SUBJECT CODE: NSCI 125

SUBJECT NAME: Physics for Engineers

EDITOR/S: Sebastian M. Manalo
EDIT DATE: June 27, 2019

Physics
-What is Physics?

Physics is a physical science that deals with the study of matter, energy and their
transformation. It is divided into two main branches--- classical physics and modern physics.
Classical physics includes the traditional topics which were recognized and developed before
the beginning of the 20th century. They deal with matter and energy under normal conditions. s
is concerned with the behavior of matter and the energy under extreme conditions.

• Classical Physics
1. Mechanics- the study of forces acting on bodies o
Statics- forces acting on bodies at rest
o Dynamics- on motion and the forces that affect it o
Kinematics- on motion without regard to its cause
2. Acoustics- the study of the propagation and production of sounds waves
3. Optics-the study of light
o Physical Optics- the production, nature ad properties of light
o Physiological Optics- the part played by light on vision
o Geometrical Optics- the reflection and refraction of light as observed in
mirrors and lenses
4. Thermodynamics- study of the relationship between heat and other forms of
energy
5. Electromagnetism – the study of the properties of electric current and
magnetism, and their relationship.
o Electrostatics- study of electric charges at rest
o Electrodynamics – study of moving charges
o Magnetostatics – study of magnetic poles at rest.

• Modern Physics
1. Atomic and Nuclear Physics – the study of the components, structure and
behavior of the nucleus of the atom
 2. Quantum Physics – the study of the atom a with the focus on the indivisible
units of energy called quanta
3. Relativistic Physics – the study of the phenomena that take place in a frame
of reference that is motion with respect to an observer
4. Solid State physics- the study of all the properties of solid materials
5. Condensed Matter Physics- an extension of Solid-State Physics; it is the study
of properties of condensed materials and developing new materials with
better properties
6. Plasma Physics- the study of the fourth state of matter, the plasma
7. Low – Temperature Physics (Cryogenics) – the study of the production and
maintenance of temperature down to almost absolute zero, and the various
phenomena that occurs only at such temperature

• Physics and its Application

▪ Computer Tomography (CT) Scanner – converts x-ray pictures into computer codes
to make clear and sharp images on a screen
▪
Magnetic resonance Imaging (MRI) – makes use of the effect of the magnetic
field surrounding the human body on the nuclei of the hydrogen atoms
inside the body
▪
Single Photon Emission Computer Tomography (SPECT) and Positron Emission
Tomography (PET) – make use of the radioactive tracers to determine blood
flow, blockages and constrictions in the heart, brain and other vital organs
▪ Endoscope – used in the diagnosis of vital organs without surgery
▪ Laser – used to weld detached retina of the eye and for the bloodless surgery
▪ Cryogenics – used to preserve vital body organs awaiting transplantation
▪ Velocity interferometer System for Any Reflector (VISAR) Velocimeter – a highly
vibration-tolerant device that analyzes light reflected by a moving target
▪ Solar Sail – a spacecraft without an engine; it has gigantic sails that can reflect
photons, or the packets of energy that make up sunlight
▪ Multiple Wave Oscillator (MWO) – an instrument used to destroy cancer cells in the
body
▪
Hyper Sonic Sound (HSS) – a portable device that can transmit sound to a
specific area, permitting only one person to hear the projected sound while
others cannot.
• Mathematics: Essential in Physics

Physics involve s a lot of computation. It is impossible to study Physics without

encountering very small or very large numbers. For a more logical way of writing
very small and very large numbers, they are expressed in scientific notation.
 • Scientific notation

Expressing a number in powers of 10. It is the form M x 10 n , where M is

base and n is the exponent

o Example: 0.000342 = 3.42x10-4

346225 = 3.46225x105
1. Express the following number in scientific notation:
➢
0.002 336 = ____________________
➢
234 000 = ____________________
➢
0.224 000 = ____________________
➢
784 000 = ____________________
➢
0.006 788 = ____________________
2. Express the following in common notation:
➢ -2
3.45 x 10 = ______________________________
➢
1.24 x 103 = ______________________________
➢
5.67 x 10-4 = ______________________________
➢ 0
9.21 x 10 = ______________________________
➢
7.90 x 104 = ____________________

• Prefixes for Metric Units

Power of 10 Prefix Symbol

10-18 atto a

10-15 femto f

10-12 pico p

10-9 nano n

10-6 micro μ

10-3 milli m

10-2 centi c

10-1 deci d

100 (base unit)

101 deka da

102 hecto h
103 kilo k

106 mega M

109 giga G

1012 tera T

1015 peta P
1018 exa E

• Measuring small Distances

How do we measure the length of a paper clip or the thickness of a sheet

of paper? A better method of measuring such small distances is with the use of
the micrometer caliper and the Vernier caliper.

A micrometer caliper is used to accurately measure the thickness of a

sheet of paper and the external diameter of thin wires. It has a sleeve which
rotates on a screw inside it. As the sleeve is rotated, it moves forward until the
tip of the micrometer just touches the object being measured. The scale
indicates the thickness or the diameter of the object.

On the other hand, the Vernier caliper is used for measuring either the
internal or external diameters of tubes, pipes, rods, etc. the distance between
the Jaws of the caliper is read on scale attached to the instrument.

• Measuring Large Distances

Large or long distances such as the height of a mountain or th3 distances

between stars may be measured indirectly with the use of angular measurement.

Another way of measuring such long distances from light-emitting objects

is by using the inverse-square relationship between light intensity and distance.

• Evaluating measurements: Accuracy and Precision

Measurements have their limitation. These limitations may be attributed

to systematic errors (determinate) and random errors (indeterminate).
Systematic errors are due to the limitation of the measuring instrument and the
skill of the one making the measurement. Random errors are caused by external
noise, vibration, changes in atmospheric pressure and friction.
 • Accuracy refers to the closeness of a measurement made to the true or
accepting value. It may be expressed in terms of absolute error (AE) and
relative error (RE).
▪
=| − |

• Where: AE- absolute error

O- observed value
A- accepted value
▪
= 100

o Where: RE- relative error AE-

absolute error A-
accepted value

• Precision refers to the degree of exactness to which a measurement can be

reproduced. It may be measured in terms of absolute deviation and
relative deviation.
• =| − |

▪
Where: AD- absolute deviation O-
observed value
M- mean (or average)
• =100

o Where: RD- relative deviation

( 1+ 2+ 3….+ )

M- mean (or average)

Physical Quantities: Fundamental and Derived

A physical quantity refers to any measurable aspect of the universe. It may be classified
as a fundamental quantity or a derived quantity. Fundamental quantities are the basic
quantities. They can be measured directly using an instrument using an instrument or
apparatus. The table below shows the 7 fundamental quantities and their symbol.

Derived quantities are a combination of two or more fundamental quantities.

Relationships between quantities

Two variables may be related to each other. This is known as proportion or variation. In
studying Physics, it is important to note, that the graph obtained indicates a certain relationship
between the variables. Four types of relationship may exist between quantities. These are:

1.Direct proportion
Consider the following data:
 Diameter, cm 1 2 3 4 5
Circumference, cm 3.14 6.28 9.42 12.56 15.7
12

10

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Shape of the graph: Straight line

Relationship between Quantities: Direct Proportion (as Diameter increases, the

circumference also increases)
Equation of the Line: y = kx C = kD

Slope of the Line: = k= 3.14 * The slope is constant

2.inverse Proportion

In this type of relationship, as one quantity increases, the other quantity

decreases. Consider the relationship that exist between Pressure (P) and Volume (V)

Pressure, P 1 2 3 4 5
Volume, V 90 45 30 22.5 18
 12

10

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Shape of graph: hyperbola

Relationship between Quantities: Inversely Proportion (as the pressure increases, the volume
decreases)

Equation of the line: = =

Slope of the Line: = k=90

3.Direct Square Proportion

In this case, both quantities are increasing, but one quantity increases faster than the
other. An example of this relationship is the dependence of the area of a circle on its radius.

Radius, cm 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Area, cm2 3.14 12.56 28.26 50.24 78.5 113.04 153.86
12

10

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Shape of the graph: parabola
Relationship between Quantities: Directly Square Proportion

Equation of the Line: = 2 = 2 = = = 3.14

2 2

4.Inversely Square proportion

This is when one quantity decreases faster as the other quantity increases. An
example of this relationship is the dependence of velocity on mass.

Mass, g 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Velocity, cm/s 10 7.1 5.8 5 4.47 4.08 3.78

12

10

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Shape of the Graph: hyperbola

Relationship between Quantities: Inversely Square Proportion

Equation of the line: = = = 2 = 2=100

2 2

• Vectors and Scalars

Quantities completely described by its magnitude or value alone are

called scalar quantities. Those that require both magnitude and direction
are called vector quantities.

• Vector Representation
 A vector quantity is represented by an arrow. The length of this arrow is
drawn proportional to the magnitude of the vector. It always starts from the origin or
the starting point of the vector leading towards its direction.

• Vectors addition/ composition of vectors

The process of adding or combining two or more vectors to give a single vector
is called composition of vectors or vector addition. The single vector which
represents the sum of all the vectors is called the resultant.

The resultant vector would have the same effect as all the original vectors
acting together. There are two general ways to finding the resultant vectors: (1)
graphical method and (2) analytical method.

• Graphical methods of finding the resultant vector

Graphical methods of finding the resultant vector would require the use of a
ruler to measure magnitude and a protractor to measure direction. An appropriate scale
may also be in cases where magnitudes would have to be reduced to smaller units.

There are two ways of finding the resultant vector graphically. These are the
parallelogram method and the polygon method.

A. Parallelogram Method

In this method, the two vectors are drawn from a common point using an
appropriate scale. The two parallel sides are also drawn to come up with
a parallelogram. The diagonal of the parallelogram drawn and directed
away from the origin of the two vectors is the resultant.

The length of the diagonal represents the magnitude of the vector and
the acute angle measured from the x-axis up to the diagonal will be
used for the direction of the vector quantity.

B. Polygon Method

The tail-haid method of drawing the vector is used to determine the

resultant. Here the second vector is drawn such that its tall is connected to
the arrowhead of the first vector. Same method applies to the succeeding
vectors. The resultant is measured from the tail of the first vector to the
head of the last vector. The length of the arrow drawn to
complete the polygon is the magnitude of the resultant and the acute
angle is measured from the x axis up to the resultant will used to give the
direction of the vector quantity.
.