Introductory Physics - I

Chapter 1 – Part 1
Theories in science; Physical quantities; Significant digits
and scientific notation

Lecture 1 – September 12
Outline – Week 1 (Chapter 1)
• Physics: theories and models
• Physical quantities
• The Values of the Physical Quantities:
• Scientific notation, significant digits
• The Units:
• SI (International System) and prefixes
• Vector calculus:
• addition and subtraction
• components
 What is Physics and what it is good for?
• Theory: classical mechanics, special relativity,
quantum mechanics, classical electromagnetism,
wave optics; theory of evolution; theory of
gravitation
• Model: point-like object, frictionless surface,
massless spring, Bohr atom, solar system.
• Laws: Newtons’s laws of motion, Newton’s law
of gravity, conservation of energy, Coulomb’s law,
Ohm’s law, Faraday’s law
The evolution of a theory and a model
example
The Solar System
Ptolemy – about 150 AD
Copernicus - 1543
Kepler - 1609
Newton – 1680-tish
 Physical Quantities
Physical Quantity – a number (usually with
units) describing a physical phenomenon.

Examples: the radius of a sphere, the mass of

a block, or the temperature of a room.

The value of the Physical Quantity is either:

- Measured directly
- Calcuated from other Physical Quantity
 Physical Quantity = value + unit of measure

1. Scientific notation
2. Errors and Significant digits
3. Estimations

1. SI (international system)
2. Basic units in SI
3. Prefixes
 Scientific Notation

3.84  108 m versus 384,000,000 m

9.461e+15 m versus 9,461,000,000,000,000 m

• reduces the amount of writing

• signicant digits are easy to identify
• easy to do calculations and order of magnitude
estimates
 Significant Figures

3.84  108 m is different from 384,000,000 m in

Physics (maybe not so in Mathematics).

3.84 ´ 108 m has 3 significant figures.

384,000,000 m has 9 significant figures and implies
a more accurate knowledge of the quantity.
 Significant Figures

Trailing zeros are significant as seen above.

Leading zeros are not significant for the
accuracy.
0.0384 has 3 significant figures.
The leading zeros indicate what is the power of
10 in the scientific notation of the quantity.
 Significant Figures

Addition/Subtraction uses the fewest number

of digits after the decimal point.
11.2 + 0.43 – 1.255  10.4 (10.375)
Multiplication/Division uses the fewest
number of significant figures
11.2  0.43 / 1.255  3.8 (3.837450199)
 Significant Figures
2.35 m means that the length lies between
2.345 m and 2.353 m
2.35 m is a length with 3 significant figures.

In general, in this course we will work with 2-3

significant figures.
Use more significant figures in your intermediate
calculations.
 Measuring Things
We need a standard with which to compare
the measurements.
The standard defines a unit of the quantity.

All physical quantities are defined in terms of

a few physical quantities which are called
base quantities.
The standards associated with
these quantities are called
Base Standards.
 International System of Units

In 1971, seven quantities were picked as base quantities

forming the basis of the International System of Units
known as the SI (Système Internationale) units.

The three SI Base Units used in the first few chapters are
lengths, time, mass.
International System of Units

Length meter m
Time second s
Mass kilogram kg

From these, we derive units such as

1m/s=1m/1s
1 watt = 1 W = 1 kg m2 /s3 = 1 kg m2 s–3
 Time

It was previously related to the time for the

earth’s rotation on its own axis (1/86,400 of the
mean solar day).

One second is the time for 9,192,631,770 cycles

of a Cesium atomic microwave frequency.
 Length
Originally, the distance from the equator to the
North Pole through Paris was 10 Million meters.
(Napoleon)

One meter is the distance travelled by light in a

vacuum in 1/299,792,458 seconds.

This means that the velocity of light is defined.

 Mass

One kilogram is was the mass of a particular

cylinder of platinum-iridium alloy kept near Paris.
It is was the least reproducible because it is was not
based on the properties of atoms or molecules.

In 2019 the unit of mass was redefined

by using Plank’s constant.
 Prefixes

Smaller
deci = 1/10 1 dm
centi = 1/100 = 10–2 1 cm
milli = 1/1000 = 10–3 1 ms
micro = 1 millionth = 10–6 1 g
nano = 10–9 1 nm
pico = 10–12 1 ps
femto = 10–15 1 fs
 Prefixes

Larger
kilo = 1000 = 103 1 km
mega = 1 million = 106 1 Mg
giga = 109 1 Gs
tera = 1012 1
Tm
 Other prefixes

deka = 10 1 dam
hecto = 100 1 hm

Also 1 Mg = 1 (metric) tonne

 Fundamental Constants

Here is a web page where you can find

the latest values of the constants.

http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/