PHYSICS 2014

Gen Physics 1
 Lab Manuals
• Lab manuals will be purchased
from the Student Union Bookstore
• You are required to bring it to
lab with you each week.
• If your cover does not match
the image on this page, you
have the wrong one. Do not
open it and return it.
Physics and modeling
+ The main use of physics is to construct models to represent real
life
+ Usually with math
+ Also graphs, tables, pictures and your own mind
 Units and dimensions

LENGTH MASS TIME

Length example
 1m+2m=3 m still meters

 0.5*1 m=0.5m still meters

 2 m* 3 m=6 m^2 meters squared (area)

Making other dimensions
+
 Using dimensional analysis
+
Finding acceleration with dimensional analysis

+
NOTE
+
units
 SI (mks)
 meter
 kilogram
 second
Prefixes and scientific
notation

The prefixes make things easier

1 kilogram=1 kg=10^3 g= 1000

grams
Why scientific notation
+
Significant figures
 All measurements have an uncertainty
 In general, a significant figure is a reliably known digit
 2.68 has 3 sig figs
 2.7 has 2
Order of magnitude
+
Why order of magnitude
+ It give a good guess with little math
+