:
liter
family 1,200 day 365 days liter
100,000 𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝 𝑥𝑥 x x = 1.095 x 1010
4 people family year year

But 1 mL = 1 cm³
liter 1000 mL 1cm3 (1m)3 (1km)3 km3
1.095 x 1010 𝑥𝑥 x x (100 x (1000 = 0.01095
year 1L 1 mL cm)3 m)3 year

km3 km3
0.01095 year 0.01095 year km
Drop in the water level = = = 0.01095
Area covered by the dam 1km2 year
BASIC TRIGONOMETRY deals with the relationships among angles and sides of
triangles. The Pythagorean Theorem states that the square of the longest side
in a right triangle is equal to the sum of the square of the two shorter sides.

Problems:

1. Solve for c when a = 5 and b = 12

Solution: c² = a² + b²
c2 = 52 + 122
c = 13

2. A missile is launched at an angle of 26.5° with respect to horizontal. If it travels

𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚
in a straight line over level terrain for 2 minutes and its average speed is 6000
hr

what is its altitude?

Solution:

d = 𝒗𝒗t
𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 ℎ𝑟𝑟
d = 6000 x 2min x = 200 mi
hr 60𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚

𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠
sin 26.5° =
200𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚

𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠(ℎ) of the right triangle is the altitude asking the problem to be
solve.

h = sin 26.5° x 200 mi

h = 89.24 mi

3. A television antenna is on the roof of a building. From a point on the ground 36 ft

from the building, the angle of elevation of the top and the bottom of the antenna
are 51° and 42° respectively. How tall is the antenna?

Solution:
 The Sine Law is an equation stating the proportionality of the sides and their
corresponding angles which can be used to solve the missing dimensions of a non-right
triangle.

Problem:

Find the two other sides a and b and the third angle C.

when c = 6, A = 60° and B = 40°

Solution:

C = 180° – 60° – 40° = 80° The sum of the interion angle of any triangle is 180°
𝑎𝑎 𝑐𝑐
=
sin 𝐴𝐴 sin 𝐶𝐶

𝑐𝑐 sin 𝐴𝐴 6 sin 60°

a= = = 5.28
sin 𝐶𝐶 sin 80°

𝑏𝑏 𝑐𝑐
=
sin 𝐵𝐵 sin 𝐶𝐶

𝑐𝑐 sin 𝐵𝐵 6 sin 40°

b= = = 3.92
sin 𝐶𝐶 sin 80°

The Cosine Law can also be used to solve the missing dimensions of a non-right
triangle.

Problem:

Solve for side c and the two other angle A and B. When a = 45, b = 67 and C = 35°

Solution:
GRAPHICAL ANALYSIS graph is a pictorial representation that shows the numerical
relationship between facts. To graph a set of experimental data, do the
following steps:

1. Determine which quantity is the independent variable and which is dependent

variable.
Example:
distance = velocity x time (d = 𝒗𝒗t)
The dependent variable is distance since its value depends on what velocity and time
will yield.
The independent variable is plotted on the abscissa (x-axis) and the dependent
variable on the ordinate (y-axis).
2. Use the most convenient scale for coordinate axes. As a rule, use the intervals that
are easy to read and interpret.
Example:

At constant volume, the density increases as the mass increases. Density is the
dependent variable, while mass is the independent variable. The graph shows that the
variable x and y (mass and density) are proportionate to each other.
DENSITY is mass per unit volume, that is,

𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 𝑚𝑚
density = (d= )
𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣𝑣 𝑣𝑣
𝑔𝑔
Density may be expressed in grams per cubic centimeter ( ). For liquids or
𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐³
𝑔𝑔
liquid solutions, the unit usually employed is grams per milliliter ( ). The unit liter
𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚

and cubic centimeter are related by the equivalence

1 L = 1000 cm³ = 1000 mL
1 𝑔𝑔 1 𝑔𝑔
Hence, =
𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐³ 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚

Archimedes popularized the word “Eureka” (I have found it). He exclaimed it

when he figure out how to determine whether King Hiero’s crown was pure gold or
not without damaging the crown itself. He submerged the crown in a vessel filled
with water. The volume of water that overflowed the vessel equaled the volume of
the crown. Then, by determining the mass of the crown, he calculated its density.
𝑔𝑔
The density of a crown made of pure gold is the same as pure gold (19.32 ).
𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐³

Problems:
1. Suppose that a crown weighs 1325 g and has a volume of 124 cm³.
a) What is the density of the crown?
b) Is the crown pure gold?

Solution:
𝑚𝑚
a) d =
𝑣𝑣
1325 𝑔𝑔 𝑔𝑔
d= = 10.69
124 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐³ 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐³
𝑔𝑔
b) since the resulting density is less than the density of pure gold (19.32 ), the
𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐³

crown is not made of pure gold.

2. The mass of the Earth is 5.976 x 10²⁴ kg and its volume is 1.083 x 10²¹ m³. What
is the mean density of Earth in gram per cubic centimeter?
Solution:
𝑚𝑚
d=
𝑣𝑣
5.976x10²⁴kg 10³ g 10¯⁶𝑚𝑚³ 𝑔𝑔
d= 𝑥𝑥 x = 5.515
1.083x10²¹m³ kg 1𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐3 cm3

𝑔𝑔
3. The mean density of the moon is 3.341 and its mass is 7.350 x 10²⁵ g. What is
cm3

its volume?
Solution:
𝑚𝑚
d=
𝑣𝑣
𝑚𝑚
𝑣𝑣 =
𝑑𝑑
7.350x1025 𝑔𝑔
𝑣𝑣 = 𝑔𝑔 = 2.2 𝑥𝑥 1025 cm³
3.342
cm3
𝑔𝑔
4. You have a sample of granite with density 2.8 . The density of water is
cm3
𝑔𝑔
1.0 . What is the specific gravity of your granite?
cm3

Solution:

Specific gravity is the density of the substance divided by the density of water, so

𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑡𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑒 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠

SG =
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤

𝑔𝑔
2.8
cm3
SG = 𝑔𝑔 = 2.8
1.0 3
cm

Note that the answer has no units. We say "the number is unitless."

5. You want to carry a boulder home from the beach. It is 30 centimeters on each
𝑔𝑔
side that is made of granite, which has a typical density of 2.8 . How much
cm3

will this boulder weigh?

Solution: