Physics 114A - Mechanics

Lecture 1 (Walker: Ch. 1)

Introduction to Physics
January 3, 2012

John G. Cramer
Professor Emeritus, Department of Physics
B451 PAB
jcramer@uw.edu
 Lecture Schedule (Part 1)
Physics 114A - Introduction to Mechanics - Winter-2012
Lecture: Professor John G. Cramer
Textbook: Physics, (Edition: UW Vol. 1 or Complete 4th), James S. Walker
Week Date L# Lecture Topic Pages Slides Reading HW Due Lab
2-Jan-12 H1 New Year Holiday
3-Jan-12 1 Introduction to Physics 12 21 Chapter 1
1 5-Jan-12 2 Position & Velocity 8 22 2-1 to 2-3 No HW
No Lab 1st week

6-Jan-12 3 Velocity & Acceleration 10 25 2-4 to 2-5

9-Jan-12 4 Equations of Motion 9 20 2-6 to 2-7 We are here.
10-Jan-12 5 Vectors 8 24 3-1 to 3-3
2 12-Jan-12 6 r, v & a Vectors 5 24 3-4 to 3-5 HW1
1-D Kinematics

13-Jan-12 7 Relative Motion 3 18 3-6

16-Jan-12 H2 MLK Birthhday Holiday
17-Jan-12 8 2D Motion Basics 5 19 4-1 to 4-2
3 19-Jan-12 9 2D Examples 13 22 4-3 to 4-5 HW2
Free Fall & Projectiles

20-Jan-12 E1 EXAM 1 - Chapters 1-4

January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 2/21

Physics and the Laws of Nature
Physics: the study of the fundamental
laws of nature.
● These laws can be expressed as
mathematical equations. (e.g., F = m a)
● Most physical quantities have units,
which must match on both sides of an
equation.
● Much complexity can arise from even
relatively simple physical laws.
January 3, 2011
2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 3/21
 Units
With a few exceptions, all physical quantities have
units. Examples:
Mass - kilograms (kg)
Speed - meters per second (m/s)
Pressure - pascals (P)
Energy - joules (J)
Electric Potential - volts (V)
Rather surprisingly, the units of almost all physical
quantities can be expressed as combinations of only
the units for mass, length, and time, i.e., kilograms,
meters, and seconds. A few physical quantities (e.g.,
index of refraction) are pure numbers that have no
associated units.
January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 4/21
Standard International Units
Standard International (SI) Units (also known as MKS)
• Length: meter m
• Mass: kilogram kg
• Time: second s
Units for almost all other physical quantities can be constructed from
mass, length, and time, so these are the fundamental units.
Unit Conversions

Note:
1 in = 2.54 cm
1 mi = 1.609 km
1 mph = 0.447 m/s
1 cm = 0.3937 in
1 km = 0.621 mi
1 m/s = 2.24 mph
} English Units
(Used only in USA, Liberia,
and Myanmar)

The English pound unit is a measure of force or weight, not mass.

A kilogram of mass has a weight of 2.2046 pounds at standard gravity, but
will have slightly different weights at different locations on the Earth (poles,
equator).
January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 5/21
 The SI Time Unit: second (s)

13th Century Water Clock Cesium Fountain Clock

The second was originally defined as (1/60)(1/60)(1/24) of a mean solar day.

Currently, 1 second is defined as 9,192,631,770 oscillations of the radio
waves absorbed by a vapor of cesium-133 atoms. This is a definition that can be
used and checked in any laboratory to great precision.
January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 6/21
 The SI Length Unit: meter (m)
The meter was originally defined
as 1/10,000,000 of the distance from
the Earth’s equator to its North pole
on the line of longitude that passes
through Paris. For some time, it was
defined as the distance between two
scratches on a particular platinum-
iridium bar located in Paris.
Currently, 1 meter is defined as the
distance traveled by light in
1/299,792,458 of a second

January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 7/21

 The SI Mass Unit: kilogram (kg)
The kilogram was originally defined
as the mass of 1 liter of water at 4 oC.

Currently, 1 kilogram is the mass of

the international standard kilogram, a
polished platinum-iridium cylinder
stored in Sèveres, France. (It is
currently the only SI unit defined by a
manufactured object.)

Question: In a “telephone”
conversation, could you accurately
describe to a member of a alien
civilization how big a kilogram was?

Answer: More or less. Avagadro’s

number of carbon-12 atoms
(6.02214199… x 1023) has a mass of
exactly 12.00000000000… grams.
January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 8/21
 Scientific Notation

How many
significant
figures?

January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 9/21

 Prefixes

January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 10/21

 Dimensions and Units

January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 11/21

 Dimensional Analysis (1)
Any valid physical equation must be dimensionally
consistent – each side must have the same dimensions.

From the Table:

Distance = velocity × time
Velocity = acceleration ×
time
Energy = mass × (velocity)2

January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 12/21

 Dimensional Analysis (2)
Example:
The period P (T) of a swinging
pendulum depends only on the length
of the pendulum d (L) and the
acceleration of gravity g (L/T2).
Which of the following formulas for P
could be correct ?

d d
(a) P  2 (dg)
2
(b) P  2 (c) P  2
g g
January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 13/21
 Dimensional Analysis (3)
Remember that P is in units of time (T), d is
length (L) and g is acceleration (L/T2).
The both sides must have the same units
Try equation (a). Try equation (b). Try equation (c).
2 L L
 L L4  T2  T  T2 T
 L    4 T L L
 T2  T T2 T2

d d
(a) P  2 dg  (b)
2
P  2 (c) P  2
g g
January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 14/21
 Some Approximate Magnitudes

January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 15/21

 Order of Magnitude Calculations
1. Make a rough estimate of the relevant quantities
to one significant figure, preferably some power of 10.
2. Combine the quantities to make the estimate.
3. Think hard about whether the estimate is reasonable.
Example:
How fast does an Olympic sprinter cross the finish
line in the 100 m dash?
Analysis:
Typical 100 m dash time is ~10 s, so average speed is
about 10 m/s. Sprinters “kick” near the finish line, so
speed there is faster. 50% faster? Maybe. That would
mean the finish-line speed is ~15 m/s. Reasonable? Yes.
January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 16/21
 Example: Burning Rubber
Problem:
When you drive your car 1 km, estimate the
thickness of tire tread that is worn off.
Answer:
1. Estimate the distance require to wear down a
tire tread to the point where it needs to be
replaced: ~60,000 km (or 37,000 miles)
2. Estimate the thickness of a typical tire tread
lost on a worn tire: ~ 1 cm.
3. Consider the following ratio:
1 cm of tread loss 1.67 105 cm of tread loss
  2  107 m of tread loss per km
60,000 km of travel 1 km of travel

Therefore, a car loses about 2x10-7 m = 0.2 m of tire tread in

driving 1 km.
January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 17/21
 Problem Solving in Physics
No recipe or plug-and-chug works all the time,
but here are some guidelines:
1. Read the problem carefully.
2. Draw a sketch of the system.
3. Visualize the physical process involved.
4. Devise a strategy for solving the problem.
5. Identify the appropriate equations.
6. Solve the equations. Calculate the answer.
7.Check your answer. Dimensions? Reasonable?
8.Explore the limits and special cases.
January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 18/21
 Scalars and Vectors

Temperature = Scalar Velocity = Vector

Quantity is specified by a single Quantity is specified by
number giving its magnitude. three numbers that give
its magnitude and direction
(or its components in three
perpendicular directions).
January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 19/21
 Properties of Vectors

January 3, 2012 Physics 114A - Lecture 1 20/21