 What are physical quantities?

 Physical quantities are the quantities which can be defined

and measured. They are used to describe the laws of
Physics. Examples: force, distance, time, current, mass, etc.

 Classify and explain physical quantities

according to directional properties.

 On the basic of magnitude and direction physical quantities

are classified into two classes.
 Scalar quantity: Those physical quantities which have only
magnitude but not direction are called scalar quantities. For
example mass, length etc.
 Vector quantity: Those physical quantities which have both
magnitude and direction are called vector quantities. For
example velocity, force etc.
 Scalars Versus Vectors
Scalar: number with units
Vector: quantity with magnitude and direction
How to get to the library: need to know how far
and which way
 Adding Vectors
Adding vectors graphically: Place the tail of the
second at the head of the first. The sum points
from the tail of the first to the head of the last.
 Subtracting Vectors
Subtracting Vectors: The negative of a vector is
a vector of the same magnitude pointing in the
opposite direction. Here, D = A – B.
 The Components of a Vector
Even though you know how far and in which
direction the library is, you may not be able
to walk there in a straight line:
 The Components of a Vector
Length, angle, and components can be
calculated from each other using
trigonometry:
 The Components of a Vector
Can resolve vector into perpendicular
components using a two-dimensional
coordinate system:
 The Components of a Vector

Signs of vector components:

 Adding and Subtracting Vectors

Adding Vectors Using Components:

1. Find the components of each vector to be
added.
2. Add the x- and y-components separately.
3. Find the resultant vector.
Adding and Subtracting Vectors
 Unit Vectors
Unit vectors are dimensionless vectors of unit
length.
 Vector Addition using
components

A   
B
AB
 
A  A x ˆi  A y ˆj B  Bx ˆi  B y ˆj
 
A  B   A x  Bx  i   A y  By  j
ˆ ˆ
 Unit Vectors
Multiplying unit vectors by scalars: the multiplier
changes the length, and the sign indicates the
direction.
 CARTESIAN & POLAR COORDS.
If the point P has Cartesian coordinates
(x, y) and polar coordinates (r, θ)

x  r cos 

y  r sin 
2 2 2 y
r x y tan  
x
ADDITION OF SEVERAL VECTORS

• Step 1 is to resolve each

vector into its components
• Step 2 is to add all the x
components together and add all
the y components together.
These two totals become the
resultant vector.
• Step 3 is to find the magnitude
and angle of the resultant vector.
Basic Quantities in Kinematics
 One Dimensional Position x
• Motion can be defined as the change of position over
time.
• How can we represent position along a straight line?
• Position definition:
– Defines a starting point: origin (x = 0), x relative to origin
– Direction: positive (right or up), negative (left or down)
– It depends on time: t = 0 (start clock), x(t=0) does not have to
be zero.
• Position has units of [Length]: meters.

x = + 2.5 m

x = - 3 m
 Vector and Scalar
• A vector quantity is characterized by having both a
magnitude and a direction.
– Displacement, Velocity, Acceleration, Force …
– Denoted inboldface type v , a , F ...or with an arrow over the top
 
v , a. , F ...
• A scalar quantity has magnitude, but no direction.
– Distance, Mass, Temperature, Time …
• For motion along a straight line, the direction is
represented simply by + and – signs.
  sign: Right or Up.
  sign: Left or Down.
• 1-D motion can be thought of as a
component of 2-D and 3-D motions.
 Quantities in Motion
• Any motion involves three concepts
– Displacement
– Velocity
– Acceleration
• These concepts can be used to study objects
in motion.
 Displacement
• Displacement is a change of position in time.
• Displacement: x  x f (t f )  xi (ti )
– f stands for final and i stands for initial.
• It is a vector quantity.
• It has both magnitude and direction:  or  sign
• It has units of [length]: meters.
x1 (t1) = + 2.5 m
x2 (t2) = - 2.0 m
Δx = -2.0 m - 2.5 m = -4.5 m
x1 (t1) = - 3.0 m
x2 (t2) = + 1.0 m
Δx = +1.0 m + 3.0 m = +4.0 m
 Velocity
• Velocity is the rate of change of position.
• Velocity is a vector quantity.
displacement
• Velocity has both magnitude and direction.
• Velocity has a unit of [length/time]: meter/second.
distance
• We will be concerned with three quantities, defined as:
– Average velocity x x f  xi
vavg  
t t
– Average speed total distance
savg 
t
 Acceleration
• Changing velocity (non-uniform) means an
acceleration is present.
• Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.
• Acceleration is a vector quantity.
• Acceleration has both magnitude and direction.
• Acceleration has a dimensions of length/time2: [m/s2].
• Definition:
v v f  vi
– Average acceleration aavg  
t t f  ti
 What each term means
• Acceleration means the final velocity is NOT
the same as the initial velocity = a
• We use initial velocity = u
• We use final velocity = v
• If v > u then we are speeding up (a is positive)
• If v < u then we are slowing down (a is
negative)
Equation One: v = u + at
Equation Three: v2 = u2 + 2as
Equation One: v = u + at
• A train accelerates from rest at 3 m/s2. How
fast is it going after 30 seconds?
• My Nissan Frontier goes from 0 to 60mph in
9.2 seconds, What is the acceleration?
• A car traveling at 30 m/s decelerates at 7 m/s2.
How long is it before it comes to rest?
• An ice puck slows due to friction at 1.7 m/s2. I
hit the puck at one end of the rink, and when it
hits the goal, 12 seconds later, it is going at 19
m/s. At what speed did I hit the puck initially?
Equation Two: s = ut + ½at 2

• A train accelerates from rest at 3 m/s2.

How far has it gone after 30 seconds?
• From a rolling start at 20 mph, Jewel
Alderson can cover the 400 meter Trader
Joes parking lot in 11 s, What is the
acceleration of her Hyundai?
• An ice puck on asphalt slows due to
friction at 6.7 m/s2. It travels 100 meters in
7 seconds. At what speed did I hit the puck
initially?
Equation Three: v = u + 2as 2 2
• A train accelerates from rest at 3 m/s2. How
fast is it going when it hits the car on the track,
500 meters down the line from the station?
• Traveling at 60 mph I see an old person walk
into the road 300 meters ahead. Feeling in a
good mood, I decide to break, and the car
slows at a rate of 6.5 m/s2. What is the fate of
the pensioner?
• After joining the freeway I can accelerate from
40 mph to 90 mph in 11 seconds. How far do I
travel along the freeway before I get to 90?
 Newton’s Laws of Motion
• 1st Law – An object at rest will stay at rest, and
an object in motion will stay in motion at
constant velocity, unless acted upon by an
unbalanced force.
• 2nd Law – The rate of change of momentum of a
body is directly proportional to the external force
acting on the body and takes place in the
direction of the force.
• 3rd Law – For every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction.
Inertia: a property of matter by which it continues in
its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight
line, unless that state is changed by an external force.

Mass: The quantity of matter in an object. It is also the

measure of the inertia or sluggishness that an object
exhibits in response to any effort made to start it, stop
it, or change its state of motion in any way.

Weight: Usually the force upon an object due to

gravity. The weight of an object of mass m due to
gravity equals mg, where g is the constant of
proportionality.
 What is the difference between mass and
weight?

I)The mass of a body is a measure of its resistance to

accelerate (i.e. it is a measure of the inertia of the body).
The weight of a body is the force exerted on its mass by
the gravity.
II)The mass of an object is the same everywhere. Weight
increases or decreases with higher or lower gravity.
III)Mass is a scalar quantity. It has magnitude. Weight is a
vector quantity. It has magnitude and is directed toward the
center of the Earth or other gravity well.
IV)Mass usually is measured in grams and kilograms.
Weight often is measured in newtons, a unit of force.
Normal Force : The normal force is the support force exerted upon
an object that is in contact with another stable object. For example,
if a book is resting upon a surface, then the surface is exerting an
upward force upon the book in order to support the weight of the
book.
Circular Motion
What is a circular motion ?

• Motion along a circular path / arc.

Uniform Circular Motion

• Circular motion with constant speed.
Non-uniform Circular Motion
• Circular motion with changing speed
Is the ball accelerating ?
When the string breaks . . .

The string breaks

at this position

The object
then moves
along a straight
line.

Without tension the

object moves in a straight
line.
Tension changes the
direction of the object.
 Centripetal Force

• When an object moves in a circle, it must

accelerates.
• The acceleration directs toward the centre of the
circle.
• According to Newton’s 2nd law, there has to be a
force to produce such acceleration
• This force must point toward the centre of the
circle (Centripetal Force)
Centripetal Acceleration

Magnitude :

v2
a   2r
r
Direction : Towards the centre

Q: Is the acceleration a constant?

Period, Speed, acceleration and force

mv 2

F  ma 
r
A top view of the car’s path is shown above. We are interested in the
car’s acceleration as it passes points A, B, and C.
Dave wants to practice vertical circles for a flying show exhibition. What
must the minimum radius of the circle be to ensure that his acceleration at
the bottom does not exceed 3.0g? The speed of the plane is 78 m/s at the
bottom of the circle.