Physics for the Life Sciences I Fall 2010 Adam T. Whitten PEngl 101

Resources Text – College Physics 8 th Ed. w/WebAssign by Serway & Vuille Course Manual – contains detailed information My website – same info as manual plus additions (e.g., test solutions)My website WebAssign website –Self register using class code and access code –Class codes: Section 03A (11:20)csbsju Section 04A (1:00)csbsju Lab Manual: purchase 2 lab notebooks

What is Physics? Study of laws governing interactions of ______________ Understanding stated in terms of evolving ______________ Data either supports or disproves a theory – ____________________

What We’ll Study Physics Classical Mechanics Electricity and Magnetism OpticsThermodynamics Modern Quantum Mechanics Relativity Atomic, Nuclear, & Elementary Particle Solid State Condensed MatterCosmology Physics 105Physics 106

Units – Système International (SI) distance↔___________ mass↔___________ time↔___________ MKS or SI units mega (M)= kilo (k)= centi (c)= milli (m)= micro (μ)= Measure:Prefixes: Base and derived units listed in Appendix D, p. A.21

Dimensional Analysis Using _____ to check for errors in your solution Using units to help with ___________ manipulation Example:

Significant Figures (Digits) Definition: a reliably known ________ Mathematical results only have as many significant digits as the operand with the _________ significant digits Leading zeroes _________ count Zeroes trailing fractional part after decimal point _________ count _________ zeroes always count

Significant Digits (Examples) A = 600 J B = 660 cm C = 60.1 mm D = 0.3 s E = 0.03 s F = s ___________ How many sig figs are there for each number?

Sig Figs and Addition/Subtraction − m − 45 cm + 9 mm = _______ → _______ = ________ → ______ = _______ → _______ Sig figs of result determined by operand with _______________________________. Watch out for units! = ______________________

Sig Figs and Multiplication/Division = _______________ = ___________________ → ___________________ = ____________________ → ____________________ = ____________________ → ___________________ ______________ helps keep track of sig figs! Result has same number of sig figs as operand with the _____________ of sig figs. (650 J) × ( s) (60.1 mm)/( s) (660 cm)/(0.03 s) (350 cm)/( s)

Unit Conversions Always (95% of the time) convert to ___ units –Prefixes listed in Table 1.4, p. 3 –Conversion factors (inside front cover) Use fractional forms to ________ units Watch out for units with ___________

Orders of Magnitude Represented as powers of ten Examples:

Coordinate Systems Origin, O – fixed ____________ point Set of specified axes w/ ______________ Instructions for labeling points relative to __ Fig. 1.4, p. 13Fig. 1.5, p. 14 Cartesian Coordinates Polar Coordinates

Trigonometry – Right Triangles Relates Cartesian and Polar Coordinates Given any two values x, y, r, θ, the other 2 can be found Fig. 1.6, p. 14

Problem Solving Procedure Read the problem Draw diagram Label all physical quantities in diagram Identify the physical principle(s) or law(s) Equations relating physical quantities are written down Solve the set of equations algebraically Substitute in the known numerical values Check your answer (Outlined in Course Manual and p. 16 of text book)