PHY 101: GENERAL PHYSICS I

2017/2018 HARMATTAN SEMESTER

Dr. O. K. Owoade
 COURSE OUTLINE

(1) Measurement
(2) Motion along a straight line
(3) Vectors
(4) Motion in Two and Three
dimensions
① MEASUREMENT
 INTRODUCTION
• The goal of physics is to provide an understanding
of the physical world by developing theories
based on experiments.
• The basic laws of physics involve physical
quantities as force, velocity, volume, and
acceleration.
• The 3 most fundamental quantities are Length
(L), Mass (M), and Time (T)
• In order to communicate the result of a
measurement of a certain physical quantity, a unit
for the quantity must be defined.
 MEASUREMENT
• The physical quantities in the study of
mechanics can be expressed in terms of 3
fundamental quantities: length, mass, and time,
• The SI units for the 3 are meters (m), kilo-
grams (kg), and seconds (s), respectively.
• Some of the most frequently used “metric”
prefixes representing powers of 10 are shown
in Table 1
MEASUREMENT
MEASUREMENT
MEASUREMENT
 International System of Units
• In 1971, the 14th General Conference on weights and measures
picked seven quantities as base quantities which form the basis
of the International System of Units, (SI) from its French name
and popularly known as the metric system.
• Many SI derived Units are defined in terms of these base units.
e.g SI unit for Power is called watt .
• 1watt = 1W = 1kg.m2/s3.
• Scientific notation: This employs power of 10

• It can also be associated with factor for very high or very low
values.
 MEASUREMENT
• Meter is defined as the distance travelled by
light in vacuum during the interval of 1/299
792 458 second.
• Kilogram is defined as the mass of a specific
platinum-iridium alloy cylinder (kept at the
International Bureau of Weights & Measures).
• Second is defined as 9 192 631 700 times the
period of oscillation of radiation from the
cesium atom
 CONVERSION OF UNITS
• Often, we need to change the units in which a
quantity is expressed.
• Chain-link conversion method, multiplying by a
‘conversion factor’, is used.
• Converting units is a matter of multiplying the
given quantity by a fraction, with one unit in the
numerator and its equivalent in the other units in
the denominator, arranged so the unwanted units
in the given quantity are cancelled out in favor of
the desired units.
 What is Dimensional Analysis
• It is a means of simplifying a physical problem by
appealing to dimensional homogeneity to reduce
the number of relevant variables
• It is useful for:
(1) Presenting and interpreting experimental data
(2) Attacking problems not amenable to a direct
theoretical solution,
(3) Checking equations
(4) Establishing the relative importance of particular
physical phenomena
 DIMENSIONS: Definition
• All Mechanical quantities can be expressed in terms of
the fundamental quantities: Symbols used to specify
the dimensions of length (m), mass (kg) & time (s) are
[L], [M] & [T] respectively.
• Other physical quantities can be expressed as a
combination of these 3 terms
• The resultant combination is called the dimensions of
that physical quantity
• We use square bracket to denote “the dimension of
• 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 = 𝐿2 , 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 = L𝑇 −1 , 𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 = M𝐿−3 ,
𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 = L𝐿−1 = 𝐿0 , 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 = ML𝑇 −2
• NOTE: dimensions are independent of the units used.
DIMENSIONS: Full Dimensional List
• Mass – M, Length – L, Time – T, Electric Charge - 𝑄,
Temperature - 𝜃, Number of moles – MOL, and Luminosity
-?
• Any sensible equation must be dimensionally consistent i.e
𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡 − ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 = 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 − ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒
• It is a good idea to carry out this check on all the equations
appearing in a model
• This reveals any modeling errors
• Addition of terms only makes sense if each term has the
same dimensions.
• For a proposed equation, each term must be checked for
consistency e.g A = B + (C X D)
• A, B and (C X D) must have the same dimensions
 Determine the units for constants
• Any constants appearing in equations can be:
(i) Either be dimensionless (pure numbers)
(ii) Or can have dimensions
e.g
• Supposed that we are modeling the force of a moving object due to
air resistance. If we assume the magnitude of the force F is
proportional to the square of the speed v, then
• F = k𝑣 2
• In dimensions: 𝐹 = 𝑘𝑣 2
2
• ML𝑇 −2 = 𝑘 𝐿𝑇 −1 = 𝑘 𝐿2 𝑇 −2
• For consistency, we require
• 𝑘 = M𝐿−1
• K is measured in kg𝑚−1
UNCERTAINTY IN MEASUREMENT
• No physical quantity can be determined with complete
accuracy.
• The concept of significant figures affords a basic method of
handling these uncertainties.
• A significant figure is a reliably known digit, other than a zero,
used to locate the decimal point. The two rules of significant
figures are as follows:
 When multiplying or dividing using two or more
quantities, the result should have the same number of
significant figures as the quantity having the fewest
significant figures.
 When quantities are added or subtracted, the number of
decimal places in the result should be the same as in the
quantity with the fewest decimal places.
PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGY
② MOTION ALONG A STRAIGHT
LINE
MOTION ALONG A STRAIGHT
LINE
 MOTION ALONG A STRAIGHT
LINE
1. Displacement, Velocity, and Speed
2. Instantaneous Velocity and Speed
3. Acceleration
4. One-Dimensional Motion with Constant
Acceleration
5. Freely Falling Objects
 MOTION ALONG A STRAIGHT
LINE
• As a first step in studying classical mechanics, we
describe motion in terms of space and time while
ignoring the agents that caused that motion.
• This portion of classical mechanics is called
kinematics.
• We first define displacement, velocity, and
acceleration. Then, using these concepts, we study
the motion of objects traveling in one dimension
with a constant acceleration.
 MOTION ALONG A STRAIGHT
LINE
• In physics we are concerned with three types
of motion: translational, rotational, and
vibrational.
• In this chapter, we are concerned only with
translational motion.
• In our study of translational motion, we
describe the moving object as a particle
regardless of its size.
 DISPLACEMENT, VELOCITY & SPEED

• The motion of a particle is completely known

if the particle’s position in space is known at
all times.
• If a particle is moving, we can easily
determine its change in position.
• The displacement of a particle is defined as
its change in position.
①
 DISPLACEMENT, VELOCITY & SPEED

• The average velocity of a particle is defined

as the particle’s displacement Δx divided by
the time interval Δt during which that
displacement occurred

subscript x indicates motion along the x axis.

 DISPLACEMENT, VELOCITY & SPEED

• The average speed of a particle, a scalar

quantity, is defined as the total distance
traveled divided by the total time it takes to
travel that distance

• Unlike average velocity, average speed has no

direction and hence carries no algebraic sign.
 EXAMPLE 2.1
• Estimate the average speed of the Apollo
spacecraft in m/s, given that the craft took five
days to reach the Moon from Earth. (The Moon is
3.8 x 108 m from Earth.)
INSTANTANEOUS VELOCITY & SPEED

• Often we need to know the velocity of a

particle at a particular instant in time, rather
than over a finite time interval.
• Instantaneous velocity Vx equals the limiting
value of the ratio Δx/Δt as Δt approaches
zero
 EXAMPLE 2.2
• A particle moves along the
x axis. Its x coordinate
varies with time according
to the expression x = -4t +
2t2, where x is in meters
and t is in seconds.
– (a) Determine the
displacement of the particle
in the time intervals t = 0 to t
= 1 s and t = 1 s to t = 3 s.
– (b) Calculate the average
velocity during these two
time intervals.
 ACCELERATION
• When the velocity of a particle changes with
time, the particle is said to be accelerating.

④
 EXAMPLE 2.3
• The velocity of a particle
moving along the x axis
varies in time according to
the expression:
vx = (40 - 5t2) m/s,
where t is in seconds.
– (a) Find the average
acceleration in the time
interval t = 0 to t = 2.0 s
– (b) Determine the
acceleration at t = 2.0s
 ACCELERATION

• Instantaneous acceleration equals the

derivative of the velocity w.r.t. time
• It is the slope of the velocity–time graph

⑤
 ONE-DIMENSIONAL MOTION
WITH CONSTANT ACCELERATION
• A very common and simple type of one-
dimensional motion is that in which the
acceleration is constant.

⑥
• This powerful expression enables us to determine
an object’s velocity at any time t if we know the
object’s initial velocity and its (constant)
acceleration.
 ONE-DIMENSIONAL MOTION
WITH CONSTANT ACCELERATION
• Because velocity at constant acceleration
varies linearly in time, we can express the
average velocity in any time interval as the
arithmetic mean

⑦
 ONE-DIMENSIONAL MOTION
WITH CONSTANT ACCELERATION

⑧
 ONE-DIMENSIONAL MOTION
WITH CONSTANT ACCELERATION
• We can obtain an expression for the final
velocity that does not contain a time interval
by substituting the value of t from Equation 6
into Equation 7:

⑨
 ONE-DIMENSIONAL MOTION
WITH CONSTANT ACCELERATION
 ONE-DIMENSIONAL MOTION
WITH CONSTANT ACCELERATION
 FREELY FALLING OBJECTS

• In the absence of air resistance, all objects

dropped near the Earth’s surface fall toward the
Earth with the same constant acceleration under
the influence of the Earth’s gravity.
• A freely falling object is any object moving
freely under the influence of gravity alone,
regardless of its initial motion.
• Any freely falling object experiences an
acceleration (g) directed downward, regardless
of its initial motion.
 VECTORS: Outline
• Coordinate Systems
• Vector and Scalar Quantities
• Some Properties of Vectors
• Components of a Vector and Unit
Vectors
③ VECTORS
VECTOR & SCALAR QUANTITIES

• Examples are volume, mass, temperature, time

intervals, etc. The rules of ordinary arithmetic
are used to manipulate scalar quantities.

• Examples are velocity, displacement,

acceleration, etc.
 VECTORS
• Physics deals with great many physical
quantities that have both numerical and
directional properties.
• This needs a special mathematical
language – VECTORS to describe them.
• It has magnitude as well as direction.
• It follows certain rule of ‘combination’
 VECTORS
• The simplest VECTOR quantity is
displacement.
•A VECTOR that represents
displacement is called
DISPLACEMENT vector.
• DISPLACEMENT vector tells us
nothing about path that the particle
takes.
 VECTOR ALGEBRA
• Following definitions are fundamental:
– EQUALITY: Two vectors A and B are equal if they
have the same magnitude and the same direction.
– NEGATIVE: The negative of the vector A is defined
as the vector that gives zero when added to A.
– ADDING VECTORS: Geometrically or
Algebraically.
– SUBTRACTING VECTORS: Vector subtraction
makes use of the definition of the negative of a
vector.
– UNIT VECTOR: A unit vector is a dimensionless
vector having a magnitude of exactly 1.
 LAWS OF VECTOR ALGEBRA
• Commutative law  A+B = B+A
• Associative law  (A + B) + C = A + (B + C)
• Distributive law  m(A + B) = mA + mB
• Distributive law  (m + n)A = mA + nA
• Commutative law for multiplication  mA =
Am
• Associative law for multiplication  m(nA) =
(mn)A
 VECTOR ADDITION: GEOMETRIC
• To add vector B to vector A geometrically,
• draw A on a piece of graph paper to some scale,
such as 1cm = 1m,
• Specify its direction relative a coordinate system.
• Then draw vector B to the same scale with the tail
of B starting at the tip of A.
• The resultant vector R = A + B is the vector
drawn from the tail of A to the tip of B.
• This procedure is known as the triangle method
of addition.
VECTOR ADDITION: GEOMETRIC
• A geometric construction can also be used to
add more than two vectors.

• The resultant vector R = A + B + C + D is the

vector that completes the polygon.
• R is the vector drawn from the tail of the
first vector to the tip of the last one.
 COMPONENTS OF VECTORS
• One method of adding vectors makes use of
the projections of a vector along the axes of a
rectangular coordinate system.
• These projections are called components.
VECTOR ADDITION: ALGEBRAIC
• Here, most of the time vectors are added
algebraically in terms of their components.
• Suppose:
• Then the components of the resultant vector R
are given by:
 EXAMPLE 3.1
• A car travels 20
km due north and
then 35 km in a
direction 60.0°
west of north, as
shown in the
Figure. Find the
magnitude and
direction of the
car’s resultant
displacement.
 EXAMPLE 3.2
• Find the sum of two vectors A and B lying in
the xy-plane and given by:
 EXAMPLE 3.3
• A particle undergoes three consecutive
displacements:

• Find the components of the resultant

displacement and its magnitude.
 COORDINATE SYSTEMS
• Many aspects of physics deal in some form or
other with locations in space.
• This description is accomplished with the use
of coordinates.
• Cartesian coordinates are also called
rectangular coordinates.
• Plane polar coordinates (r, θ)
 SOME PROPERTIES OF VECTORS
• Equality of two vectors: 2 vectors A and B
may be defined to be equal if they have the
same magnitude and point in the same
direction.
• Adding Vectors: The rules for adding vectors
are conveniently described by geometric
methods.
• Triangle method of addition