Chapter 1

Units, Physical Quantities and Vectors

1
Goals
• To learn three fundamental quantities of physics and
the units to measure them
• To understand vectors and scalars and how to add
vectors graphically
• To determine vector components and how to use them
in calculations
• To understand unit vectors and how to use them with
components to describe vectors
• To learn two ways of multiplying vectors

2
Outline
Measurement
Vectors
• Coordinate Systems
• Vectors and Scalars
• Vector Addition, and Subtraction
• Components of Vectors and Unit Vectors
• Adding Vectors by Components
• Scalar multiplication of Vectors
• Dot Product (scalar product)
• Cross Product (vector product)

3
Standards and units
Standards should be:
– Readily accessible, constant in time
– Based on measurements reproducible anywhere (including another
galaxy)
– Widely, preferably universally accepted
We use SI units (Système International) defined by international
standards bodies (1960)
Basic Quantity SI Unit
Length meter
Mass kilogram
Time second Other systems of units:
Temperature Kelvin
Electric Current Ampere
Gaussian (CGS), British (FPS)
Luminous Intensity Candela
Amount of Substance mole 4
Unit prefixes

5
Prefixes for Powers of 10

6
Derived Units
Single Fundamental Unit
• Area = Length  Length [L]2
• Volume = Length  Length  Length [L]3

Combination of Units
• Velocity = Length / Time [L/T]
• Acceleration = Length / (Time  Time) [L/T2]
• Force = Mass  Length / (Time  Time) [M L/T2

Both sides of an equation, and all terms on each side, must have
the same dimensions and be in the same units.
Convert units by applying dimensional analysis to the names of
units; i.e., by inserting conversion factors and cancelling units’
names
7
Example
A car travels at v = 7 m/s for t = 1 min. The speed is constant.
How far does it go? [d] = L
Check dimensional correctness of d = v t Use [v] = L/T
L [t] = T
[d ] = L [v ] [t] = T = L Correct Dimensions !
T Equation MAY be right

m
Check units of right side: d = 7 x 1 min Not Consistent!
s

Units conversion factors

There are: 60 s / min or 1/60 min / s

Choose the one that has “min” in denominator and insert it above:
m s
d = 7 x 1 min x 60 = 420 m
s min
8
Example
Test whether the expression at right is dimensionally correct
(It may or may not be correct physics): x =kat2
[k ] = none. It' s a dimensionless number
distance : [ x ] = L accelerati on : [a] = L/T2 [t 2 ] = T2
2 L 2
Check units of right side: [ x ] = k [a] [ t ] = 2
T
x = L
T
Equation is Dimensionally Correct !

9
Example
The acceleration a of a particle moving in a circle is proportional
to some power of the radius r and another power of the speed v.
Find the powers n & m: a = krnvm

Substitute the dimensions of a, r, & v:

m n+ m
L L L
[ a ] = 2 = [k ] [r n ][ vm ] = Ln x m =
T T Tm
Equate exponents in numerator and denominator:
m =2 n+ m = 1 = n+ 2  n= -1

➔ a = kv2/r

10
Vectors and scalars
• Scalar quantities have magnitudes & can be negative or positive, but
have no sense of direction. Ordinary arithmetic operations apply.
Examples: mass, density, time, speed, distance, work, energy, electric
charge

• Vector quantities have magnitudes and also convey direction, which

can be just negative or positive along a line.
Examples: displacement, velocity, acceleration, linear momentum, force,
torque, angular momentum, electric field.
• Notation
Magnitudes of vectors are by definition
For Vectors: 𝑨, A, A always positive scalars Vectors and their
For Magnitudes: 𝑨 = 𝐴 magnitudes have physical dimensions
11
Displacement is a Vector
• Displacement is the difference between a start location and
an ending location – magnitude and direction

Parallel vector Anti-parallel vector

12
Adding vectors

13
Adding vectors
𝑅 = 𝐴Ԧ + 𝐵 + 𝐶Ԧ = 𝐷 + 𝐶Ԧ

𝑅 = 𝐴Ԧ + 𝐵 + 𝐶Ԧ = 𝐴Ԧ + 𝐸

• All vectors summed have to mean the same kind of quantity

•These rules hold for any kind of vector 14
Subtracting vectors

𝐴Ԧ − 𝐵 = 𝐴Ԧ + (−𝐵)

15
 Polar and Cartesian components of a vector
Trigonometry 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑏
(right triangle): sin( 𝜃) ≡ = b = h sin( 𝜃)
ℎ𝑦𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑠𝑒 ℎ

𝑎𝑑𝑗𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎
h cos( 𝜃) ≡ = a = h 𝑐os(𝜃)
b opposite ℎ𝑦𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑠𝑒 ℎ
q 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑏 sin(𝜃)
tan( 𝜃) ≡ = = b = a 𝑡an(𝜃)
a 𝑎𝑑𝑗𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎 𝑐os(𝜃
adjacent

16
Polar and Cartesian components of a vector
Given a vector in polar coordinates: 𝑎Ԧ ≡ (𝑎, 𝜃)
Find Cartesian x & y of the tip of the vector relative to axes at the tail
y’ 𝑎x = 𝑎 cos(𝜃) 𝑎y = 𝑎 sin(𝜃)
y Unit vector representation:
𝑎Ԧ
𝑎Ԧ = (ax , ay ) ≡ 𝑎x 𝑖Ƹ + 𝑎y 𝑗Ƹ
a ay = a sin(q)
𝑗Ƹ q 𝑎 = 𝑎𝑥2 + 𝑎𝑦2
𝑖Ƹ ax = a cos(q) x’
𝑎𝑦 −1 𝑎𝑦
tan(𝜃) = 𝜃 = tan
x 𝑎𝑥 𝑎𝑥
Components would be different The components behave independently
if axes are rotated (different q). so long as the axes are perpendicular
Magnitude would be unchanged to each other
17
 Adding vectors using components
𝑅 = 𝐴Ԧ + 𝐵

𝑅𝑥 = 𝐴𝑥 + 𝐵𝑥

𝑅𝑦 = 𝐴𝑦 + 𝐵𝑦

Where 𝐴𝑥 = 𝐴Ԧ cos 𝜃𝐴 and 𝐴𝑦 = 𝐴Ԧ cos 𝜃𝐴

𝐵𝑥 = 𝐵 cos 𝜃𝐵 and 𝐵𝑦 = 𝐵 sin 𝜃𝐵

𝑹= 𝑹𝟐𝒙 + 𝑹𝟐𝒚
18
Unit vectors, 3 D, right-handed coordinates
z • Cartesian, right-handed axes
rԦ ෠ have length 1 unit along
• Unit vectors 𝑖,Ƹ መj, k
q each axis
𝑘෠ 𝑗Ƹ • Unit vectors are mutually perpendicular
y (linearly independent)
𝑖Ƹ
q • Any vector can be expanded in the unit
x vectors: ෠
rԦ = 𝑟𝑥 𝑖Ƹ + 𝑟𝑦 jƸ + 𝑟𝑧 k
z
• We always use right-handed coordinate systems.
• In three-dimensions the right-hand rule determines
the positive direction for axes.
y • Curl the fingers of your RIGHT HAND so they go
from x to y. Your thumb will point in the positive z
x direction.
19
Right Handed Coordinate Systems
Which of these coordinate systems are right-handed?
A. I and II.
B. II and III.
y y II.
C. I, II, and III. I.
D. I and IV. x z
E. IV only. z x

x III. x IV.

y z
z y

20
Multiplying a vector by a scalar

መ
𝒄𝑨 = 𝒄𝑨𝒙 𝒊Ƹ + 𝒄𝑨𝒚 𝐣Ƹ + 𝒄𝑨𝒛 𝐤

Vector times scalar ➔

Vector whose length is multiplied
by the scalar Multiply each
component by the same number (c)

21
The scalar product (Dot product)
vector times vector ➔ scalar
՜ ՜
𝐴 . 𝐵 = 𝐴𝐵 cos 𝜑

Ԧ 𝐵 = B. A = 𝐴𝑥 𝐵𝑥 + Ay By + Az Bz
𝐴.

i.Ƹ jƸ = 0, መj. k෠ = 0, መi. k෠ = 0

෠ k෠ = 1
መi. iƸ = 1, መj. jƸ = 1, k.

22
The vector product (Cross product)
vector times
vector ➔ vector
The cross product
of two vectors has
magnitude:
| A B | = AB sin
and the right-hand
rule gives its
direction.

23
The vector product
The components of cross product can be calculated as

24