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Physics 101 Chapter 01

This document introduces physics as the fundamental science concerned with the basic principles of the universe. Physics is divided into five major areas: classical mechanics, relativity, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics. Classical mechanics developed before 1900 and includes Newtonian mechanics, thermodynamics, optics, and electromagnetism. Modern physics began near the end of the 19th century to explain phenomena that classical physics could not. The document outlines key concepts in physics including the metric system, modeling techniques, and significant figures.

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Omar Refaee
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
98 views

Physics 101 Chapter 01

This document introduces physics as the fundamental science concerned with the basic principles of the universe. Physics is divided into five major areas: classical mechanics, relativity, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics. Classical mechanics developed before 1900 and includes Newtonian mechanics, thermodynamics, optics, and electromagnetism. Modern physics began near the end of the 19th century to explain phenomena that classical physics could not. The document outlines key concepts in physics including the metric system, modeling techniques, and significant figures.

Uploaded by

Omar Refaee
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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

Physics

Fundamental Science

concerned with the basic principles of the


Universe
foundation of other physical sciences

Divided into five major areas

Classical Mechanics
Relativity
Thermodynamics
Electromagnetism
Optics
Quantum Mechanics

Classical Physics

Mechanics and electromagnetism


are basic to all other branches of
classical physics
Classical physics developed before
1900

Our study will start with Classical


Mechanics

Also called Newtonian Mechanics

Classical Physics, cont

Includes Mechanics

Major developments by Newton, and


continuing through the latter part of the 19th
century

Thermodynamics
Optics
Electromagnetism

All of these were not developed until the


latter part of the 19th century

Modern Physics

Began near the end of the 19th


century
Phenomena that could not be
explained by classical physics
Includes theories of relativity and
quantum mechanics

Classical Mechanics Today

Still important in many disciplines


Wide range of phenomena that can
be explained with classical
mechanics
Many basic principles carry over into
other phenomena
Conservation Laws also apply
directly to other areas

Objective 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

Theory and Experiments

Should complement each other


When a discrepancy occurs, theory
may be modified

Theory may apply to limited conditions

Example: Newtonian Mechanics is


confined to objects traveling slowing with
respect to the speed of light

Try to develop a more general theory

Quantities Used

In mechanics, three basic


quantities are used

Length
Mass
Time

Will also use derived quantities

These are other quantities can be


expressed in terms of these

Standards of Quantities

Standardized systems

agreed upon by some authority,


usually a governmental body

SI Systme International

agreed to in 1960 by an international


committee
main system used in this text

Length

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

Examples:

25 100
5.123 456 789 12

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

Systems of Measurements,
cont

US Customary

everyday units
Length is measured in feet
Time is measured in seconds
Mass is measured in slugs

often uses weight, in pounds, instead of


mass as a fundamental quantity

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 base units
They are
multipliers of
the base unit
Examples:

1 mm = 10-3 m
1 mg = 10-3 g

Model Building

A model is a system of physical


components

Identify the components


Make 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

Models of Matter

Some Greeks
thought matter is
made of atoms
JJ Thomson (1897)
found electrons
and showed
atoms had
structure
Rutherford (1911)
central nucleus
surrounded by
electrons

Models of Matter, cont

Nucleus has structure, containing


protons and neutrons

Number of protons gives atomic


number
Number of protons and neutrons
gives mass number

Protons and neutrons are made up


of quarks

Modeling Technique

Important technique is to build a


model for a problem

Identify a system of physical


components for the problem
Make predictions of the behavior of
the system based on the interactions
among the components and/or the
components and the environment

Density

Density is an example of a derived


quantity
It is defined as mass per unit volume
m

V
Units are kg/m3
See table 1.5 for some density values

Atomic Mass

The atomic mass is the total


number of protons and neutrons in
the element
Can be measured in atomic mass
units, u

1 u = 1.6605387 x 10-27 kg

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]

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

Dimensional Analysis,
cont.

Cannot give numerical factors: this is its


limitation
Dimensions of some common quantities are
given below

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.

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

Conversion of Units

When units are not consistent, you


may need to convert to appropriate
ones
Units can be treated like algebraic
quantities that can cancel each other
out
See the inside of the front cover for
an extensive list of conversion factors

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
Example15.0in ? cm
2.54cm
15.0in
38.1cm
1in

Order of Magnitude

Approximation based on a number


of assumptions

may need to modify assumptions if


more precise results are needed

Order of magnitude is the power of


10 that applies

Uncertainty in
Measurements

There is uncertainty in every


measurement -- this uncertainty
carries over through the calculations

need a technique to account for this


uncertainty

We will use rules for significant


figures to approximate the
uncertainty in results of calculations

Significant Figures

A significant figure is one that is reliably


known
Zeros may or may not be significant

Those used to position the decimal point are


not significant
To remove ambiguity, use scientific notation

In a measurement, the significant


figures include the first estimated digit

Significant Figures,
examples

0.0075 m has 2 significant figures

10.0 m has 3 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

1500 m is ambiguous

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

Operations with Significant


Figures Multiplying or
When multiplying or dividing, the
Dividing

number of significant figures in the


final answer is the same as the number
of significant figures in the quantity
having the lowest number of significant
figures.
Example: 25.57 m x 2.45 m = 62.6 m 2

The 2.45 m limits your result to 3


significant figures

Operations with Significant


Figures Adding or
When adding or subtracting, the
Subtracting

number of decimal places in the result


should equal the smallest number of
decimal places in any term in the sum.
Example: 135 cm + 3.25 cm = 138
cm

The 135 cm limits your answer to the


units decimal value

Operations With
Significant Figures
The rule for addition and subtraction are
Summary
different than the rule for multiplication

and division
For adding and subtracting, the number
of decimal places is the important
consideration
For multiplying and dividing, the
number of significant figures is the
important consideration

Rounding

Last retained digit is increased by 1 if


the last digit dropped is 5 or above
Last retained digit remains as it is if the
last digit dropped is less than 5
If the last digit dropped is equal to 5,
the retained digit should be rounded to
the nearest even number
Saving rounding until the final result will
help eliminate accumulation of errors

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