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Lecture02 - Vectors

The document discusses problem solving strategies and provides definitions and examples of key concepts in physics including: 1. Models, physical quantities, units of time, length, and mass which have evolved to be defined based on atomic properties and constants. 2. Vectors which have both magnitude and direction as opposed to scalars, and how to add vectors using components along perpendicular axes rather than using diagrams and right triangles. 3. The component method for adding vectors which uses numbers to represent the displacement parallel to each axis, providing a more general and accurate method than using diagrams.

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Yenelle Miranda Abuan
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50 views3 pages

Lecture02 - Vectors

The document discusses problem solving strategies and provides definitions and examples of key concepts in physics including: 1. Models, physical quantities, units of time, length, and mass which have evolved to be defined based on atomic properties and constants. 2. Vectors which have both magnitude and direction as opposed to scalars, and how to add vectors using components along perpendicular axes rather than using diagrams and right triangles. 3. The component method for adding vectors which uses numbers to represent the displacement parallel to each axis, providing a more general and accurate method than using diagrams.

Uploaded by

Yenelle Miranda Abuan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGIES

I – identify
S – setup
E- execute
E – evaluate

*model – simplified version of a physical system that would be too complicated to analyze
in full detail.

*physical quantity – any number that is used to describe a physical phenomenon


quantitatively.

Time
From 1889 until 1967, the unit of time was defined as a certain fraction of the mean
solar day, the average time between successive arrivals of the sun at its highest point in
the sky. The present standard, adopted in 1967, is much more precise. It is based on an
atomic clock, which uses the energy difference between the two lowest energy states of
the cesium atom (133Cs). When bombarded by microwaves of precisely the proper
frequency, cesium atoms undergo a transition from one of these states to the other. One
second (abbreviated s) is defined as the time required for 9,192,631,770 cycles of this
microwave radiation.

Length
In 1960 an atomic standard for the meter was also established, using the
wavelength of the orange-red light emitted by excited atoms of krypton 186Kr2. From
this length standard, the speed of light in vacuum was measured to be 299,792,458 m>s.
In November 1983, the length standard was changed again so that the speed of light in
vacuum was defined to be precisely 299,792,458 m>s. Hence the new definition of the
meter (abbreviated m) is the distance that light travels in vacuum in 1>299,792,458
second (Fig. 1.3b). This modern definition provides a much more precise standard of
length than the one based on a wavelength of light.

Mass
The standard of mass, the kilogram (abbreviated kg), is defined to be the mass of
a particular cylinder of platinum–iridium alloy kept at the International Bureau of Weights
and Measures at Sèvres, near Paris (Fig. 1.4). An atomic standard of mass would be more
fundamental, but at present we cannot measure masses on an atomic scale with as much
accuracy as on a macroscopic scale. The gram (which is not a fundamental unit) is 0.001
kilogram. Other derived units can be formed from the fundamental units. For example,
the units of speed are meters per second, or m>s; these are the units of length (m) divided
by the units of time (s).the units of speed are meters per second, or m>s; these are the
units of length (m) divided by the units of time (s).

VECTORS
When a physical quantity is described by a single number, we call it a scalar
quantity. In contrast, a vector quantity has both a magnitude (the “how much” or “how
big” part) and a direction in space. Calculations that combine scalar quantities use the
operations of ordinary arithmetic.

Adding Two Vectors at Right Angles


ex. A cross-country skier skis 1.00 km north and then 2.00 km east on a horizontal
snowfield. How far and in what direction is she from the starting point?

COMPONENTS OF VECTORS
We added vectors by using a scale diagram and properties of right triangles.
Making measurements of a diagram offers only very limited accuracy, and calculations
with right triangles work only when the two vectors are perpendicular. So we need a
simple but general method for adding vectors. This is called the method of components.

We use the numbers Ax and Ay to tell us how much displacement there is parallel to the
x-axis and how much there is parallel to the y-axis, respectively.

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