Chapter 1.

Units, Physical
Quantities, and Vectors
Lecture 1. Units and Physical Quantities

Physical theories are patterns that relate to phenomena of nature.

A very well established or widely used theory is called a physical

law or principle

Physical Quantities

Values used to describe physical phenomena that can be quantified by

measurements

In the example, F = 30 N,

F is the physical quantity

30 is the number or magnitude

N is the unit or standard

Defines the nature of the measurable quantity and the standard with
which you are comparing to

Equations describing physical phenomena must always be

dimensionally consistent

Systems of Measurement

 English System

Chapter 1. Units, Physical Quantities, and Vectors 1

  SI System

Dimensional Analysis can be used to:

 Derive an equation

 Check if the equation is dimensionally correct

 Know the units or the dimension of a physical quantity

Uncertainty

The margin of error inherent to a measurement due to the limitations of

a measuring device

Tells how precise a measurement is

Lecture 2. Vectors

A scalar is a quantity described by its magnitude while vector (A) is a

quantity with both magnitude and direction

Vector Representations

Bearing Magnitude-Direction)

Example: d = 4 m, 45° north of east. 4 m indicates the magnitude of

the vector while 45° north of east shows the direction

Components

Unit vectors are vectors with a magnitude of 1

Example of 2D Vector:

Chapter 1. Units, Physical Quantities, and Vectors 2

 where, Ax = ∣ A ∣ cos θ, Ay = ∣ A ∣ sin θ, and A = Ax^i + Ay ^j
note: the formula would vary if θ is measured relative to the y-axis.
ALWAYS USE TRIGONOMETRY

Definitions

Velocity is the vector quantity of the time rate of change of

displacement of an object

Speed is a scalar quantity which indicates the magnitude of

velocity

Applications

 The initial velocity of a human cannonball is 25 m/s directed 34.1° from

the horizontal. What are the x and y components of this velocity?

 The initial velocity of a human cannonball has x and y components of

20.7 m/s and 14.0 m/s, respectively. What is the speed of the object?
At what angle from the horizontal was the human cannonball launched?

Vector Operations

Vector Addition, C =A+B

C is the vector sum or resultant. This can be expressed in the graphical
way known as the "tail-to-head method"

Chapter 1. Units, Physical Quantities, and Vectors 3

 Vector Addition in Arbitrary Direction, A+B=R
 Split each vector into two perpendicular components

 Get the vector sum of each component vector

 Get the vector sum of the two perpendicular vectors

Vector Subtraction or Negative of a Vector

The negative of a vector is just a vector with the same magnitude but
opposite in direction. This allows us to perform vector subtraction

Examples

 Find P + Q - R in unit-vector form using the component method

A (−1.10^
i + 1.57^j )km ***CONSULT
 Solve 2P + Q - R

Chapter 1. Units, Physical Quantities, and Vectors 4

 i + 12k^ )
A (2^

 Solve P + Q + R

A 3 14
 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

Answer:

Chapter 1. Units, Physical Quantities, and Vectors 5

  Solve for the magnitude and direction
A ∣v∣ = 2.24 km
A θ = 63.43°
Young & Freedman Problem 1.39

 Write each vector in terms of unit vectors.

A = 1.23^i + 3.38j^
B = −2.08^i − 1.20j^
 What is the resultant vector in component form?

A + B = −0.85^i + 2.18j^
Professor's Examples

Chapter 1. Units, Physical Quantities, and Vectors 6

  Find the magnitude and direction of a fourth force that will
make the vector sum of the four forces zero.

A Dx = −22.5N , Dy = 87.3N , ∣D∣ = 90.2N , θ = 256°(wrt

+x)

 Solve for the speed and velocity of the object above

Chapter 1. Units, Physical Quantities, and Vectors 7

 A speed = 2.3 ms and velocity = 0.33 ms

Chapter 1. Units, Physical Quantities, and Vectors 8