MATH Excellence Academy of Binalonan, Inc.

Canarvacanan, Binalonan, Pangasinan

Senior High School Department
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
General Physics 1

1.1 Scalars and Vectors

A scalar quantity is a quantity which can be completely described by its magnitude or

value alone. Some examples of scalar measurements and quantities are 50 kg, mass; 3.0 s, time;
and 37°C, temperature.

A vector quantity is a quantity which requires bot h magnitude and direction for its
complete direction. Examples of vector quantities include force, velocity, and momentum.

A vector quantity is graphically represented by an arrow.

→
The tail of the arrow indicates its origin and the tip or head arrow points to the direction.
The length of the arrow indicates the magnitude or value of the vector.

Distance v Displacement

Suppose you were to ride a bicycle and go 8.0 km east, then turn and go 6.0 km west. The
total distance you would have traveled is 8.0 km + 6.0 km or 14 km. The term distance refers to
the total length of the path taken from the initial position to the final position.
The total displacement of the bicycle from its starting position, however, is 2.0 km east.
The term displacement is the directed distance from the initial position to the final position.
Speed v Velocity
Speed refers to how fast an object is moving. The term velocity is used when both the
speed and the direction are taken into consideration.
Instantaneous speed refers to the speed of a moving object at any given instant. Only a
device like the speedometer on a car can show instantaneous speed.
If a car is moving with a speed of 10.0 m/s, it means that it covers a distance of 10.0 m
every second . however, this does not hold true when the car is in stop-and-go traffic. It is more
appropriate to use the term average speed, which is found by dividing the total distance traveled
by the total time elapsed.
total distance traveled (m∨km)
average speed =
total time (s∨hr )
All three cars have the same speed but only the top and middle cars have the same
velocity because they are both going in the same direction.
Acceleration
 Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity. Since velocity has two
components—speed and direction—a moving body undergoes acceleration if its velocity
changes in either speed or direction, or both at the same time. Acceleration is considered a vector
quantity.
The possible variations and combinations of acceleration are shown:
Solving for Acceleration
The formula for computing acceleration is given by:
v f −v i
a=
t
Where:vi = initial velocity (m/s) a = acceleration (m/s2)
vf = final velocity (m/s) t = elapsed time (s)

Example 2.1
A car was initially moving at 2.0 m/s. after 4.0 s, it was observed to be moving at 14.0 m/s.
1. Compute the acceleration of the car.
2. Construct the velocity-time table of the car’s motion showing the velocity after each
elapsed second.
3. In one sentence, explain briefly the trend in the velocity-time table.
Given:
Required:
Solution:

1.2 Fundamental and Derived Quantities

The following table shows the basic or fundamental quantities and their corresponding
standard units:

Derived quantities are quantities whose units are build up from the fundamental
quantities. Some derived quantities are area (m2), volume (m3), density (km/m3), and speed (m/s).
Table of Fundamental Quantities
Quantities Standard Unit

Length Meter (m)

Mass Kilogram (kg)
Time Seconds (s)
 Temperature Kelvin (K)
Amount of substance Mole (mol)
Electric current Ampere (A)
Luminous intensity Candela (cd)

Length

The standard unit of length is the meter (m). the standard meter used to be based on the
length of a special rust-resistant metal bar. Today, the standard meter is based on specific
number of wavelengths of light emitted by certain heated gases such as krypton-86.

Time

When we speak of time, we usually ask two things: when did the event happen and how
long did the event last.

The standard unit of time is second (s). the second is used to be based on a natural event
such as the period of rotation of the earth. But since the rotation of the earth is slowing down,
scientists had to look for other ways to determine the second.

Today, the standard second is based on a specific number of vibrations made by a

cesium-133 atom. Very accurate atomic clocks have enabled scientists to adopt a Universal Time
(UT) for the whole world.

Mass

The standard unit od mass is the kilogram (kg). The kilogram is usually shortened to kilo,
a very familiar term we use when we buy rice, fish, meat, and other foodstuff in the market.

Speed

Speed is defined as how fast an object is moving. It is computed by dividing distance by

time.

distance
Speed=
time

Volume

Volume is defined as the amount of space a body occupies. Being a quantity derived