Chapter 1

Units, Physical
Quantities, and Vectors
PowerPoint® Lectures for
University Physics, Twelfth Edition
– Hugh D. Young and Roger A. Freedman

Lectures
Lectures by
by Marie
JamesGrace
PazunArellano-Rosales
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley
 Goals for Chapter 1
• To prepare presentation of physical quantities using
accepted standards for units
• To understand how to list and calculate data with
the correct number of significant figures
• To manipulate vector components and add vectors
• To prepare vectors using unit vector notation
• To use and understand scalar products
• To use and understand vector products

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 Introduction
• The study of physics is
important because
physics is one of the
most fundamental
sciences, and one of the
first applications of the
pure study, mathematics,
to practical situations.
• Physics is ubiquitous,
appearing throughout
our “day-to-day”
experiences.
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 Solving problems in physics
• Identify, set up, execute, evaluate

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 Standards and units
• Base units are set for length, time, and mass.

Standard for length:

1 meter: base on the wavelength of orange-red light emitted
by krypton (86Kr)
1 meter = distance light travels in vacuum in
(1/299,792,458) second; where 299,792,458 m/s is the
speed of light

Standard for mass:

1 kilogram: mass of a platinum-iridium alloy kept at the
International Bureau of Weights and Measures at
Sevres, near France

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 Standards and units
• Base units are set for length, time, and mass.

Standard for time: based on an atomic clock

1 second = time for 9,192,631,770 cycles of transition
between energy levels of a cesium atom.

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 SI Base Units
Name Unit symbol Quantity Symbol
metre m length l (a lowercase L)
kilogram [Notes 1] kg mass m
second s time t
ampere A electric current I (a capital i)
thermodynamic
kelvin K T
temperature
Iv (a capital i with
candela cd luminous intensity lowercase v
subscript)
amount of
mole mol n
substance

Back

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 Standards and units
• Base units are set for length, time, and mass.
• Unit prefixes size the unit to fit the situation.

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 Table of prefixes

FACTOR PREFIX SYMBOL FACTOR PREFIX SYMBOL

−24
10
24
yotta- Y 10 yocto- y
−21
10
21
zetta- Z 10 zepto- z
− 18
10
18
exa- E 10 atto- a
− 15
10
15
peta- P 10 femto- f
− 12
10
12
tera- T 10 pico- p
−9
10
9
giga- G 10 nano- n
−6
mega- M micro- 
6
10 10
−3
10
3
kilo- k 10 milli- m
−2
10
2
hecto- h 10 centi- c
−1
10
1
deka- da 10 deci- d

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 Unit consistency and conversions
• An equation must be dimensionally consistent (be sure you’re
“adding apples to apples”).
• “Have no naked numbers” (always use units in calculations).
• Refer to Example 1.1 and Example 1.2 .

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 Example 1.1
The official world land speed recors is 1228.0
km/h, set in October 15, 1997, by Andy Green in
the jet engine car Thrust SSC. Express this in
meter per second.

km  3 m  1h 
1228.0 = 1228.8 10   = 341.11 m/s
h  h  3600s 

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 Example 1.2
Convert 1.84 cubic inches to cm3. To m3

3

( 
)
3 3
 = (1.84)(2.54)
2.54cm in cm
1.84cm 3 = 1.84cm 3  =
3 3
30.2cm
 1in.  in3

3
 10 m  − 2 3  cm m 
−2
30.2cm = (30.2cm )  = (30.2)(10 ) 
3 3
3 3
3 

 1cm   cm 
= 30.2 10−6 m3 = 3.20 10−5 m3

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 Uncertainty and significant figures—Figure 1.7
• Operations on data must preserve
the data’s accuracy.
• For multiplication and division,
round to the smallest number of
significant figures.
• For addition and subtraction,
round to the least accurate data.
• Refer to Table 1.1, and Example
1.3.
• Errors can result in your rails
ending in the wrong place.
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 Table 1.1
Mathematical Operation Significant figures in result
Multiplication or Division No more than in number with the fewest
significant figures
Example: (0.745x2.2)/3.885=0.42
Example: (1.32578x107 )x (4.11x10-3 ) =
5.45 x 104
Addition or Subtraction Determined by the number with the
largest uncertainty (ie., the fewest digits
to the right of the decimal point)
Exampe: 27.153+138.2-11.74 = 153.6

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 Example 1.3
Calculate the rest energy of an electron using
E = mc2 with m = 9.11 x 10-19 kg and speed of
light c = 2.99792458 x 108 m/s
Execute: note, m has 3 sig fig
(
E = 9.1110 kg 2.9979245810 m / s−31
)( 8
)
2

= (9.11)(2.99792458) 10
2
( −31
)(10 ) kg  m
8 2 2
/ s2
= (81.87659678) 10 ( ( −31+ (28 ))
)kg  m / s
2 2

= 8.187659678 10-14 kg  m 2 / s 2
= 8.12 10-14 kg  m 2 / s 2
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 Estimates and orders of magnitude
• Estimation of an answer is often done by
rounding any data used in a calculation.
• Comparison of an estimate to an actual
calculation can “head off” errors in final
results.
• Refer to Example 1.4.

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 Example 1.4
How many times does a human heart beat during
a lifetime?
Identify: Estimate the number of beats per minute and the duration of a
lifetime. The volume of blood pumped during this interval is then the
volume per beat multiplied by the total beats.
Set Up: An average middle-aged (40 year-old) adult at rest has a heart
rate of roughly 75 beats per minute. To calculate the number of beats in a
lifetime, use the current average lifespan of 80 years.
Execute:

 60 min  24 h  365 days  80 yr 

N beats = ( 75 beats/min )      = 3  109
beats/lifespan
 1 h   1 day  yr  lifespan 

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 Conversion of Units
Equalities between SI and US customary units of
length are as follows:

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 Vectors—Figures 1.9–1.10
• Vectors show magnitude and displacement, drawn as a ray.

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 Vector addition—Figures 1.11–1.12
• Vectors may be added graphically, “head to tail.”

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 Vector additional II—Figure 1.13

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 Vector addition III—Figure 1.16
• Refer to Example 1.5.

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 Components of vectors—Figure 1.17
• Manipulating vectors graphically is insightful but difficult when
striving for numeric accuracy. Vector components provide a numeric
method of representation.
• Any vector is built from an x component and a y component.
• Any vector may be “decomposed” into its x component using V*cos θ
and its y component using V*sin θ (where θ is the angle the vector V
sweeps out from 0°).

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 Components of vectors II—Figure 1.18

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 Finding components—Figure 1.19
• Refer to worked Example 1.6.

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 Calculations using components—Figures 1.20–1.21
• To find the components, follow the steps on pages 17 and 18.
• Refer to Problem-Solving Strategy 1.3.

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 Calculations using components II—Figure 1.22

• See worked examples 1.7 and 1.8.

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 Unit vectors—Figures 1.23–1.24
• Assume vectors of
magnitude 1 with no units
exist in each of the three
standard dimensions.
• The x direction is termed
I, the y direction is termed
j, and the z direction, k.
• A vector is subsequently
described by a scalar
times each component.
A = Axi + Ayj + Azk
• Refer to Example 1.9.

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 The scalar product—Figures 1.25–1.26

• Termed the
“dot
product.”
• Figures 1.25
and 1.26
illustrate the
scalar
product.

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 The scalar product II—Figures 1.27–1.28
• Refer to Examples
1.10 and 1.11.

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 The vector product—Figures 1.29–1.30
• Termed the
“cross
product.”
• Figures 1.29
and 1.30
illustrate the
vector cross
product.

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 The vector product II—Figure 1.32

• Refer to
Example
1.12.

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VECTOR ANALYSIS
VECTORS

❑ Has magnitude
❑ Has direction

❑ Can be represented graphically by arrows

❑ Vector addition of vectors A and B

  
❑ C = A + B (1.1) C = A+ B (1.1)
Figure 1.1 Triangle law of vector
addition.
VECTORS

❑ Vector addition is commutative

C = A + B = B + A, (1.2)
    
C = A+ B = B + A (1.2)

Figure 1.2 Parallelogram law of

vector addition.
VECTORS

❑ Vector addition is associative

Figure 1.3 Vector addition
Is associative.

D = A + B + C,
B + C = F.
A + B = E.
D = A + F.
D = E + C.
( A + B) + C = A + (B + C).
VECTORS

❑ Example

Figure 1.4 Equilibrium of forces: F1 + F2 = —F3

VECTORS

❑ Vector subtraction, same as adding a vector of

reverse direction
A - B = A + (-B).

A = E - B.
VECTORS

❑ Vector A can be represented by coordinates

❑ Origin, (0,0,0) = start of vector arrow A

❑ (Ax , Ay , Az ) = coordinates of the endpoint of A

VECTORS

r  (x, y, z ) (1.3)
r = directed line segment from origin
to tip of arrow; parallel to vector A

Figure 1.5 Cartesian components and direction cosines of A.

VECTORS
❑ Direction cosines x Ax
cos  = =
r A

( )

cos  = cos( x, r ) = cos Ax , A

 = angle between x and r,

= angle between A x and A
VECTORS
y Ay
❑ Direction cosines cos  = =
r A

( 
cos  = cos( y, r ) = cos Ay , A )

 = angle between y and r,

= angle between Ay and A
VECTORS
❑ Direction cosines z Az
cos  = =
r A

( 
cos  = cos( z , r ) = cos Az , A

)
 = angle between z and r,

= angle between Az and A
VECTORS
x A y Ay z Az
cos  = = x cos  = = cos  = =
r A r A r A

x = r cos  y = r cos  z = r cos  (1.4.1)

Ax = A cos  Ay = A cos  Az = A cos  (1.4.2)
cos 2  + cos 2  + cos 2  = 1 (1.4.3)
From 1.4.1, 1.4.2, and 1.4.3,
(
A = A +A +A
2
x
2
y z)
2 1/2
(1.5)
The magnitude of A is proportional to r through some scale:
e.g. 1cm: 1 Newton
VECTORS

❑ Coordinate representation of vector A


A = xˆ Ax + yˆ Ay + zˆ Az (1.6)

A = (Ax , Ay , Az )

❑ unit vectors
xˆ = (1,0,0) unit vector along x - axis
yˆ = (0,1,0) unit vector along y - axis
zˆ = (0,0,1) unit vector along z - axis
VECTORS

❑ Vector addition using coordinates

 
A  B = xˆ ( Ax  Bx ) + yˆ (Ay  B y ) + zˆ ( Az  Bz ) (1.7)
VECTORS – SCALAR PRODUCT
  
Ax = A cos   A  xˆ , Ay = A cos   A  yˆ , Az = A cos   A, zˆ (1.21)

Associative and distributive laws

(1.22)
(1.23)

(1.24)
VECTORS – SCALAR PRODUCT

(1.25)
AB = A cos 
= projection of A on B
VECTORS – SCALAR PRODUCT
VECTORS – SCALAR PRODUCT

(1.26)

(1.27)

In general
(1.28)
VECTORS – VECTOR OR CROSS PRODUCT
(1.36)

(1.37a)

Unit Vectors
(1.37b)

(1.37c)
VECTORS – VECTOR OR CROSS PRODUCT
(1.38a)
(1.38b)
(1.38c)
VECTORS – VECTOR OR CROSS PRODUCT

(1.39a)
(1.39b)
 VECTORS – VECTOR OR CROSS PRODUCT
Cross Product as determinant

(1.40)
(1.39a)