Scribd
Upload
13 views

Physics Introduction 1

This document provides an overview of a physics course, including: - References and textbooks for the course - Grading breakdown, with exams, tests, practicals, and coursework making up the total grade - Brief introductions to the fields of physics and importance of observation - Concepts like significant figures, measurement and error analysis, standard form, and dimensional analysis - Examples of calculations involving uncertainties and dimensional analysis The document outlines key topics and concepts to be covered in the physics course, along with the assessment methods and breakdown of the final grade.

Uploaded by

Ndumiso Nkabinde
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
13 views

Physics Introduction 1

This document provides an overview of a physics course, including: - References and textbooks for the course - Grading breakdown, with exams, tests, practicals, and coursework making up the total grade - Brief introductions to the fields of physics and importance of observation - Concepts like significant figures, measurement and error analysis, standard form, and dimensional analysis - Examples of calculations involving uncertainties and dimensional analysis The document outlines key topics and concepts to be covered in the physics course, along with the assessment methods and breakdown of the final grade.

Uploaded by

Ndumiso Nkabinde
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 28

PHYSICS

NATURAL SCIENCES II
[EDUC2263A]

17 April 2023
By Sphamandla Zulu
BOOKS
REF.
• COLLEGE PHYSICS BY SERWAY
AND VUILLE
• PHYSICS BY GIANCOLI (6TH ED.)
• PHYSICS FOR SCIENTISTS AND
ENGINEERS (KNIGHT)
• PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICS
(SERWAY)
Grading of the work

Exam
Tests Practical
50%

• Total 100%

Coursework
Tutorials Assignments
50%
Physics
• Deals with behaviour and structure of matter
• Two branches: 1. Classical physics – motion/mechanics, fluids, heat,
sound, light, electricity and magnetism
2. Modern physics – relativity, atomic structure,
condensed matter, nuclear physics, elementary particles, and cosmology and
astrophysics
Importance of observations in Physics

Galileo Aristotle
With friction ignored, an object with an Objects given an initial push, always
initial push will continue indefinitely slows down and stop

For an object to be in motion was just Natural state of an object is at rest


as natural as for it to be at rest

Both interpreted motion along horizontal surface


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, e.g.
23.21 cm has 4 significant figures
0.062 cm has 2 significant figures (the initial zeroes do not
count)
0.06020 cm has 3 significant figures
80 km is ambiguous – it could have 1 or 2 significant figures.
If it has 3, it should be written 80.0 km
Principles of significant figures
1. All non-zero digits are significant, no matter what their position
137.34 - contains five (5) significant figures
2. Captive zeros (between two non-zero digits) are significant.
120.007 contains six (6) significant figures
3. Leading zeros (preceding all non-zero digits) are never significant.
0.00476 contains three (3) significant figures
4. Trailing zeros are significant if the decimal point is printed on the page.
100.0 contains four (4) significant figures
2000. contains four (4) significant figures
0.00300 contains (3) significant figures
0.04060 contains (4) significant figures
5. If the decimal point is understood rather than printed, trailing zeros are not significant
109,000 contains three (3) significant figures.
109,000 contains six (6) significant figures, if specified
Significant figure rules
• In scientific notation, the number of significant figures is
the number of digits before the power of 10:
• 2.73 x 103 has 3 significant figures
• When multiplying or dividing several quantities, the
number of significant figures in the final answer is the
same as the number of significant figures in the quantity
having the smallest number of significant figures:

• Example: 11.3 cm x 6.8 cm = 77 cm (2 significant figures)

• Example: (2 significant figures)


Cont…
• When adding or subtracting, the answer is no more
accurate than the least accurate number used i.e. the
number of decimal places in the result should equal the
smallest number of decimal places of any term in the sum
or difference:

• Example: 11.3 cm + 6.88 cm = 18.18 = 18.2 cm (1


decimal place)
• Example: 11.3 cm - 6.88 cm = 4.42 = 4.4 cm (1 decimal
place)
• Example: 25.0 + 3.605 = 28.605 =28.6 (1 decimal place)
• Example: 25.0 – 3.605 = 21.395 =21.4 (1 decimal place)
Measurement & Estimation

Accuracy and precision are important but no measurement is absolutely precise


Uncertainty for every measurement
Errors & error analysis
• No measurements are exact; there is always some
uncertainty due to limitations in instrument accuracy &
difficulty reading the results (circumference of a circle)
• A metre rule can only measure to 1 mm
• Vernier callipers measures to 0.01mm
• Micrometre screw gauge measures to 0.001mm
• Estimated uncertainty is written with a ± sign; for
example:
cm meaning result is between 8.7 & 8.9cm
• Percent uncertainty is the ratio of the uncertainty to the
measured value, multiplied by 100:
Types of errors

• Insensitive use of •Incorrect use of


• Due to incorrectly instruments instrument like parallax
calibrated scale • measuring diameter error
• Repeated of a wire using a
measurements metre rule instead of
a micrometre screw
gauge
Systematic Random Personal
error error error
Cont…
• Example: suppose you are using a stopwatch to
measure the time required for 10 oscillations:

• Random error comes from your reaction time


when starting & stopping the watch. Repeating
measurements gives different answers

• Systematic error comes from the stopwatch that


does not start from zero seconds
Combining errors
• During calculations of numbers with errors,
the errors are treated in different ways:
• When adding numbers:
• The errors are added together e.g.
• When subtracting numbers:
• The errors are added together e.g.
• How do we treat errors when multiplying
or dividing numbers?
Combining errors during × and ÷
• During multiplication and/or division errors are treated as
follows:
• Suppose
• Then
• Example: Suppose we have measured a displacement x =
5.1  0.4 m during a time t = 0.4  0.1 s. What is the
average velocity and the error in the average velocity?
• Solution:
• Error:

•
• v = 13  3 m s-1
Example
• w = 4.52  0.02 cm, x = 2.0  0.2 cm, y = 3.0  0.6
cm. Find and its uncertainty

Solution:
•

•
Example
• x = 2.0  0.2 cm, y = 3.0  0.6 cm. Find and its
uncertainty

Solution:

•
Example
• w = 4.52  0.02 cm, x = 2.5  0.2 cm, y = 3.2  0.6 cm.
Find and its uncertainty
Solution:

• Error:
• 

•
Standard form & scientific notation
• For numbers that are very large or very small, scientific
notation can be used to represent them in an easy way
− 12
3.23 𝑥 10
•
• exponent.

• The exponent specifies how many times the number


before the multiplication sign has to be multiplied by 10 if
the number is greater than 1 (exponent positive) or
divided by 10 if the number is less than 1 (exponent
negative). E.g.:
Standard Prefixes for SI Units
Plotting Graphs

Drawing the line of best fit

Calculating the slope


Fundamental (primary) & Secondary dimensions
Dimensions and Units
• Any physical quantity is characterised by dimensions

• Magnitudes assigned to the dimensions are called units

• Some basic dimensions such as mass m, length L, time t, and


temperature T are selected as primary or fundamental dimensions

• Dimensions like velocity v, energy E & volume V are expressed in terms


of primary dimensions & are called secondary dimensions, or derived
dimensions

• Two sets of units are still in common use today: the English system & SI
Units (International System)
Dimensional Analysis
• This is used to verify the validity of derived quantities
• This system will check if the units to the left hand
side of an equal sign are similar to units on the right
hand side
• The fundamental dimensions are represented by
mass (M), length (L), time (T) & these are used to
analyse formula
• e.g. F is represented by MLT-2 from the relationship
F = ma
Example
• The relationship velocity (v) = distance / time, can be
expressed in dimensions as v = L T-1.
• Alternatively, we know that force = mass x acceleration.
The dimensions for force are therefore F = M L T-2.
• Therefore the units of Force must be kg m s-2, we define
this combination of units, as the Newton.
• We can also use Dimensional analysis to predict some
relationships.
• This is because all sides of the relationship equation
must have the same dimensions – i.e. the equation must
be dimensionally consistent.
Example
THANK
You
Sphamandla.zulu1@wits.ac.za

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy