Mr. Hesham A.

Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

ACTII Physics

Introduction , Measurements,
Scalars and Vectors
Questions style

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

Introduction , Measurements,
Scalars and Vectors
-In physics, we study physical quantities.

-Each physical quantity is measured by a certain tool (ex: mass which is measured
by a balance), or calculated by a certain law or formula (ex: weight = mg).

-Physical quantities can be classified into basic (fundamental) or derived (i.e.

obtained from calculations done on basic quantities).

Examples of fundamental physical Examples of derived physical

quantities quantities
Length(l) Area (A) = Length x Length
Mass(m) Volume(V)= Length x Length x Length
Time(t) Density (ρ)= mass/volume
Electric current(I) Velocity (v)= Displacement/time
Temperature(T) Work (W)= Force x displacement
Amount of substance(n) Pressure(P)= Force/Area
Luminous intensity(Iv) Momentum (P)= mass x velocity

SI units

All quantities in physics consist of a number and a unit. There is a system of units

Used throughout the scientific world known as SI units.

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

-The famous basic (fundamental) quantities measured in SI units.

Basic quantity (symbol) Unit name(Symbol)

Length(l) Meter(m)
Mass(m) Kilogram(kg)
Time(t) Second(s)
Electric current(I) Ampere(A)
Temperature(T) Kelvin(K)
Amount of substance(n) Mole(mol)
Luminous intensity(Iv) Candela(cd)

- Although it is not formally an SI unit, the degree Celsius (°C) is often used as a
measure of temperature. Each of these units has a precise definition.

Derived units The units of all other quantities are derived from these
base units. For example, speed is found by dividing the distance
travelled by the time taken. Therefore, the unit of speed is metres (m)
divided by seconds (s) which can be written as m/s OR as m s–1.

-Important math skills

Exponents: Powers of 10:

a0= 1 100=1
a1 = a 101=10
a-n = 𝑛
1
102=100
𝑎
(ax)(ay)=ax+y 103=1,000
1
(ax)y=axy 1o-1=
10
𝑎𝑥 x-y -2 1
=a 10 =
𝑎𝑦 100
1
(ab)x= axbx 10 =-3
1,000
(axby)z=axzbyz
𝑦
𝑎 𝑥 =ax/y

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

Scientific Notation

For example, the number 6,000,000 can be written 6 x 106.

Common metric prefixes:

A metric prefix is placed before a unit to indicate the power of ten that is the
multiplier of that unit:

-Conversion from big unit to small unit means (x 10n)

Ex: From meter to nanometer means that we are going to multiply with
109)

-Conversion from small unit to big unit means (÷10n or x 10-n)

Ex: From nanometer to meter means that we are going to multiply with
10-9)

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

Graphs (slope and area under curve):

-Sometimes we can get a physical quantity from the slope of a linear graph.

-A linear graph results when we plot two quantities those are proportional to
each other.

Example:

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

-The change on the y-axis is called rise, and the change in the quantity on the x-
axis is called the run.

-The slope is a constant number that comes when we divide the rise by the run.

-You have to look at the units written on the axes of the graph.

Example: A physical quantity (electric resistance) can be obtained as a slope for a

voltage versus current graph:

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

The gradient (slope) of a graph which will be here the electric

resistance is determined by :

Area under a curve:

-Some physical quantities can be calculated from the area under the graph’s
curve.

- A curve is a generic word for any line resulting from graphing two quantities and
can mean a curved line or a straight line.

Example: In velocity time graphs we can get the physical quantity (displacement)
by calculating the area under the curve.

Solved example: Calculate the displacement:

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

Area from 0 to 4s is the area of a triangle with a base of 4s and a height of 10 m/s.

Area from 4s to 8s is the area of a rectangle with base 4s and a height of 10m/s.

The total area under the graph is the sum of the area of the triangle and the area
of the rectangle.

The unit for the area under the graph is meters, which indicates that the area
under a velocity vs. time graph is displacement.

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

Parabolic Graphs:
-Often, two quantities in physics are not proportional to each other, but one
quantity depends on the square of the other.

Ex: For an object moving falling freely from rest, the total distance fallen is
proportional to the square of the time it has been falling. The equation that
relates distance fallen to the time of fall is:

Where g is the acceleration of the falling object due to gravity, about

10m/s2.Since s is proportional to t2 (and not to t), the graph of s vs. t will be a
parabola.

But if we plotted we would get a straight line with a slope of

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

Famous relations on the graph:

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

-Trigonometry is the study of triangles, and often right triangles.

-The lengths of sides of a right triangle can be used to define some useful
relationships, called the sine (sin), cosine (cos) and tangent (tan).

-Also, the three sides are related to each other by the Pythagoras theorem.

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

The most famous right angle triangles

Scalars and Vectors

Scalars Vectors
-A scalar is a quantity has -A vector quantity has both
magnitude (size) only. magnitude (size) and direction
(angle).
-It has no direction associated with -A vector can be represented by
it. an arrow whose length gives an
indication of its magnitude (size),
with the arrow tip pointing in the
direction of the vector.
Ex: mass – volume – time – Ex: Force – displacement – velocity
temperature – distance – speed – – acceleration – momentum
work

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

Addition of vectors:

To add vectors magnitudes, we have two methods:

1) Tip to tail method:

We can add any two vectors, A and B, by placing

the tail of B so that it meets the tip of A. The
sum, A + B, is the vector from the tail of A to the
tip of B. Note that you’ll get the same vector if
you place the tip of B against the tail of A. In
other words, A + B and B + A are equivalent.

Adding Parallel Vectors

If the vectors you want to add are in the same
direction, they can be added using simple arithmetic.
For example, if you get in your car and drive eight
miles east, stop for a break, and then drive six miles
east, you will be 8 + 6 = 14 miles east of your origin. If
you drive eight miles east and then six miles west, you
will end up 8 – 6 = 2 miles east of your origin.

2) Parallelogram method:

To add A and B using the parallelogram method,

place the tail of B so that it meets the tail of A.

Take these two vectors to be the first two

adjacent sides of a parallelogram, and draw in the remaining two sides. The
vector sum, A + B, extends from the tails of A and B across the diagonal to the
opposite corner of the parallelogram. If the vectors are perpendicular and
unequal in magnitude, the parallelogram will be a rectangle. If the vectors are
perpendicular and equal in magnitude, the parallelogram will be a square.

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

Adding Perpendicular Vectors

Suppose vector A has a magnitude of 8, and

vector B is perpendicular to A with a
magnitude of 6. What is the magnitude of A
+ B? Since vectors A and B are perpendicular,
the triangle formed by A, B, and A + B is a
right triangle. We can use the Pythagorean
Theorem to calculate the magnitude of A + B,

Which is

What is meant by an equilibrant?

The equilibrant is always equal and opposite to the resultant vector

- In order for two vectors to add up to zero, the vectors must have equal
magnitudes and point in opposite directions.

Subtraction of vectors:

You probably know that subtraction is the same

thing as adding a negative: 8 – 5 is the same thing
as 8 + (–5). The easiest way to think about vector
subtraction is in terms of adding a negative vector.
What’s a negative vector? It’s the same vector as
its positive counterpart, only pointing in the
opposite direction.

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

let’s take the two vectors A and B: A – B,

then, is the same thing as A + (–B).

To subtract B from A, take a vector of the

same magnitude as B, but pointing in the
opposite direction, and add that vector to A,
using either the tip-to-tail method or the
parallelogram method

Multiplying a vector by a scalar:

Multiplying a vector by a scalar will get you a

vector with the same direction, but different
magnitude. EX: 3A = A + A + A

Multiplying a vector by a vector:

It will get a scalar or a vector quantity depending on the type of multiplication.

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

Resolving a vector:
- A vector can be broken
mathematically into two
components:

One on the x-axis , and the other one

on the y-axis.

Example: If we have a vector that has

the co-ordinates (3,4) It will have two components:

(1) A component in the x- direction that we are going to name it Ax

We can get the x-component from the relation : Ax = A cos θ

(2)A component in the Y-direction that we are going to name it A y.

We can get the y-component from the relation: Ay = A sin θ

- The direction of a vector can be expressed in terms of the angle by which it is

rotated counterclockwise from the x-axis.
𝐴𝑦
-The angle can be obtained from the trigonometric function: tan θ =
𝐴𝑥

Addition of non perpendicular vectors:

If we have two vectors A and B that we want to add
them:

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

First: Get the magnitude of the resultant vector C for the

vectors A and B by calculating their components and add each two which
are present in the same direction (i.e. x-axis or y-axis) together.

x-component of C: is the sum of the x-components of vectors A and B.

y-component of C: is the sum of the y-components of vectors A and B.

And by Pythagorean Theorem:

Second: Find the direction by getting the angle using the

trigonometric function:

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

Solved EXAMPLE
Two ropes are tied to a box on a frictionless
surface. One rope pulls due east with a force of
2.0N. The second rope pulls with a force of 4.0N at
an angle 30o west of north, as shown in the
diagram. What is the total force acting on the box?

Solution:

To solve this problem, we need to resolve the force on the second rope into its
northward and westward components.

Because the force is directed 30o west of north,

its northward component is

and its westward component is

Since the eastward component is also 2.0N, the

eastward and westward components cancel
one another out. The resultant force is directed
due north, with a force of approximately 3.4N.

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

More questions

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

(21) Two laboratories use radiocarbon dating to measure the age of two
wooden spear handles found in the same grave. Lab A finds an age of 2250±
40 years for the first object; lab B finds an age of 2215 ±50 years for the
second object. Which of the following is true?
(a)Lab A’s reading is more accurate than lab B’s.
(b)Lab A’s reading is less accurate than lab B’s.
(c)Lab A’s reading is more precise than lab B’s.
(d) Lab A’s reading is less precise than lab B’s.

(22) Which of the following is equal to 86.2 cm?

(a) 8.62 m (c) 8.62 x 10-4 km
(b) 0.862 mm (d) 862 dm

(23) Jario has a problem to do involving time,distance, and velocity,

but he has forgotten the formula. The question asks him for a measurement
in seconds, and the numbers that are given have units of m/s and km. What
could Jario do to get the answer in seconds?

(a) Multiply the km by the m/s, then multiply by 1000.

(b) Divide the km by the m/s, then multiply by 1000.

(c) Divide the km by the m/s, then divide by 1000.

(d) Multiply the km by the m/s, then divide by 1000.

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Mr. Hesham A. Desouky ACT II physics ( : 01032974975)

Additional Notes

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