INTRODUCTION

TO PHYSICS
WHAT IS PHYSICS?
 PHYSICS IS THE STUDY OF ENERGY AND MATTER AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP.
LESSON 1: MEASUREMENT
 The process of comparing anything to a standard is known as measurement. To be able to do a given
measurement, we must first understand a system of standards and units that must be defined. The
International System of Units (SI), commonly known as the metric system, is the international standard for
measurement.

SI Fundamental Units
QUANTITY UNIT SYMBOL

Length meter m

Mass kilogram kg

Time second s

Temperature kelvin K

Electric current ampere A

Luminous Intensity candela cd

Amount of substance mole mol

SCIENTIFIC
NOTATION
A QUICK WAY TO WRITE

REALLY, REALLY BIG

OR

REALLY, REALLY SMALL NUMBERS.

Rules for Scientific Notation
To be in proper scientific notation the number
must be written with
* a number between 1 and 10
* and multiplied by a power of
ten
EXAMPLE:
1. An object travels a speed of 60,000,000 m/s.
ANSWER: 6 X 107 m/s

2. 137,000,000
ANSWER: 1.37 X 108
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES - The number of digits in a value, frequently a measurement, that
contribute to the degree of precision of the value are known as significant figures.
Rules for Significant Figures
1. All non-zero digits are significant.
Example:
 a. 3,456 = 4 significant digits
 b. .456473 = 6 significant digits


2. All zeros that occur between any two non-zero digits are significant.
Example:
 a. 440,045 = 6 significant digits
 b. 601,002,202 = 9 significant digits


3. All zeros that are on the right of a decimal point and also to the left of a non-zero digit is never significant.
Example:
 a. 0.00798 = 3 significant digits
 b. .04543 = 4 significant digits
4. All zeros that are on the right of a decimal point are significant, only if, a non-zero digit does not
follow them.
Example:
 a. 2.00 = 4 significant digits
 b. 1.00 = 3 significant digits


5. All zeros that are on the right of the last non-zero digit, after the decimal point, are significant.
Example:
 a. .54600 = 5 significant digits
 b. 5493949900 = 10 significant digits


6. All the zeros that are on the right of the last non-zero digit are significant if they come from a
measurement.
Example:
 a. 1090 m = 4 significant digits
 b. .05040 cm = 5 significant digits
CONVERSION OF UNITS
We must convert between units in order to ensure accuracy and prevent measurement confusion.
SAMPLE PROBLEM

1. 2 inches to cm
Solution: 2 inches x = 4.86 cm

2. 45 oC to F
Solution: F = 5/9 (oC) + 32
F = 5/9 (45 oC) + 32
F = .56 (45 oC) + 32
F = 25.2 + 32
0
F = 57.2
LESSON 2: SCALAR AND VECTOR
QUANTITIES
What is vector and scalar quantity in Physics? A scalar quantity is defined as the physical
quantity that has only magnitude. On the other hand, a vector quantity is defined as the
physical quantity that has both magnitude as well as direction.
REPRESENTATION OF A VECTOR QUANTITY

Tail Arrowhead

Body
Lesson 2 : motion
If an object's position changes in reference to a fixed object over time, it is
said to be in motion. An object's speed is a measure of how quickly it
moves, whereas velocity is a vector variable defined as the rate of change
in displacement

SPEED = d/t VELOCITY = d/t

SAMPLE PROBLEM:
1. A girl travels 20 miles on her bicycle. The trip takes 2 hours. Express her speed in
miles/hr.
SOLUTION:
GIVEN:
d = 20 miles
t = 2 hrs
s=?
s=d/t
s = 20 miles / 2 hrs
s = 10 mi/hr
2. A spider travels across a driveway 3.6 m wide with a speed of 1.1 m/s. How long will it
take to cross the driveway?
SOLUTION:
GIVEN:
d = 3.6 m
s = 1.1 m/s
t=?
t=d/s
t = (3.6 m) / (1.1 m/s)
t = 3.273 s
ACCELERATION
Acceleration in science relates to
rising, decreasing, or changing direction.
You must calculate an object's change in
velocity per unit of time to estimate its
acceleration.

a = vf – vi / t

Whereas:
a = acceleration
vf = final velocity
vi = initial velocity
t = time
SAMPLE PROBLEM
1. A car starts from rest and is traveling with a velocity of 10 m/sec east in 20 seconds.
What is the acceleration of the car?
SOLUTION:
GIVEN:
vi = 0
vf = 10 m/s
t = 20 s
a=?
a = vf – vi / t
a = 10 m/s – 0 / 20s
a = 0.5 m/s2
LESSON 4: UNIFORM ACCELERATED MOTION Uniformly Accelerated Motion (UAM) is the
motion of an object with a constant acceleration. In other words, the acceleration remains constant;
the acceleration is equal to a number, which does not change as time passes.

 a = Vf – Vi / t
 d = Vf2 – Vi2 / 2a
 Vf = Vi + at
 d = (Vf + Vi) t / 2
 Vf2 = Vi2 + 2ad
 = Vit + ½ at2
 = Vft + ½ at2
SAMPLE PROBLEM:
1. A bus started from rest and moved with uniform acceleration. It required a speed of 60m/s after 100
seconds. Find (a) the acceleration and (b) the distance travelled by the bus after 100 seconds.
a. Given: Vi= 0 t=100s

Vf=60m/s

Solution: a =Vf-Vi /t
= 60m/s-0 = 0.6m/s2
100s
b. Solution:
d= Vf2-Vi2 / 2a
= 60m/s2 – 0
2(0.6m/s2 )
= 3000 m
2. A person that starts walking at a speed of 1m/s start accelerating and 30 seconds later
this person is already running at a speed of 5 m/s. What was the distance that this person
run?.
SOLUTION:
GIVEN: vi = 1 m/s
vf = 5 m/s
t = 30 s
d=?
d = (vf + vi) t / 2
d = (5 + 1) 30 s / 2
d = 90 m
 Newton’s
Laws of Motion
While most people know what Newton's
laws say, many people do not know what
they mean (or simply do not believe what
they mean).
 An object at rest will stay at rest, and an

1st Law of Motion object in motion will stay in motion at

constant velocity, unless acted upon by an
(Law of Inertia) unbalanced force.
Inertia is the tendency of an
object to resist changes in its
velocity: whether in motion or
motionless.
Suppose you are a helping a neighbor in your community transfer from one residence
to another and he asks you to stand in the rear of a truck to hold the cabinet from an
inclined plane. Explain why you should decline the request of your neighbor?
ANSWER:
Since a cabinet has a large mass, it also has a large inertia. If the vehicle suddenly moves,
the object that is in rest could slide down. Even if the truck suddenly stops, the cabinet
will keep moving that is why anyone standing in the rear of the cabinet and the truck
could be injured.
2nd Law of Motion
Law of Acceleration
The net force of an object is equal to the product of
its mass and acceleration, or F=ma.
If you use the same force to push a grand piano and a chair, the chair will have more
acceleration than the piano because the chair has less mass.

Formula:

Where: a = acceleration, F = force, m = mass

If you recall, Newton (N) is the unit of measurement for force. 1 N is one kilogram-meter
per second squared or (1 N = 1 kg.m/s2)

Mathematically speaking for the second law of Motion you will have F= ma
How much force is needed to accelerate a 1400 kilogram car 2 meters per second/per
second?
 Write the formula
F=mxa
 Fill in given numbers and units
F = 1400 kg x 2 meters per second/second
 Solve for the unknown
2800 kg-meters/second/second or 2800 N
Let’s try sample problem/s:

If a 70 kg Columbanite skater acted upon by an unbalanced force of 161 N, what is its acceleration?

Solution:

Given: m = 70 kg F = 161 N

= 2.3 m/s2
3rd Law of Motion
Law of action – reaction
For every action, there is an equal
and opposite reaction
According to Newton, whenever objects A and B
interact with each other, they exert forces upon each
other. When you sit in your chair, your body exerts a
downward force on the chair and the chair exerts an
upward force on your body.
Flying gracefully through the air, birds
depend on Newton’s third law of motion.
As the birds push down on the air with
their wings, the air pushes their wings up
and gives them lift.
LESSON 6: ENERGY Energy is
the ability to do work. If you climb a
mountain or staircase, you work
against the force of gravity as you
move upward and your gravitational
energy increases. Energy form food
enables us to do work.
Two Types of Energy
1. Kinetic Energy
2. Potential Energy
Kinetic
Energy –
the
energy in
motion
Kinetic energy increases as mass and velocities
increases..
 EXAMPLES OF KINETIC ENERGY
 MECHANICAL
 THERMAL
 ELECTRICAL
Kinetic Energy
Potential Energy
 Energy is stored or held in readiness
 If the apple stays in the tree, it will keep the
stored energy due to its height above the
ground.
 If the apple falls, that stored energy of
position is converted to energy of motion.
Types of Potential Energy
1. Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE)
2. chemical Potential Energy
3. electrostatic
Gravitational
Potential Energy
 Gravitational Potential Energy
increases as weight and height
increase.
Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE)
Remember this!
 Energy comes in MANY different forms!!!!
What are the Kinds of Energy?
1. GPE o the gravitational potential energy – is the energy stored on all objects at rest. An
object rises on a specific height, such as a table lifted to a building, has energy and can do work once
it falls.
2. KE or kinetic energy – is the energy in motion. A good example is a fast -moving baseball.
3. Heat energy – energy of heated objects. An example is a boiler with water being heated.
4. Radiant energy – The heat produced by the sun is an example of radiant energy.
5. Chemical potential energy – atoms bond together in various combinations to form different
kinds of molecules involving varying or different kinds of energy.
6. Elastic energy – energy on twisted, compressed and stretched objects which can go back to its
original shape.
LAW OF CONSERVATION OF ENERGY – states that energy can neither be created nor
destroyed. When you dive from a diving board into a pool of water, several transformations of
energy occur. Eventually, you float and the water stays still. But on a normal scale, the water
molecules are moving a little faster in the vicinity of your point of impact; that is, the temperature of
the water is now a little higher. Energy has been transformed from potential to kinetic. Nevertheless,
the total energy is the same before and after the dive.