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Chapter 1

Chapter 1 introduces the fundamental concepts of physics, including the laws of nature, units of measurement, and dimensional analysis. It emphasizes the importance of mathematical precision in describing physical laws and outlines the process for effective problem-solving in physics. Key topics include the definitions of fundamental and derived units, the distinction between scalars and vectors, and techniques for unit conversion.

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15 views13 pages

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 introduces the fundamental concepts of physics, including the laws of nature, units of measurement, and dimensional analysis. It emphasizes the importance of mathematical precision in describing physical laws and outlines the process for effective problem-solving in physics. Key topics include the definitions of fundamental and derived units, the distinction between scalars and vectors, and techniques for unit conversion.

Uploaded by

mfarrej
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 1 Introduction, Units, and

Dimensional Analysis
Learning Objectives

• Physics and the Laws of Nature


• Units of Length, Mass, and Time
• Dimensional Analysis
• Converting Units
• Order-of-Magnitude Calculations
• Scalars and Vectors
• Problem Solving in Physics

PowerPoint presentations are compiled from Walker 3rd Edition Instructor CD-ROM
and Dr. Daniel Bullock’s own resources
Why do we study physics?
• Physics is the study of the fundamental laws of nature.
• Aristotle  16th century
• Galileo  Law of Inertia
• Newton  17th century
– Principia
– Three laws of motion
• Modern Physics  19th century
Mathematical Nature of Physics
• Newton and Leibniz  Calculus
• Mathematics is the only language precise enough to
accurately describe the laws of nature.  isomorphism
• Skills needed for success in this course
– Algebra
– Trigonometry
– Vector Algebra
– Graphical Analysis
Units used in Physics
• Fundamental units
– Length (International System, SI  meter (m), British  foot (ft))
– Mass (SI  gram (gr), British  slug (sl))
– Time (SI & British  second (s))
• Derived units – combinations of fundamental units
– Speed (SI  m/s, British  ft/s)
– Acceleration (SI  m/s2, British  ft/s2)
– Force = mass × acceleration (SI  kg·m/s2 = Newton (N),
British  pounds (lbs)
Units used in Physics
• Length: the meter
– Was: one ten-millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the
equator
– Now: the distance traveled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458
of a second
Units used in Physics
• Mass: the kilogram
– One kilogram is the mass of a particular platinum-
iridium cylinder kept at the International Bureau of
Weights and Standards, Sèvres, France.
Units used in Physics
• Time: the second
– One second is the time for radiation from a cesium-133 atom to
complete 9,192,631,770 oscillation cycles.
Converting units in the SI system
• SI system based on powers of ten
• Each prefix represents a different
power of ten

Kind
Hector
Decked
Mr.
Deci at the
Cinema on
Monday
Dimensional Analysis
• Any valid physical formula must be dimensionally
consistent – each term must have the same dimensions

From the table:


Distance = velocity × time
Velocity = acceleration ×
time
Energy = mass × (velocity)2
Converting Units
• Converting feet to meters:
1 m = 3.281 ft (this is a conversion factor)
Or: 1 = 1 m / 3.281 ft
316 ft × (1 m / 3.281 ft) = 96.3 m
Note that the units cancel properly – this is the key to using
the conversion factor correctly!
• Converting feet2 = meter2
316 ft2 × (1 m / 3.281 ft)2 = 29.35 m2
Scalars and Vectors
• Scalar – a numerical value. May be
positive or negative. Examples:
temperature, speed, height
• Vector – a quantity with both magnitude
and direction. Examples: displacement
(e.g., 10 feet north), force, magnetic field
Problem Solving in Physics
1. Read the problem carefully
2. Sketch the system
3. Visualize the physical process
4. Strategize
5. Identify appropriate equations
6. Solve the equations
7. Check your answer
8. Explore limits and special cases
Chapter 1 Summary
• Physics is based on a small number of laws and
principles
• Units of length are meters; of mass, kilograms;
and of time, seconds
• All terms in an equation must have the same
dimensions
• Convert one unit to another by multiplying by their
ratio
• Scalars are numbers; vectors have both
magnitude and direction
• Problem solving: read, sketch, visualize,
strategize, identify equations, solve, check, explore
limits

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