University Physics with Modern Physics
Fifteenth Edition, Global Edition, in SI Units
Chapter 1
Units, Physical
Quantities, and
Vectors
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Learning Outcomes
In this chapter, you’ll learn…
• the four steps you can use to solve any physics problem.
• three fundamental quantities of physics and the units
physicists use to measure them.
• how to work with units and significant figures in your
calculations.
• how to add and subtract vectors graphically, and using
vector components.
• two ways to multiply vectors: the scalar (dot) product and
the vector (cross) product.
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The Nature of Physics
• Physics is an
experimental science in
which physicists seek
patterns that relate the
phenomena of nature.
• The patterns are called
physical theories.
• A very well established or
widely used theory is
called a physical law or
principle.
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Solving Problems in Physics
• All of the Problem-Solving Strategies and Examples in
this book will follow these four steps:
• Identify the relevant concepts, target variables, and
known quantities, as stated or implied in the problem.
• Set Up the problem: Choose the equations that you’ll use
to solve the problem, and draw a sketch of the situation.
• Execute the solution: This is where you “do the math.”
• Evaluate your answer: Compare your answer with your
estimates, and reconsider things if there’s a discrepancy.
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Idealized Models
To simplify the analysis of
a) a baseball in flight, we
use
b) an idealized model.
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Standards and Units
• Length, time, and mass are three fundamental
quantities of physics.
• The International System (SI for Système
International) is the most widely used system of units.
• In SI units, length is measured in meters, time in
seconds, and mass in kilograms.
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Should we care about units?
• What is 1+1=?
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Dimensions and standard units
Position: Area: Volume:
Velocity:
Acceleration:
Force:
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Dimensions and standard units
Energy:
Work:
Momentum:
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Unit Prefixes
• Prefixes can be used to create larger and smaller
units for the fundamental quantities. Some examples
are:
• (size of some bacteria and living cells)
• (a 10-minute walk)
• (mass of a grain of salt)
• (mass of a paper clip)
• (time for light to travel 0.3 m)
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Unit Consistency and Conversions
• An equation must be dimensionally consistent. Terms to
be added or equated must always have the same units.
(Be sure you’re adding “apples to apples.”)
• Always carry units through calculations.
• Convert to standard units as necessary, by forming a ratio
of the same physical quantity in two different units, and
using it as a multiplier.
• For example, to find the number of seconds in 3 min, we
write:
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Example (conversion)
• An athlete runs 100 meters in 10 seconds. What is the average speed of the athlete in
units kilometers/hour?
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Uncertainty and Significant Figures
• All non-zero digits are considered significant. For example, 91 has
two significant figures (9 and 1), while 123.45 has five significant
figures (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5).
• Zeros appearing anywhere between two significant figures are
significant: 101.1203 has seven significant figures: 1, 0, 1, 1, 2, 0
and 3.
• Zeros to the left of the significant figures (leading zeros) are not
significant. For example, 0.00052 has two significant figures: 5 and
2.
• Zeros to the right of the non-zero digits (trailing zeros) are
significant if they are to the right of the decimal point as these are
only necessary to indicate precision. However trailing zeros in the
ones place or higher may or may not be significant, depending on
the precision of the measurement. Thus 1.20 and 0.0980 have
three significant figures whereas 45,600 may have 3, 4 or 5
significant figures. Note that 120.00 would have five significant
figures - the zero to the left of the decimal is significant because it
is between two significant figures (the 2 and the zeros to the right
of the decimal point).
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Significant figures and Powers of ten
• 73219743🡪 Round off to two significant figures
0.0000120000=(…….) 10^(….)
0.00809 cm =…….. nm
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Uncertainty and Significant Figures
• The uncertainty of a measured quantity is
indicated by its number of significant figures.
• For multiplication and division, the answer can
have no more significant figures than the
smallest number of significant figures in the
factors.
• For addition and subtraction, the number of
significant figures is determined by the term
having the fewest digits to the right of the
decimal point.
• As this train mishap illustrates, even a small
percent error can have spectacular results!
• Video Tutor Solution: Example 1.3
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Vectors and Scalars
• A scalar quantity can be described by a single
number.
• A vector quantity has both a magnitude and a
direction in space.
• In this book, a vector quantity is represented in
boldface italic type with an arrow over it:
• The magnitude of is written as A or
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Do we really need vectors?
• Assume a person starts moves 8 meters from point A to reach point B. Then this person
moves 5 meters from point B to reach point C. Can we determine the distance between
A and C?
Vectors obey vector algebra. (We cannot add, substract … vectors like scalars)
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Drawing Vectors
• Draw a vector as a line with an arrowhead at its tip.
• The length of the line shows the vector’s magnitude.
• The direction of the line shows the vector’s direction.
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Adding Two Vectors Graphically (1 of 3)
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Adding Two Vectors Graphically (2 of 3)
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Adding Two Vectors Graphically (3 of 3)
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Adding More Than Two Vectors
Graphically (1 of 3)
• To add several vectors, use the head-to-tail method.
• The vectors can be added in any order.
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Adding More Than Two Vectors
Graphically (2 of 3)
• To add several vectors, use the head-to-tail method.
• The vectors can be added in any order.
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Adding More Than Two Vectors
Graphically (3 of 3)
• To add several vectors, use the head-to-tail method.
• The vectors can be added in any order.
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Subtracting Vectors
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Multiplying a Vector by a Scalar
• If c is a scalar, the product
has magnitude
• The figure illustrates
multiplication of a vector
by
a) a positive scalar and
b) a negative scalar.
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Addition of Two Vectors at Right
Angles
• To add two vectors that are
at right angles, first add the
vectors graphically.
• Then use trigonometry to
find the magnitude and
direction of the sum.
• In the figure, a cross-country
skier ends up 2.24 km from
her starting point, in a
direction of 63.4 degrees
east of north.
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Components of a Vector
• Adding vectors graphically provides limited accuracy.
Vector components provide a general method for adding
vectors.
• Any vector can be represented by an x-component Ax and
a y-component Ay.
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Positive and Negative Components
• The components of a vector may be positive or
negative numbers, as shown in the figures.
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Components of vectors
• There are four quadrants:
• Define the direction:
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Components of vectors
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Finding Components
• We can calculate the components of a vector from its
magnitude and direction.
• Video Tutor Solution: Example 1.6
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Calculations Using Components
• We can use the components of a vector to find its
magnitude and direction:
• We can use the components of a
set of vectors to find the
components of their sum:
• Refer to Problem-Solving
Strategy 1.3.
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Magnitude and direction
Be careful. Only Works in the first quadrant.
To find the magnitude and direction first determine which quadrant your vector is in, then
consider the absolute value of (Ay/Ax)
Ex: Find the magnitude and the direction of the vector with components
Ax=-4 , Ay=-3
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Unit Vectors
• A unit vector has a
magnitude of 1 with no
units.
• The unit vector points in the
+x-direction, points in the
+y-direction, and points in
the +z-direction.
• Any vector can be
expressed in terms of its
components as
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Unit vectors:
• Coordinate axes:
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Sample Problem:
• A biker starts from the origin and moves 10 km in the South-East direction to reach point
A. Then the biker moves 12 km to West to reach point B.
• a) Determine the position of the point B in terms of unit vectors.
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Sample Problem part b:
• B) What is the distance of the point B to the origin?
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Scalar (Dot) Product
• The scalar product operation takes two vectors and give us a scalar.
• Ex: Work done by a force
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The Scalar Product (1 of 2)
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The Scalar Product (2 of 2)
• The scalar product can
be positive, negative, or
zero, depending on the
angle between
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Calculating a Scalar Product Using
Unit Vectors
• In terms of unit vectors:
• The scalar product of A and B:
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Finding an Angle Using the Scalar
Product
• Example 1.10 shows how to use components to find
the angle between two vectors.
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The Vector Product
If the vector product (“cross product”) of two vectors is
The direction of the vector product can be found using the
right-hand rule:
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The Vector Product is
Anticommutative
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Calculating the Vector Product
• Use to find the magnitude and the right-hand
rule to find the direction.
• Refer to Example 1.11.
• Video Tutor Solution: Example 1.11
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