Chapter 1

Introduction, Measurement,
Estimating
 Units of Chapter 1

•Units and the SI System

• Converting Units
 1-3 Measurement and Uncertainty;
Significant Figures
No measurement is exact; there is always some uncertainty due
to limited instrument accuracy and difficulty reading results.
The photograph to the left
illustrates this – it would be
difficult to measure the width of
this board more accurately
than ± 1 mm.
Estimated uncertainty is
written with a ± sign;
for example: 8.8 ± 0.1 cm.
 1-3 Measurement and Uncertainty; Significant
Figures
The number of significant figures is the number of reliably
known digits in a number. It is usually possible to tell the
number of significant figures by the way the number is written:

23.21 cm has four significant figures.

0.062 cm has two significant figures (the initial zeroes don’t

count).

80 km is ambiguous—it could have one or two significant

figures. If it has three, it should be written 80.0 km.
 1-3 Measurement and Uncertainty;
Significant Figures
When multiplying or dividing numbers, the result has as many
significant figures as the number used in the calculation with the
fewest significant figures.
Example: 11.3 cm x 6.8 cm = 77 cm2 .

[calculator shows 76.84 for the result of this multiplication,

having four significant figures. We then round the number until it
has only two significant figures.
76.84→76.8→77 cm2 ]

When adding or subtracting, the answer is no more accurate

than the least accurate number used.
 1-3 Measurement and Uncertainty;
Significant Figures

Scientific notation is commonly used in physics; it allows

the number of significant figures to be clearly shown.

For example, we cannot tell how many significant figures

the number 36,900 has. However, if we write 3.69 x 104,
we know it has three; if we write 3.690 x 104, it has four.
1-4 Units, Standards, and
the SI System

These are the standard SI

prefixes for indicating powers of
10. Many are familiar; yotta, zetta,
exa, hecto, deka, atto, zepto, and
yocto are rarely used.
 1-4 Units, Standards, and the SI System
We will be working in the SI system, in which the basic units
are kilograms, meters, and seconds. Quantities not in the
table are derived quantities, expressed in terms of the base
units.
Examples of derived units:

Quantity Symbol Name of unit Symbol of unit

Derived Units

force F Newton N

energy K, U Joule J

power P Watt W
 1-5 Converting Units
Unit conversions always involve a conversion factor.
Example: 1 in = 2.54 cm
2.54 cm 1 in
Written another way: 1= or 1=
1 in 2.54 cm

So if we have measured a length of 21.5 inches, and wish

to convert it to centimeters, we use the conversion factor:

21.5 inches = 21.5 in × 1

2.54 cm
= 21.5 in ×
1 in
= 56.4 cm
 Example: 1 m = 100 cm.
100 cm 1m
Written another way: 1= or 1 =
1m 100 cm

Example: Convert a length of 1.5 centimeters, to meters.

Example: Convert the given unit to the corresponding SI unit.

250 g. cm2 Τs2
 Chapter 2
Describing Motion: Kinematics
in One Dimension
 Units of Chapter 2

• Displacement
• Average Velocity
• Instantaneous Velocity
• Acceleration
• Motion at Constant Acceleration
• Freely Falling Objects
Position of a particle, x, is the location of the particle with
respect to a chosen reference point that we can consider to be the
origin of a coordinate system.

Origin

x (m)
-4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4

A particle might be located at 𝑥 = +3 m, this means the particle is

5 m in the positive direction from the origin. If it is at 𝑥 = −4 m , it
is 4 m far from the origin but in the negative direction.
➢ We make a distinction between distance and displacement.
➢ Displacement (blue line) is how far the object is from its
starting point, regardless of how it got there.
➢ Distance traveled (dashed line) is measured along the
actual path.

i. Firstly going 70 m east.

ii. Then going 30 m west

Displacement: 40 m (east)
Distance: 100 m
 Displacement

Displacement is defined as the change in position of the object.

The displacement is written: ∆𝑥 = 𝑥𝑓 − 𝑥𝑖 = 𝑥2 − 𝑥1

Displacement is positive. Displacement is negative.

∆𝑥 = 30 − 10 = 20 m ∆𝑥 = 10 − 30 = −20 m

❖ Displacement is vector and its SI unit is meter (m)

 Average Speed and Velocity
➢ Speed is how far an object travels in a given time interval:
𝑑𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙
𝑆𝑎𝑣𝑔 =
∆𝑡

Speed is a scalar quantity and its SI unit is meters/second (m/s)

➢ Velocity includes directional information:
The average velocity is defined in terms of displacement,
rather than total distance traveled:
∆𝑥
𝑣ҧ = 𝑣𝑎𝑣𝑔 =
∆𝑡

Velocity is a vector quantity and its SI unit is meters/second (m/s)

 Instantaneous Velocity
The instantaneous velocity is the average velocity in the limit as
the time interval becomes infinitesimally short.

Ideally, a speedometer would measure

instantaneous speed; in fact, it
measures magnitude of average
velocity, but over a very short time
interval.
Example 1:

s?
s
s?
s?
 Acceleration
➢ Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.

➢ Average acceleration is defined as the change in velocity

divided by the time taken to make this change:

∆𝑣 𝑣𝑓 − 𝑣𝑖
𝑎ത = 𝑎𝑎𝑣𝑔 = =
∆𝑡 𝑡𝑓 − 𝑡𝑖
Acceleration is a vector quantity and SI unit is m/s2
➢ The instantaneous acceleration is the average acceleration
in the limit as the time interval becomes infinitesimally
short.
Example 2:
 Motion at Constant Acceleration
When the the acceleration is constant, the instantaneous
and average accelerations are equal.
The average velocity of an object during a time interval t is

𝑥 = 𝑥0 + 𝑣𝑡ҧ (1)
The acceleration, assumed constant in time, is;

𝑣 = 𝑣0 + 𝑎𝑡 (2)

Here 𝑣0 is the velocity at time 𝑡0 = 0 and 𝑣 is the velocity at

any later time 𝑡.
 Motion at Constant Acceleration

In addition, as the velocity is increasing at a constant rate,

we know that

(3)

Combining these last equations, Eqs. (1), (2) and (3), we

find:
 Motion at Constant Acceleration

We can also combine these equations so as to eliminate t:

𝑣 2 = 𝑣02 + 2𝑎∆𝑥

∆𝑥 = 𝑥 − 𝑥0

We now have all the equations we need to solve constant-

acceleration problems.
𝑣 = 𝑣0 + 𝑎𝑡
1 2
𝑥 = 𝑥0 + 𝑣0 𝑡 + 𝑎𝑡
2
𝑣 2 = 𝑣02 + 2𝑎∆𝑥
∆𝑥 = 𝑥 − 𝑥0
Example 3:
An electrical vehicle starts from rest and accelerates at a rate of 2
m/s2 in a straight line until it reaches a speed of 20 m/s. The vehicle
then slows at a constant rate of 1 m/s2 until it stops.

i. How much time elapses from start to stop?

ii. How far does the vehicle travel from start to stop?
Example 4:
A racer starts his car from rest and accelerates at 10 m/s2 for the first
half of the total distance, which is equal to 200 m. In the other half, the
car slows down at a rate of 5 m/s2 until it passes the finish line.
i. In how many seconds does the car finish the race?
ii. What is the speed of the car on the finish line?
 Example 5:
An object with an initial speed of vA = 6 m/s accelerates from point A at
a rate of 1.4 m/s2. After 10 seconds, when the object reaches to point B,
it moves with constant speed up to point C. After that point it slows
down at a rate of 2.5 m/s2 and then stops at point D.

i. Find the distances, d1 and d2.

ii. Find the total time elapsed between points A and D

vA

d1 d1 d2

A B C D
 Free Fall Motion
Near the surface of the Earth, all objects experience approximately
the same acceleration due to gravity.
At a given location on the Earth and in the absence of air
resistance, all objects fall with the same constant acceleration.
We call this acceleration the
acceleration due to gravity on the
surface of the Earth, and we give it
the symbol g. Its magnitude is
approximately 𝑔 = 9.8 m/s 2 .

This is one of the most common

examples of motion with constant
acceleration.
For free fall motion;
Magnitude of the accelaration is approximately 𝑔 = 9.8 m/s 2 and its direction is
downward, toward the center of the Earth.
y
𝑣𝑦 = 𝑣𝑦0 + 𝑎𝑦 𝑡
1
𝑦 = 𝑦0 + 𝑣𝑦0 𝑡 + 𝑎𝑦 𝑡 2
2
2 2
𝑣𝑦 = 𝑣𝑦0 + 2𝑎𝑦 ∆𝑦
∆𝑦 = 𝑦 − 𝑦0
𝑔 = 9.8 m/s2
Note;
y • Be careful about the sign of
the velocity and accelaration.

y0 • Be careful about ∆𝑦
∆𝑦 = 𝑦 − 𝑦0
Ground • Upward direction is chosen as
positive, so: 𝑎𝑦 = −𝑔 = −9.8 m/s 2
Example 6:

A person throws a ball upward into the air with an

initial velocity of 15.0 m/s. Calculate
i. how high it goes, and
ii. how long the ball is in the air before it comes
back to the hand?
Ignore air resistance.
Example 7:
The figure shows the situations of a ball and child. The ball is
thrown downward with an initial speed of 20 m/s from a height of
105 m. At the same time, a child with an initial speed of 6 m/s
accelerates at a rate of 2 m/s2 to catch the ball.
i. d =?
ii. How long does it take to catch the ball?
iii. What are the speeds of the ball and child at the catching point?

d =?
En dof chapter 2

GOOD LUCK IN YOUR STUDIES