General Physics Reviewer

➔ PHYSICS
- Defined as the science of matter and energy.
- Essential to everyone since it explains the different things that we
experience or do everyday.

● MEASUREMENT
- In doing measurement, the foremost objective is to measure accurately.
But uncertainty in measurement is always there.
- To understand measurement, there must be a number to quantify
measurement and a unit which serves as reference of the measurement.

● SCIENTIFIC NOTATION
- It is used in very large or small measurements in Physics.
𝑛
- Formula: 𝑀 × 10
- Where M is the number and n is the exponent.
- Changing given measurements into scientific notation:
𝑛
a. 521,000,000 = 5. 21 × 10 (where M = 5.21 and n = 8)
−5
b. 0.0000678 = 6. 78 × 10 (where M = 6.78 and n = -5)

● SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
- Is one way to write or show the precise measurement.
- These are numbers that can be exact or a good estimate in measurement.
- Rules to determine the number of significant figures:
1. Numbers greater than zero are significant
● 32.45 has 4 significant figures
● 8 has 1 significant figures
● 0.106 has significant figures
● 49005.7 has 6 significant figures
2. Zeroes in a measured quantity are significant figures.
● 9.0050 has 5 significant figures
● 2.20 has 3 significant figures
● 8.016 has 4 significant figures
● 4003.5 has 5 significant figures
3. Zeroes to locate the decimal point are not significant figures
● 0.0056 has 2 significant figures
 ● 0.000101 has 3 significant figures

● PHYSICAL QUANTITIES
- Measurable properties of an object like its length, mass and time.

● FUNDAMENTAL QUANTITY
- Quantities that do not depend on any of the other quantities
- Fundamental quantity mass was used to understand and quantify the
measurement of sugar.
- Example: 2 kilograms of sugar

● 7 FUNDAMENTAL QUANTITY IN MEASUREMENT

MEASURED QUANTITY FUNDAMENTAL UNITS ABBREVIATION OF UNIT

1. Length Meters m

2. Mass Kilograms kg

3. Time Seconds s

4. Electric Current Amperes A

5. Temperature Kelvin K

6. Amount of matter mole M

7. Luminous intensity Candela cd

● DERIVED QUANTITY
- Combination of two or more fundamental quantities to understand
measurement.
- The speed of a moving car is 45 m/s. In this case, to understand the
measurement, two fundamental quantities were used (length and time)

● TABLE OF CONVERSION

Length
1 m = 3.28ft 1 km = 1000m
1 ft = 12 inches 1 m = 100 cm
1 yard = 3 ft 1 cm = 10 mm
1 inch = 2.54 cm 1 mile = 5,280 ft
 1 mile = 1.6 km 1 m = 39.37 inch

Mass/weight/force
5
1 kg = 1000 g 1 N = 10 dynes
2
1 kg = 2.205 lb 1 N = 1 kg m/s
1 lb = 454 g 1 lb = 16 ounces

Volume
3 3
1m = 35.315ft
3
1 li = 1000 cm
1 gallon = 3.78 li

Power
1 Hp = 746 watts
1 kw = 1000 watts
1 hp = 550 ft-lb/s

Time
1 hour = 60 mins
1 min = 60 sec
1 hour = 3600 sec

work/energy
7
1 joule = 10 ergs

➢ HOW TO MANUALLY CONVERT A UNIT OF MEASUREMENT

★ CASE 1: Conversion of unit using one conversion factor

Example: Convert 3 feet to inches

Step 1: Select the correct conversion factor from the table of conversion.

1 foot = 12 inches

Step 2: Make two ratios from the conversion factor

1 𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑡 12 𝑖𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠
Ratio A: 12 𝑖𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠
Ratio B: 1 𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑡
 Step 3: multiply ratio b to the given quantity so that the unit feet will be the
denominator and will be cancelled.

12 𝑖𝑛.
Solution: 3 𝑓𝑡 × 1 𝑓𝑡
= (3)(12𝑖𝑛) = 36 𝑖𝑛.

➔ UNCERTAINTIES AND DEVIATIONS IN

MEASUREMENTS

➢ UNCERTAINTY
- Also mean the absolute error
- Error does not mean the measurement made is incorrect but how precise
or accurate we are performing the measurement.
● VERNIER CALIPER
- An instrument introduced by Pierre Vernier, mainly used to accurately
measure linear dimensions.
- Has ± 0. 01𝑚𝑚 tolerance written on the instrument.
- Formula: measurement made = actual measurement ± uncertainty
❖ SAMPLE PROBLEM
You want to measure the diameter of a 25-centavo coin using a plastic
ruler in centimeters (cm.). A single measurement reading indicate 2.11cm
and the smallest division is 0.1 cm. So that:

Measurement = 2.11 cm ± 0.1cm

The range of the measurement is between 2.01cm and 2.21cm. Between 0.01cm
to 0.21 cm is the uncertainty. This shows that we are confident in this range of
uncertainty because the range is very small.

➢ TYPES OF ERROR
1. PERSONAL ERROR
- Person itself doing the measurement
2. SYSTEMATIC ERROR
- Measuring tool or instruments
3. RANDOM ERROR
- Unpredictable or beyond the control of the person
➔ ACCURACY AND PRECISION

● ACCURACY
- Nearness or exactness of the actual measurement done.
● PRECISION
- Closeness of agreement among the different measurements results
when measuring the same quantity.

➔ SCALAR QUANTITY
- Quantities that are described by their magnitude
- Ex: distance, area, speed, mass, volume, density

➢ VECTOR QUANTITY
- Quantities that are described by their magnitude and direction.
- Ex: force downward, velocity of a car moving east, displacement of a
pencil thrown upward, acceleration towards the west.

➢ VECTOR ADDITION
- Resultant is the vector sum of more than one vector.
- Although, addition is the word used but it is combining vectors having
different magnitude and direction.

➢ RULES IN VECTOR ADDITION

1. When two given vectors are acting in the same direction.
● Add the magnitude of the two vectors to get the resultant.
● For the direction, use the same direction of the given vectors.
2. When two vectors are acting in the opposite direction.
● Subtract the magnitude of the two vectors to get the resultant.
● For the direction, follow the direction of the larger magnitude.

➔ KINEMATICS
- Deals with the study of the description of motion
- Example: Vehicles on the road, ballpen dropped from a height, student
walking, LRT train.
➢ MOTION
- A continuous change of position with regards to known point of reference.
➢ POSITION
- To represent the object in motion to some point of reference or starting
point.
- Usually the origin of the x-axis as the reference point for motion on a
straight line.
➢ OBJECT
- Referred to as the particle in motion that is being studied or analyzed.
➢ DISTANCE
- Total length covered for a certain motion on a straight line.
➢ DISPLACEMENT
- The actual change of position of the object in motion.
- Indicates the initial and final position of the object and also a vector
quantity.
➢ SPEED
- A scalar quantity that gives the magnitude of how fast an object is moving.
- The ratio of the distance covered and the time to cover that distance.
Common unit in m/s.
𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑
- Speed = 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒
➢ VELOCITY
- Ratio of the displacement of the object and the time pass in that
displacement.
𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡
- Velocity = 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒

➢ AVERAGE VELOCITY
- The ratio of the complete distance covered by the object and the total time
to complete the distance.
➢ INSTANTANEOUS VELOCITY
- The velocity commonly used read in the odometer while driving or the
velocity at that moment or situation.
➢ ACCELERATION
- The rate at which the velocity of the object is changing.
- The word to accelerate or to increase some more speed in the motion.
➢ UNIFORM ACCELERATED MOTION
- When the velocity of an object in motion changes at constant rate when
acceleration is the same as pass by.
- Formulas:
● 𝑉𝑓 = 𝑉0 + 𝑎𝑡
 2 2
● 𝑉𝑓 = 𝑉0 + 2𝑎𝑆
1 2
● 𝑆 = 𝑉0𝑡 + 2
𝑎𝑡
➢ TERMINOLOGIES
● 𝑉0 - Initial Velocity
● 𝑉𝑓 - Final Velocity
● A - acceleration
● T - time
● S - distance covered

➢ FREE-FALL MOTION
- A type of uniform accelerated motion wherein the acceleration is constant.
- Free-falling bodies move under the action of their own weight due to the
pull of the Earth’s gravity.
- Formulas:
● 𝑉𝑓 = 𝑉0 + 𝑔𝑡
2 2
● 𝑉𝑓 = 𝑉 + 2𝑔𝑆
0
1 2
● 𝑆 = 𝑉𝑜𝑡 + 2
𝑔𝑡

➔ LAW OF INERTIA
- States that a body will remain at rest, and a body in motion will remain in
motion at constant velocity in a straight line if no force acts on it.

➢ INERTIA
- The ability of an object that needs application of force to change the
object’s motion.

➢ LAW OF ACCELERATION
- States that the acceleration of a body is directly proportional to the force
acting on it and inversely proportional with the mass of the body.
- Formula: F = ma
- Where: F - force, m - mass and a - acceleration

➢ LAW OF INTERACTION
- States that for every action force, there is an equal and opposite reaction
force.