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Physics For Scientists and Engineers

This document provides an introduction and overview of key concepts in physics. It discusses the objectives of physics which are to find fundamental laws, develop theories to predict experiments, and express laws mathematically. The main measurement systems used are also introduced, including the International System of Units (SI) and the fundamental and derived quantities measured. Concepts of dimensional analysis to check equations and significant figures in measurements are also covered at a high level.

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Yana Ishak
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127 views

Physics For Scientists and Engineers

This document provides an introduction and overview of key concepts in physics. It discusses the objectives of physics which are to find fundamental laws, develop theories to predict experiments, and express laws mathematically. The main measurement systems used are also introduced, including the International System of Units (SI) and the fundamental and derived quantities measured. Concepts of dimensional analysis to check equations and significant figures in measurements are also covered at a high level.

Uploaded by

Yana Ishak
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Physics for Scientists and Engineers

Introduction and Chapter 1

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

Standards of Fundamental Quantities

Standardized systems

Agreed upon by some authority, usually a governmental body Agreed to in 1960 by an international committee Main system used in this text

SI Systme International

Fundamental Quantities and Their Units


Quantity Length SI Unit meter

Mass
Time Temperature Electric Current

kilogram
second Kelvin Ampere

Luminous Intensity
Amount of Substance

Candela
mole

Quantities Used in Mechanics

In mechanics, three basic quantities are used

Length Mass Time

Will also use derived quantities

These are other quantities that can be expressed in terms of the basic quantities

Example: Area is the product of two lengths

Area is a derived quantity Length is the fundamental quantity

Length

Length is the distance between two points in space Units

SI meter, m

Defined in terms of a meter the distance traveled by light in a vacuum during a given time See Table 1.1 for some examples of lengths

Mass

Units

SI kilogram, kg

Defined in terms of a kilogram, based on a specific cylinder kept at the International Bureau of Standards See Table 1.2 for masses of various objects

Standard Kilogram

Time

Units

seconds, s

Defined in terms of the oscillation of radiation from a cesium atom See Table 1.3 for some approximate time intervals

Number Notation

When writing out numbers with many digits, spacing in groups of three will be used

No commas Standard international notation 25 100 5.123 456 789 12

Examples:

US Customary System

Still used in the US, but text will use SI Quantity Length Mass Time Unit foot slug second

Prefixes

Prefixes correspond to powers of 10 Each prefix has a specific name Each prefix has a specific abbreviation

Prefixes, cont.

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

Basic Quantities and Their Dimension

Dimension has a specific meaning it denotes the physical nature of a quantity Dimensions are denoted with square brackets

Length [L] Mass [M] Time [T]

Dimensions and Units


Each dimension can have many actual units Table 1.5 for the dimensions and units of some derived quantities

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

Dimensional Analysis, example


Given the equation: x = at 2 Check dimensions on each side:


L L 2 T2 L T

The T2s cancel, leaving L for the dimensions of each side


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

Symbols

The symbol used in an equation is not necessarily the symbol used for its dimension Some quantities have one symbol used consistently

For example, time is t virtually all the time

Some quantities have many symbols used, depending upon the specific situation

For example, lengths may be x, y, z, r, d, h, etc.

The dimensions will be given with a capitalized, nonitalicized letter The algebraic symbol will be italicized

Conversion

Always include units for every quantity, you can carry the units through the entire calculation Multiply original value by a ratio equal to one Example
15.0 in ? cm 2.54 cm 15.0 in 38.1cm 1in

Note the value inside the parentheses is equal to 1 since 1 in. is defined as 2.54 cm

Significant Figures, examples

0.0075 m has 2 significant figures


The leading zeros are placeholders only Can write in scientific notation to show more clearly: 7.5 x 10-3 m for 2 significant figures The decimal point gives information about the reliability of the measurement Use 1.5 x 103 m for 2 significant figures Use 1.50 x 103 m for 3 significant figures Use 1.500 x 103 m for 4 significant figures

10.0 m has 3 significant figures

1500 m is ambiguous

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