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Lecture 1_Intro_FundamentalQuantities

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Lecture 1_Intro_FundamentalQuantities

Uploaded by

SINAN ENGINS
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© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Physicist

&/
Chemist
GENERAL PHYSICS

4
5
6
Physics for Scientists and Engineers
Introduction and Chapter 1 – Physics and Measurements
Physics

Fundamental Science
▪ Concerned with the fundamental principles of the Universe
▪ Foundation of other physical sciences
▪ Has simplicity of fundamental concepts

Introduction
Physics, cont.

Divided into six major areas:


▪ Classical Mechanics
▪ Relativity
▪ Thermodynamics
▪ Electromagnetism
▪ Optics
▪ Quantum Mechanics

Introduction
Classical Physics

Mechanics and electromagnetism are basic to all other branches of classical and modern physics.
Classical physics
▪ Developed before 1900

Introduction
Objectives of Physics

To find the limited number of fundamental laws that govern natural phenomena
To use these laws to develop theories that can predict the results of future experiments
Express the laws in the language of mathematics
▪ Mathematics provides the bridge between theory and experiment.

Introduction
Fundamental Quantities and Their Units
SI – Systéme International

Quantity SI Unit
Length meter

Mass kilogram

Time second

Temperature Kelvin

Electric Current Ampere

Luminous Intensity Candela

Amount of Substance mole

Section 1.1
Quantities Used in Mechanics

In mechanics, three fundamental quantities are used:


▪ Length
▪ Mass
▪ Time
All other quantities in mechanics can be expressed in terms of the three fundamental quantities.

Section 1.1
Length
Length is the distance between two points in space.
Units : meter, m

Section 1.1
Mass

Units: kilogram, kg
Defined in terms of a kilogram,
based on a specific cylinder
kept at the International Bureau of Standards

Section 1.1
Time

Units: seconds, s. Defined in terms of the oscillation of radiation from a cesium atom

Section 1.1
Reasonableness of Results

When solving a problem, you need to check your answer to see if it seems reasonable.
Reviewing the tables of approximate values for length, mass, and time will help you test for reasonableness.

Section 1.1
Number Notation

When writing out numbers with many digits, spacing in groups of three will be used.
▪ No commas
▪ Standard international notation
Examples:
▪ 25 100
▪ 5.123 456 789 12

Section 1.1
Prefixes

Prefixes correspond to powers of 10.


Each prefix has a specific name.
Each prefix has a specific abbreviation.
The prefixes can be used with any basic units.
They are multipliers of the basic unit.
Examples:
▪ 1 mm = 10-3 m
▪ 1 mg = 10-3 g

Section 1.1
Prefixes, cont.

Section 1.1
Fundamental and Derived Units

Derived quantities can be expressed as a mathematical combination of fundamental quantities.


Examples:
▪ Area
▪ A product of two lengths

▪ Speed
▪ A ratio of a length to a time interval

▪ Density
▪ A ratio of mass to volume

Section 1.1
Model Building

A model is a system of physical components.


▪ Useful when you cannot interact directly with the phenomenon
▪ Identifies the physical components
▪ Makes predictions about the behavior of the system
▪ The predictions will be based on interactions among the components and/or
▪ Based on the interactions between the components and the environment

Section 1.2
Models of Matter

Some Greeks thought matter is made of atoms.


▪ No additional structure
JJ Thomson (1897) found electrons and showed
atoms had structure.
Rutherford (1911) determined a central nucleus
surrounded by electrons.

Section 1.2
Basic Quantities and Their Dimension

Dimension has a specific meaning – it denotes the physical nature of a quantity.


Dimensions are often denoted with square brackets.
▪ Length [L]
▪ Mass [M]
▪ Time [T]

Section 1.3
Dimensions and Units

Each dimension can have many actual units.


Table 1.5 for the dimensions and units of some derived quantities

Section 1.3
Dimensional Analysis
Technique to check the correctness of an equation or to assist in deriving an equation
Dimensions (length, mass, time, combinations) can be treated as algebraic quantities.
▪ Add, subtract, multiply, divide
Both sides of equation must have the same dimensions.
Any relationship can be correct only if the dimensions on both sides of the equation are the same.
Cannot give numerical factors: this is its limitation

Section 1.3
Dimensional Analysis, example
Given the equation: x = ½ at 2
Check dimensions on each side:
L
L=  T2 = L
T 2

The T2’s cancel, leaving L for the dimensions of each side.


▪ The equation is dimensionally correct.
▪ There are no dimensions for the constant.

Section 1.3
Dimensional Analysis to Determine a Power Law

Determine powers in a proportionality


▪ Example: find the exponents in the expression
x  a mt n
▪ You must have lengths on both sides.
▪ Acceleration has dimensions of L/T2
▪ Time has dimensions of T.
▪ Analysis gives

x  at 2

Section 1.3
Conversion of Units

When units are not consistent, you may need to convert to appropriate ones.
See Appendix A for an extensive list of conversion factors.
Units can be treated like algebraic quantities that can cancel each other out.

Section 1.4
Conversion

Always include units for every quantity, you can carry the units through the entire calculation.
▪ Will help detect possible errors
Multiply original value by a ratio equal to one.
Example:

15.0 in = ? cm
 2.54 cm 
15.0 in   = 38.1cm
▪ Note the value inside the parentheses

1in
is equal to 1, since 1 inch is defined as 2.54 cm.

Section 1.4

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