Section 1 What Is Physics?

Chapter 1

Preview
• Objectives
• Physics
• The Scientific Method
• Models
• Hypotheses
• Controlled Experiments

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 Section 1 What Is Physics?
Chapter 1

Objectives
• Identify activities and fields that involve the major
areas within physics.

• Describe the processes of the scientific method.

• Describe the role of models and diagrams in physics.

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 Section 1 What Is Physics?
Chapter 1

The Branches of Physics

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 Section 1 What Is Physics?
Chapter 1

Physics
• The goal of physics is to use a small number of
basic concepts, equations, and assumptions to
describe the physical world.

• These physics principles can then be used to make

predictions about a broad range of phenomena.

• Physics discoveries often turn out to have

unexpected practical applications, and advances in
technology can in turn lead to new physics
discoveries.

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 Section 1 What Is Physics?
Chapter 1

Physics and Technology

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 Section 1 What Is Physics?
Chapter 1

The Scientific Method

• There is no single
procedure that scientists
follow in their work.
However, there are
certain steps common to
all good scientific
investigations.

• These steps are called

the scientific method.

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 Section 1 What Is Physics?
Chapter 1

The Scientific Method

Click below to watch the Visual Concept.

Visual Concept

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 Section 1 What Is Physics?
Chapter 1

Models
• Physics uses models that describe
phenomena.

• A model is a pattern, plan, representation, or

description designed to show the structure or
workings of an object, system, or concept.

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 Section 1 What Is Physics?
Chapter 1

Hypotheses
• Models help scientists develop hypotheses.

• A hypothesis is an explanation that is based on prior

scientific research or observations and that can be
tested.

• The process of simplifying and modeling a situation

can help you determine the relevant variables and
identify a hypothesis for testing.

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 Section 1 What Is Physics?
Chapter 1

Hypotheses, continued
Galileo modeled the behavior of falling objects in
order to develop a hypothesis about how objects fall.
If heavier objects fell faster
than slower ones,would two
bricks of different masses
tied together fall slower (b)
or faster (c) than the heavy
brick alone (a)? Because of
this contradiction, Galileo
hypothesized instead that all
objects fall at the same rate,
as in (d).

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 Section 1 What Is Physics?
Chapter 1

Controlled Experiments
• A hypothesis must be tested in a controlled
experiment.

• A controlled experiment tests only one factor at a

time by using a comparison of a control group with
an experimental group.

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 Section 2 Measurements in
Chapter 1 Experiments

Preview
• Objectives
• Numbers as Measurements
• Dimensions and Units
• Sample Problem
• Accuracy and Precision
• Significant Figures

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 Section 2 Measurements in
Chapter 1 Experiments

Objectives
• List basic SI units and the quantities they describe.

• Convert measurements into scientific notation.

• Distinguish between accuracy and precision.

• Use significant figures in measurements and

calculations.

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 Section 2 Measurements in
Chapter 1 Experiments

Numbers as Measurements
• In SI, the standard measurement system for science,
there are seven base units.
• Each base unit describes a single dimension, such
as length, mass, or time.
• The units of length, mass, and time are the meter
(m), kilogram (kg), and second (s), respectively.
• Derived units are formed by combining the seven
base units with multiplication or division. For
example, speeds are typically expressed in units of
meters per second (m/s).

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 Section 2 Measurements in
Chapter 1 Experiments

SI Standards

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 Section 2 Measurements in
Chapter 1 Experiments

SI Prefixes
In SI, units are
combined with
prefixes that
symbolize certain
powers of 10.
The most
common prefixes
and their symbols
are shown in the
table.

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 Section 2 Measurements in
Chapter 1 Experiments

Dimensions and Units

• Measurements of physical quantities must be
expressed in units that match the dimensions of that
quantity.
• In addition to having the correct dimension,
measurements used in calculations should also have
the same units.
For example, when
determining area by
multiplying length and width,
be sure the measurements
are expressed in the same
units.

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 Converting Units
• Build a conversion factor from the previous table. Set it up so that
units cancel properly.

• Example - Convert 2.5 kg into g.

– Build the conversion factor:

– This conversion factor is equivalent to 1.

• 103 g is equal to 1 kg
– Multiply by the conversion factor. The units of kg cancel and
the answer is 2500 g.

• Try converting
– .025 g into mg
– .22 km into cm

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 Section 2 Measurements in
Chapter 1 Experiments

Sample Problem
A typical bacterium has a mass of about 2.0 fg. Express
this measurement in terms of grams and kilograms.

Given:
mass = 2.0 fg

Unknown:
mass = ? g mass = ? kg

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 Section 2 Measurements in
Chapter 1 Experiments

Sample Problem, continued

Build conversion factors from the relationships given in

Table 3 of the textbook. Two possibilities are:
1 10 –15 g 1 fg
and
1 fg 1 10 –15 g

Only the first one will cancel the units of femtograms to

give units of grams.

 1 10 –15 g  –15

(2.0 fg)   = 2.0 10 g
 1 fg 

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 Section 2 Measurements in
Chapter 1 Experiments

Sample Problem, continued

Take the previous answer, and use a similar process to

cancel the units of grams to give units of kilograms.

 1 kg 
(2.0 10 –15 g)  3  = 2.0 10 –18
kg
 1 10 g 

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 Practice
• Convert 37.2mm to m
• 1mm= 10‾3
• 37.2x1mm=3.72x10⁴(37200)
10‾3

37. 2mmX
10‾³ =3.72x10‾²
1mm

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 CHECK POINT
• A scanning tunnelling
microscope (STM) have a
magnifying ability of 100
million and can distinguish
between two objects that are
separated by only
3.0x10‾ˡºm, or about one-
hundredth the diameter of an
atom. Express 3.0x10‾¹º m in
• A)Nanometers
• B)Picometers

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 Section 2 Measurements in
Chapter 1 Experiments

Accuracy and Precision

• Accuracy is a description of how close a measurement is to the
correct or accepted value of the quantity measured.

• Precision is the degree of exactness of a measurement.

• A numeric measure of confidence in a measurement or result is

known as uncertainty. A lower uncertainty indicates greater
confidence.

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 Errors in Measurement
• Instrument error
– Instrument error is caused by using measurement instruments
that are flawed in some way.
– Instruments generally have stated accuracies such as “accurate
to within 1%.”
• Method error
– Method error is caused by poor techniques (see picture below).

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 Measurement and Parallex

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 Section 2 Measurements in
Chapter 1 Experiments

Significant Figures
• Significant figures are the method used to indicate
the precision of your measurements.
• Significant figures are those digits that are known
with certainty plus the first digit that is uncertain.
– If you know the distance from your home to school
is between 12.0 and 13.0 miles, you might say the
distance is 12.5 miles.
• The first two digits (1 and 2) are certain and the
last digit (5) is uncertain.

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 Section 2 Measurements in
Chapter 1 Experiments

Significant Figures, continued

Even though this ruler is

marked in only centimeters
and half-centimeters, if you
estimate, you can use it to
report measurements to a
precision of a millimeter.

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 Section 2 Measurements in
Chapter 1 Experiments

Rules for Determining Significant Zeroes

1. Non-zeros always count as significant figures:

3456 has

4 significant figures

2. Zeros

Leading zeroes do not count as significant figures:

0.0486 has
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 3. Zeros
Captive zeroes always count as
significant figures:

16.07 has
4 significant figures

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 4.Zeros
Trailing zeros are significant only if
the number contains a written
decimal point:

9.300 has
4 significant figures

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 Sig Fig Practice #1
• How many significant figures in the following?
• A)1.0070m
• B)17.10 kg
• C)100,890 L
• D)0.0054 cm
• E) 3,200,000 mL

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 Rounding Calculated Answers
Calculation Calculator says: Answer

•3.24 m x 7.0 m 22.68 m2 23 m2

•100.0 g ÷ 23.7 cm3 4.219409283 g/cm3

4.22g/cm3

•0.02 cm x 2.371 cm 0.04742 cm2 0.05

cm2

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 Rounding
• Round to 3
figures:

– 30.24
– 32.25
– 32.65000
– 22.49
– 54.7511
– 54.75
– 79.3500

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 Calculating with Significant Figures

• 97.3 + 5.85

• 123 x 5.35

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 Section 3 The Language of
Chapter 1 Physics

Preview
• Objectives
• Mathematics and Physics
• Physics Equations

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 Section 3 The Language of
Chapter 1 Physics

Objectives
• Interpret data in tables and graphs, and recognize
equations that summarize data.

• Distinguish between conventions for abbreviating

units and quantities.

• Use dimensional analysis to check the validity of

equations.

• Perform order-of-magnitude calculations.

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 What do you think?

• What different ways can you organize data so that it can

be analyzed for the purpose of making testable
predictions?

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 Tables
• This table
organizes data
for two falling
balls (golf and
tennis) that were
dropped in a
vacuum. (This is
shown in Figure
13 in your book).
• Can you see
patterns in the
data?

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 Graphs
• Data from the previous
table is graphed.
• A smooth curve connects
the data
points.
– This allows predictions for
points between data points
such as t = 0.220 s.
• The graph could also be
extended.
– This allows predictions for
points beyond 0.400 s.

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 Equations
• Show relationships between variables
– Directly proportional
– Inversely proportional
– Inverse, square relationships
• Describe the model in mathematical terms
• Allow you to solve for unknown quantities

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 Dimensional Analysis
• Dimensions can be treated as algebraic quantities.
– They must be the same on each side of the
equality.

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 Dimension Analysis
• Dimensional Analysis (also called Factor-Label
Method or the Unit Factor Method) is a problem-
solving method that uses the fact that any number or
expression can be multiplied by one without changing
its value
(Multiplication Property of 1 – the Magic One)
• Use the units to dictate
the form of the Magic One

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 Order of magnitude
• Rounds to the nearest power of 10
– The number 65 has an order of magnitude of 102
because it is closer to 102 than to 101
– What is the order of magnitude for 4200, 0.052
• Answers: 103, 10-2
• Allows you to get approximate answers for
calculations

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 CHECK POINT (Order of magnitude)
• A) 379000
• B) 4,543,000,000
• C) 0.0036

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