The Science of Motion

Bilingual General High School

Second Semester
Stage 1:
The Science of Measurements
Base presentation of Stage 1 of The
Science of Motion
● With the purpose of covering the basic contents of the learning unit of The Science of Motion,
this presentation was elaborated, which we hope will be useful to the student to use as support
and enhance it with additional material of their preference taken from reliable sources.

● We reiterate that it is a support material that, in addition to the instructional guide and the
textbook, will serve as a fundamental resource because, based on them, the academic period
of January-June 2023 will be approached.
Stage 1: The science of measurements
Competency elements.
● The student recognizes the different unit systems that are used in the measuring of physical
magnitudes, to carry out conversions among them and use them as references to measure.

● The student uses instruments for measuring length, mass, and time in accordance with safety
standards and their handling to obtain quantitative information on the movement of bodies.

● The student recognizes the characteristics of vector magnitudes, as well as their conversion
from polar to rectangular coordinates or vice versa to solve sums of two or more vectors.
Stage 1. Physics: The Science of Measurements.
1.1 Introduction to Physics
Before we delve into the extensive and fascinating world of the science of motion we need to make it clear
for the student to know the scientific basis that rule this phenomenon widely studied by Physics and that
have to do with many of its branches and other disciplines, because it is a fact that motion is an integral
part of our lives and everything around us is in constant motion.
 What is Physics? What does Physics study in general?

Physics studies matter, energy, space, time, and their interactions

Obviously, these are the objects of study of Physics, but that implies a big amount and variety of
phenomena, from the knowledge of the characteristics of the motion of a leaf of a tree that freely
falls to the ground, to the study of the particles that make up matter in its elemental composition,
such as electrons, quarks, neutrinos, to mention some examples, without forgetting the motion of
planets, stars and celestial bodies in general.
 Given this, Physics has been classified into branches to simplify the academic study of
this fascinating scientific discipline: Classical Physics and Modern Physics.

• Classical Physics. It is the one that developed from ancient times, Aristotle being its main
representative, from the 3rd century BC, until reaching its culmination at the end of the
19th century AD with characters such as Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, James C.
Maxwell, among others. During this time, most of the acquired knowledge was developed
taking as the main source of information the senses such as sight, hearing, touch.

• Modern Physics. It begins at the end of the 19th century when the study of movement at
speeds close to or equal to that of light and the study of the behavior of matter at
microscopic levels began.
Branches of Classical Physics Electro
Me magnet
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p t ic s
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O Termodinámica
Thermodynamics
ccas
sutsi ti
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 Branches of Modern Physics
u m Nu
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Relativist ua ea
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At l e
om r tic
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1.2 History of Physics
In ancient times, various cultures had an outstanding technological advance for their time.
To simplify, we will start the study from the Aristotelian model. Aristotle tried to explain each of the
relevant aspects of nature and life, and is considered the first of the encyclopedists.
In short, there are two thinking predominant models:

Aristotelian Model

- It formulates a great logical universe, where each thing "knows" its place and
tends to remain there.
- The geocentric model of the universe was accepted
- It was believed in the order of things since everything was in the right place:
water, earth, wind and fire.
- The movement of objects was natural and they moved according to their own
weight.
- Aristotle said that heavier bodies fall faster because they have more of the earth
element.
Classical, Mechanistic, or Newtonian Model

• In this period, the foundations of the "scientific revolution" were laid

by proposing that all knowledge should arise from experimentation,
reproducing phenomena in a controlled manner. At this time,
Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, and many more, put a
complete turn on the ideas of the Aristotelian model.

Modern pattern
Later, in the middle or late nineteenth century, research began with
more formality, of the microscopic world of the composition of matter,
that is, of atoms, electrons, protons and other subatomic particles, as
well as the study of the behavior of bodies when moving at speeds close
to the speed of light.
At the same moment, Relativistic Physics started. It studies the movement of
objects at speeds close to light speed and the effect of these speeds on
mass, length, time, and energy. As in quantum mechanics, direct
measurements cannot be made in relativistic Physics. The energy-mass
relationship given by E = mc2, where "E" represents the energy of an object
of a certain mass "m" and "c", the speed of light.

Time Dilation
If a body has a speed comparable to that
of light, say 280,000 km/s, then it travels through
time into the future.

Any synchronized clock in motion lags

another that is at rest.
 To summarize the above,
the predominant ideas in physics throughout history are:

1) That of order, developed by Aristotle, prevailed until the 16th century, that is
to say that, in antiquity, science consisted of ordering things.

2) That of a mechanical cause arises from Galileo and Newton; when science had
as its main axis the search for the mechanical cause of observable
phenomena. It predominated in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries, physics that is based on this idea is known as classical physics.

3)The idea of a probabilistic behavior was developed from at the

beginning of this century and indicates, as a primary concept, the
probability that matter, at the microscopic level, has a certain
behavior. Variations of some quantities are also considered when
the particles move at speeds close to speed light. These quantities
(length, mass, time, etc.) were invariable in classical physics.
 1.3 Measurement and Physical Quantity
What is it, what does it consist of, and how is the measuring carried out?
is
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Physical quantities are divided into fundamental
and derived quantities:
Fundamental Units Derived Units
The fundamental physical quantities are those The derived physical quantities are those that
that do not depend on any other physical are formed by combining two or more
quantity, they are the basic quantities and are fundamental physical quantities, in this case
measured directly, Examples: there are a great variety, Examples:
t ure
gth pe r a r rent a Veloc
Len
Tem tric C u Are ity
El ec
r a tion
Volum e le
Mass e Acc
Light in
tensity
p ulse Force
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Tim
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y of move
Amount of substance ment
1.4 System of Weights and Measures
International System (IS). In 1875, the English system. Its origins date back to the
fundamental units of the International United Kingdom, but it is also used in the
System of Units was established in United States and some English-speaking
France. countries.
Length: Meters (m) Foot
Mass: Kilograms (kg) Pound (Lb)
Time: Seconds ( s ) Seconds ( s )
Temperature: Kelvin (K) Rankine (R)

CGS System (or centimeter–gram–second system of units).

It was one of the first established. It was proposed in 1832 by the German mathematician and scientist
Karl Gauss. Its fundamental units are centimeter (c), gram (g) and second (s). It was widely used, but
today it has been almost entirely replaced by the International System.
 Multiples Submultiples
Prefix Factor symbol Prefix Factor symbol
iotta (Y) 1024 iocto (y) 10-24
Multiples and zetta (Z) 1021 zepto (z) 10-21
submultiples exa (E) 1018 atto (a) 10-18
peta (P) 1015 femto (f) 10-15
of the tera (T) 1012 pico (p) 10-12
International giga (G) 109 nano (n) 10-9

System (SI) mega (M) 106 micro (µ) 10-6

kilo (k) 103 mili (m) 10-3
hecto (h) 102 centi (c) 10-2
deca (da) 101 deci (d) 10--1
100
1.5 Unit conversion through the conversion factor
Use of the Conversion Factor
To use the conversion factor it is necessary to know or at least have a linear equivalence at hand:
1 m = 100 cm 1 mile = 1,609.344 m
1 kg = 1000 gr 1 hr = 60 min
1 inch =2.54 cm 1 kg = 2.2046 lb Etc.

With each equivalence, two conversion factors can be formed, which will be used according to the
convenience of the conversion to be carried out, Example:
1 m = 100 cm
Factors:

1𝑚 100 𝑐𝑚
= 1 =
100 𝑐𝑚 1𝑚
1.4 Unit Conversion
Sometimes it is necessary to express a physical quantity in other units, either from the same
system or from another. To carry out a unit conversion, follow these steps:

a) Write the data: quantity to be converted with its units.

b) Select the equivalence that relates the given units to the desired units.
c) Form the appropriate conversion factor, according to the desired units, from the
equivalence.
d) Multiply the quantity by the conversion factor and eliminate the unwanted units.
Examples of conversion of: Fundamental Units

1. Convert 38 inches to cm 2. Convert 52 km to miles

(1 inch = 2.54 cm) (1 mile = 1.609 km)
SOLUTION

1. Convert 38 inches to cm 2. Convert 52 km to miles

(1 inch = 2.54 cm) (1 mile = 1.609 km)

38 inches 𝟐. 𝟓𝟒 52 𝒌𝒎 𝟏 𝒎𝒊𝒍e
𝒄𝒎
𝟏 inch 𝟏. 𝟔𝟎𝟗 𝒌𝒎

96.52 cm 32.318 miles

3. Convert 250 Lbs to kg 4. Convert 254 cm to mm
(1 kg = 2.2 Lbs ) (1 cm = 10 mm)
SOLUTION

3. Convert 250 Lbs to kg 4. Convert 254 cm to mm

(1 kg = 2.2046 Lbs ) (1 cm = 10 mm)

25𝟎 𝑳𝒃s 𝟏 𝒌𝒈 254 𝒄𝒎 𝟏𝟎 𝒎𝒎

𝟐.𝟐046 𝒍𝒃s 𝟏 𝒄𝒎

113.399 Kg 2,540 mm
5. Convert 12.7 m to inch 6. Convert 7,950 gallons to m3
(1 m = 100 cm) (1 gallon = 3.78 liters)
(1 inch = 2.54 cm) (1m3 = 1000 liters)
 SOLUTION

5. Convert 12.7 m to inch 6. Convert 7,950 gallons to m3

(1 m = 100 cm) (1 gallon = 3.785 liters)
(1 inch = 2.54 cm) (1m3 = 1000 liters)

12.7𝒎 𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝒄𝒎 𝟏 inch 7,950 𝒈𝒂𝒍 𝟑. 𝟕𝟖5 𝒍 𝟏𝒎𝟑

𝟏𝒎 𝟐. 𝟓𝟒 𝟏 𝒈𝒂𝒍 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝒍
𝒄𝒎

500 inches 30.09 m3

7. Convert 5 days to seconds 8. Convert 86 feet to inches
(1 day = 24h) (1 foot = 30.48 cm)
(1 h = 60 min) (1 inch = 2.54 cm)
(1 min = 60 s)
 SOLUTION

7. Convert 5 days to seconds

(1 day = 24 h) 8. Convert 86 foot to inch
(1 h = 60 min) (1 foot = 30.48 cm)
(1 min = 60 s) (1 inch = 2.54 cm)

86 foot 𝟑𝟎.48 𝒄𝒎 𝟏 inch

5 𝒅ays 𝟐𝟒 𝒉 𝟔𝟎 𝒎𝒊𝒏 𝟔𝟎 𝒔
𝟏 𝒑𝒊𝒆 𝟐. 𝟓𝟒 𝒄𝒎
𝟏 𝒅í𝒂𝒔 𝟏𝒉 𝟏 𝒎𝒊𝒏

432,000 s 1,032 inches

 Conversion examples of: Derived units

9. Convert 470 cm2 to inch2 10. Convert 38 cm3 to mm3

(1 inch = 2.54 cm) (1 cm = 10 mm)
 SOLUTION

9. Convert 470 cm2 to inch2 10. Convert 38 cm3 to mm3

(1 inch = 2.54 cm) (1 cm = 10 mm)
(1 inch = 2.54 cm)2 = 1 inch2 = 6.4516 cm2 (1 cm = 10 mm)3 = 1 cm3 = 1000 mm3

47𝟎 𝒄𝒎 𝟐
𝟏 inch 𝟐 38 𝒄𝒎𝟑 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎𝒎𝒎𝟑

𝟔. 𝟒𝟓𝟏𝟔 𝒄𝒎 𝟐 𝟏 𝒄𝒎𝟑

72.8𝟓 inch𝟐 38,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝒎𝒎𝟑

 3
11. Convert 1.35 km to m 3 12. Convert 387 cm3 to foot3
(1 foot = 30 cm)
(1 km = 1000 m)
 SOLUTION

11. Convert 1.35 km3 to m3 12. Convert 387 cm3 to foot3

(1 km = 1000 m) (1 foot = 30 cm)
(1 km = 1000 m)3 = 1 km3 = 1000000000 m3 = 𝟏𝒙𝟏𝟎𝟗 𝒎𝟑 (1 foot = 30 cm)3 = 1 foot3 = 27,000
cm3

1.3𝟓 𝒌𝒎𝟑 𝟏𝒙𝟏𝟎 𝒎 𝟗 𝟑 387 𝒄𝒎𝟑 𝟏 foot

𝟏 𝒌𝒎𝟑 𝟐𝟕, 𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝒄𝒎𝟑

1.3𝟓𝒙𝟏𝟎 𝒎 𝟗 𝟑 𝟏4.33 𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟑 foot𝟑

13. Convert 60 km/h to m/s 14. Convert 28 m/s to km/h
(1 km = 1000 m) (1h = 3600 s) (1 km = 1000 m) (1h = 3600 s)
 SOLUTION

13. Convert 60 km/h to m/s 14. Convert 28 m/s to km/h

(1 km = 1000 m) (1h = 3600 s) (1 km = 1000 m) (1h = 3600 s)

60 𝒌𝒎 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝒎 𝟏𝒉 28 𝒎 𝟏 𝒌𝒎 𝟑𝟔𝟎𝟎 𝒔
𝒉 𝟏 𝒌𝒎 𝟑𝟔𝟎𝟎 𝒔 𝒔 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝒎 𝟏𝒉

𝒎 𝒌𝒎
16.67 𝒔
100.8 𝒉
15. Convert 105 km/h to m/s 16. Convert 18 m/s to km/h
(1 km = 1000 m) (1h = 3600 s) (1 km = 1000 m) (1h = 3600 s)
SOLUTION

15. Convert 105 km/h to m/s 16. Convert 18 m/s to km/h

(1 km = 1000 m) (1h = 3600 s) (1 km = 1000 m) (1h = 3600 s)

105 𝒌𝒎 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝒎 𝟏𝒉 18 𝒎 𝟏 𝒌𝒎 𝟑𝟔𝟎𝟎 𝒔

𝒉 𝟏 𝒌𝒎 𝟑𝟔𝟎𝟎 𝒔 𝒔 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝒎 𝟏𝒉

𝒌𝒎
29.16 64.8
𝒔 𝒉
𝒎
1.7 Measurement Instruments
Length measuring instrument
Since Antiquity, the human being used tools to be able to quantify the
dimensions of objects or places.

They started using their own body for this purpose, for example: the
step, the span, the breaststroke, the inch, the foot, among others.

Mass measuring instruments

Scales are used to measure mass. A balance is a first-class lever
whose arms are equal and at its ends two saucers are supported: in
one of them the object to be measured is placed and in the other a
reference object to compare it (the weight).

Time measuring instruments

In order to quantify time, in ancient times, the human being used
various ways to measure time, such as: The shadow cast by the Sun;
candles, the hourglass, among many others.
 1.8 Scalar and vector quantities.
In this course we will see another classification of physical quantities, which is established
according to the way of working with them, since some of them only have numerical properties,
but others also have directional properties.

Physical quantities can be classified as scalar and vector.

Scalar quantities. They are fully specified by a numerical value and a unit of measure. They
have no direction.

As examples of scalar quantities, we have distance, speed, mass, time, temperature, and many
others that you will learn to identify along time with study and dedication,

Vector quantities (or simply vectors). They are specified by a numerical value, the
corresponding unit of measurement and also, a direction.

Examples of vector magnitudes are velocity, displacement, force, momentum, acceleration,

and others that you will also be able to identify as you delve into the study of this scientific
discipline.
Characteristics of vector quantities.

A vector quantity or simply vector has two basic elements: the magnitude (v), which is also called
“module”. It is the extension of the vector, its measure or size.
For example, a velocity vector might be 50 km/h at 78°. In this example, 50 km/h is the magnitude.
The other element is the direction (𝛳), that is, where the vector is directed. It is usually expressed in
sexagesimal degrees from the positive part of the "x" axis counterclockwise.
In the example above, 78° is the direction.
The application point can also be considered as another element of the vector characteristics, however,
we will take this point at the origin of the coordinate system that we are using.
Rectangular components of a vector.
A vector can be described in terms of its rectangular components.
Rectangular components are the “projections” of a vector onto the “x” and “y” axes.

The rectangular components of a vector can be calculated through the following formulas:
Example. Given a velocity vector of 50 km/h at 78°, calculate its rectangular components “x” and
“y”.
Solution:
v = 50 km/h at 78°
50 km/h is the magnitude of the vector and 78° is its
direction. We substitute this data in the previous
formulas and we calculate:

★ Based on the procedure in this example, solve Activity 1.3 Transformation of polar to
rectangular coordinates, found on page 32 of your textbook.
Polar components of a vector.
It is possible to find the polar coordinates of a vector, that is, its magnitude (v) and direction (θ), if
we know its rectangular coordinates. For this we apply the Pythagorean Theorem and the tangent
trigonometric function written as follows:

In other words, finding the polar coordinates of a vector is the reverse process of finding its
rectangular coordinates.
Analyze the following example:
Example.
A vector has the following rectangular coordinates: vx = 200 N and vy = -180 N
Find its polar coordinates, that is, find its magnitude and its direction.
Solution:
To find its magnitude, we apply the Pythagorean Theorem as follows:

to find its direction, apply the formula below:

⇒

Since the vector corresponds to quadrant IV, we adjust the direction to the “+x” axis
★ Based on the procedure in this
example, solve Activity 1.4
Transformation of rectangular to polar
coordinates, found on page 35 of your
The polar coordinates of the vector are: v = 269.07 N at 318.01° textbook.
Method of the components for the addition of vectors.

Vector quantities can be added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided. In this course we will see the vector
addition operation, since vectors do not add in the same way as scalar quantities due to the fact that they have
directional properties.
There are several methods for the addition of vectors, we will deal with the Method of Components, which is
described next.

Step 1. Find the “x” components of all the vectors with the formula you already know:

Step 2. Add the “x” components that you calculated in the previous step. This sum is expressed as follows:
Step 3. Find the “y” components of all the vectors with the formula you already know:

Step 4. Add the “y” components that you calculated in the previous step. This sum is expressed as follows:

Step 5. The sums of components "x" and "y" are the rectangular components of the vector sum or resulting
vector. Now you must transform these rectangular coordinates to polar ones as we saw previously, applying the
Pythagorean Theorem.

Step 6. Every vector has a direction. This is calculated using the tangent function.
Example.

Calculate the resultant vector or sum of the following force vectors:

F1 = 10 N at 30°
F2 = 15 N at 120°
F3 = 8 N at 170°
Solution: We are going to synthesize the method of the components solving the problem using
the following table:
Force (F) Angle (𝛳) Fx = F.Cos 𝛳 Fy = F.Sin 𝛳

F1 = 10 N 𝛳1 = 30° Fx1 = (10 N)(Cos 30°) = 8.66 N Fy1 = (10 N)(Sin 30°) = 5 N

F2 = 15 N 𝛳2 = 120° Fx2 = (15 N)(Cos 120°) = -7.5 N Fy2 = (15 N)(Sin 120°) = 12.99 N

F3 = 8 N 𝛳3 = 170° Fx3 = (8 N)(Cos 170°) = -7.88 N Fy3 = (8 N)(Sin 170°) = 1.39 N

ΣFx = -6.72 N ΣFy =19.38 N

In this way we have synthesized the first four steps of the component method.
The next steps are:
Step 5. Calculation of the magnitude of the resulting vector:

Graphic representation:

Step 6. Calculation of the direction of the resulting vector:

Adjustment of the direction since the resulting vector is from the 2nd
quadrant

The resultant vector is:

★ Based on the procedure in this example, solve Activity 1.5
FR = 20.51 N at 109.12° Addition of vectors, method of components, found on pages
40 to 42 of your textbook.
“The most useful science will be the
one whose fruits are more
communicable.”

Leonardo da Vinci
Thank you!