Republic of the Philippines

CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE

F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte - 4600, Philippines

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

EN PHYS 1 - PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERS

Subject Instructor: Engr. Yves Djonly M. Villagracia
Module No. & Title: 1. Introduction to Physics for Engineers
=================================================================================
1 . Introduction to Physics for Engineers
Outline of Topics
1. Units and Measurement
2. Trigonometry
3. Scalar and Vector Quantity
4. Vector Component
5. Vector Addition and Subtraction

Specific Intended Learning Outcome/s (SILOs)

At the end of this topic, the student should be able to:
• Identify unit and measurement
• Recognize with basic trigonometry concept
• Describe difference between scalar and vector quantity
• Determine the component of a 2D vector
• Sketch and solve addition and subtraction of vectors
=================================================================================

The science of physics has developed out of the efforts of men and women to explain our
physical environment. These efforts have been so successful that the laws of physics now encompass a
remarkable variety to phenomena, including planetary orbits, radio and TV waves, magnetism, and lasers,
to name just a few.

Lesson 1: Units and Measurements

Unit Prefixes

Physics is a quantitative science. The lessons and calculations throughout this subject always
involve measured quantities with specified numerical values. Scientific measurements are expressed in
the metric system. This is a decimal system in which all of the units of a particular quantity are related to
one another by factors of 10. The common prefixes used to express these factors are listed in below.

Table 1.1 Metric Prefixes

Factor Prefix Abbreviation Factor Prefix Abbreviation
10 24 yotta Y 10-1 deci d
1021 zetta Z 10-2 centi c
10 18 exa E 10-3 milli m
10 15 peta P 10-6 micro μ
1012 tera T 10-9 nano n
10 9
giga G 10-12 pico p
106 mega M 10-15 femto f
103 kilo k 10-18 atto a
10 2 hector h 10-21 zepto z
101 deca da 10-24 yecto y

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Basic Units in Metric System

The metric system is the main system of measurement units used in science. Each unit is considered to
be dimensionally independent of the others.

Table 1.2 Basic Units of Measurement in Metric System

Measurement Unit (Symbol) One Unit Equal to
Basic Unit
Length meter (m) 100 cm, 3.28 ft, 1.09 yd
Mass mass (kg) 1000 g, 2.20 lb, 35.274 oz
Time second (s) 1000 ms, 0.0167 min
Electric Current ampere (A) 1 V/Ω
Temperature kelvin (K) (I=V/R) K =
Amount of Substance mole (mol) o
C + 273
Luminous Intensity candela (cd) mol = mass x molar mass (n=mM)
Other Important Unit 1 lumen(lm)/steradian(sr)
Volume cubic centimeter (cm3)
liter (L) 1000 L
Electromagnetic Radiation 0.001 cm3
Angstrom (Å)
Wavelength
0.1 nm

Unit Conversion

Since any quantity, such as length, can be measured in several different system of units, it is important
to know how to convert from one unit to another. For instance, the height requirement for a male to joined
the PNP is 5 feet and 4 inches (5’4”), it can be measured in 162.56 cm of 1.5256 m.

Table 1.3 Basic Units of Measurement Conversion

Measurement System

SI CGS BE
Basic Unit
Length 1 meter (m) 100 centimeter (cm) 3.281 foot (ft)
Mass 1 kilogram (kg) 1000 gram (g) 0.0685 slug (sl)
Time second (s) second (s) second (s)

Example Problem 1.1

The highest waterfall in the world is Angel Falls in Venezuela, with a total drop of 979.0 m. Express
this drop in feet.

Solution:
3.281 feet
Length = (979.0 meter) ( ) = 3 212
, 099 feet
1 meter
Practice Problem 1.1
Express the speed limit of 65 miles per hour in terms of m/s.

Answer: 29.06m/s

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Practice Problem 1.2

The world’s largest cut diamond is the First Star of Africa (mounted in the British Royal Scepter and kept
in the Tower of London). Its volume is 1.84 cubic inches. What is its volume in cubic centimeter? In
cubic meters?

Answer: 30.2 cm3 ; 3.02 x 10-5 m3

Note:
• In any conversion, if the units do not combine algebraically to give the desired result, the
conversion has not been carried out properly.
• Only quantities with the same units can be added or subtracted

Dimension Analysis

In physics, the term dimension is used to refer to the physical nature of a quantity and the type of unit
used to specify it. Dimension analysis is used to check mathematical relation for the consistency
of their dimensions. As an illustration, consider a car that starts from rest and accelerates to a speed (v)
in a time (t). Suppose we wish to calculate the distance (x) traveled by the car but are not sure whether
the correct relation is x = vt2 or x = vt. We can decide by checking the quantities on both sides of the
equals sign to see whether they have the same dimensions. We use the dimension for the distance
(L), time (T), and speed (L/T) in the following way:

Dimensions:
x = vt2
[L] = [T]2 = [L][T]

Dimensions cancel just like algebraic quantities, and pure numerical

factors like ½ have no dimensions, so they can be ignored. The dimension
on the left of the equals sign does not match those on the right, so the
relation x = vt2 cannot be correct.

x = vt. Dimensions:
L
[L] = [ ] [T] = [L]
T

The dimensions on the left of the equals sign matches that on the right,
so this relation is dimensionally correct. If we know that one of our two
choices is the right one, thenx = vt. Is it.

Lesson 2: Trigonometry
Trigonometric Functions

Scientist use mathematics to help them describe how the physical universe works, and trigonometry is
an important branch of mathematics. Three trigonometric functions are utilized throughout this
course. Trigonometric identities are the ratios of two sides of a right triangle with respect to an angle θ
(theta).

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p dj
o pos itesi de h ) a acentsid e a) opposite
sin θ = cos θ = tan θ = s id e o
hy pote nus e h h ypot enuse adjacent si de h a

Example Problem 1.2

On a sunny day, a tall building casts a shadow that is 67.2 m long. The angle between the sun’s rays
and the ground is θ = 50.0o. Determine the height of the building.

Given:
θ = 50.0o
ha = 67.2 m

Solution:
tan θ =
ho = hatan θ = (67.2m)(tan50o ) = (67.2m)(1.
1917) ho = 80.09 m

Practice Problem 1.3

A certain mountain road is inclined 3.1° with respect to the horizon. What is the change in altitude of
the car as a result of its traveling 2.90 km along the road?

Answer: 157 m

Inverse Trigonometric Functions

Often the values for two sides of the right triangle are available, and the value of the angle θ is
unknown. The concept of inverse trigonometric functions plays an important role in such situations.

θ = sin−1 θ = cos−1 θ = tan−1 ( )

o

ha

Example Problem 1.3

A lakefront drops off gradually at an angle θ, as figure below indicates. For safety reasons, it is
necessary to know how deep the lake is at various distances from the shore. To provide some
information about the depth, a lifeguard rows straight out from the shore a distance of 14.0 m and drops a
weight fishing line. By measuring the length of the line, the lifeguard determines the depth to be 2.25 m.
(a) What is the value of θ? (b) What would be the depth (d) of the lake at a distance of 22.0 m from the
shore?

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Solution:
(a) Using the inverse tangent, find angle θ .

ho 2 .2m
θ = tan−1 ( ) = tan−1 ( ) = 9. 13o
ha 1 40 m

(b) With θ = 9.13o, use the tangent function to find the unknown depth d.
h o = h a tan θ
d = (22.0 m)(tan 9. 13 o ) = 3.54 m

Practice Problem 1.4

Three sticks are arranged to form a right triangle. If the lengths of the three sticks are 0.47 m, 0.62 m
and 0.78 m, what are the three angles of the triangle?

Answer: 90°, 53°, and 37°

Pythagorean Theorem

Pythagorean Theorem defines the relationship among the lengths of the three sides of a right triangle.

2 2
h2 = ho + ha

Note:
• The choice of which side of the triangle to label opposite and adjacent can be made only after
the angle is identified.
• The use of - 1 as an exponent for inverse trigonometric function does not mean “take the
reciprocal” Another way to express is to use arcsin (sin−1), arc cos (cos−1), and arc tan (tan−1).

Lesson 3: Scalar and Vector Quantity

A scalar quantity is one that can be described with a single number (including any units) giving its sixe
or magnitude. Common examples are volume, time, temperature and mass.

A quantity that deals inherently with both magnitude and direction is called vector quantity.

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Because direction is an important characteristic of vectors,

arrows are used to represent them; the direction of the arrow
gives the direction of the vector. In the figure above, the
colored arrow is called the displacement vector, because it
shows how the car displaced from its starting point. The length
of the arrow represents the magnitude of the displacement
vector. By convention, the length of a vector arrow is
proportional to the magnitude of the vector.

The fundamental distinction between scalars and vectors is

the characteristics of direction. Vectors have it, and scalars do not.

Conceptual Example 1.1

There are places where the temperature is +20oC at one time of the year and -20oC at another time. Do
the plus and minus signs that signify positive and negative temperatures imply that temperature is
vector quantity? Yes or no, explain your answer.

In this course, we will represent vectors in symbols with arrows above them. Thus, a displacement vector is
written as = 750 m, due east. By itself, however, separated from the direction, the magnitude of this
vector is a scalar quantity. Therefore, the magnitude is written as A = 750 m.

Lesson 4: Vector Component

Vector components are very important in physics and have

to basic features that are apparent in the figure above. One is
that the components add together to equal the original vector.

= +

The component and indicates how the finish point is

displaced relative to the starting point. The other feature
of vector components is that and are perpendicular vectors.

Any type of vector may be expressed in terms of its components. Figure above shows an arbitrary vector
and its vector components and . the components are drawn parallel to convenient x and y axes are
perpendicular. They add vectorially to equal the original vector :

= +

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Example Problem 1.4

A displacement vector has a magnitude of r = 175 m and points at an angle of 50o relative to the x
axis. Find the x and y components of this vector.

Solution:
The x and y component can be obtained using
trigonometric functions.

x = rcosθ = (175 m)(cos 50o) = 112.49

m y = rsinθ = (175 m)(sin 50o) = 134.06
m

Practice Problem 1.5

A displacement vector is 810 m in length and directed 72° south of east. What are the components of
this vector?

Answer: 770 m, 250m

Note:
• For a vector to be zero, every vector component must individually be zero
• Two vectors are equal if, and only if, they have the same magnitude and direction.

Lesson 5: Vector Addition and Subtraction

A car moves along a straight line, with a displacement vector of 275 m, due east. Then, the car
moves again in the same direction, with a displacement vector of 125 m, due east. These two vectors
add to give the total displacement vector , total vector is often called resultant vector.

With the tail of the second arrow located at the head

of the first arrow, the two lengths simply add to give
the length of the total displacement. This kind
of vector addition is identical to the familiar addition
of two scalar number and can be carried out here
only because the vectors point along the same
direction. Formally, the addition is written as follows:

= +
= 275 m, due east + 125, due east = 400, due east

Perpendicular vectors are frequently encountered and figure below indicates how they can be added. This
figure applies to a car that first travels with a displacement vector of 275 m, due east, and then with a
displacement vector of 125 m, due north.

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The two vectors add to give a resultant

displacement vector . Once again, the vectors to
be added are arranged in a tail-to-head fashion,
and the resultant vector points from the tail of the
first to the head of the last vector added. The
resultant displacement is given by the vector
equation:

= +

We use Pythagorean theorem to get the magnitude

of , symbolically | |, bars indicate magnitude
R = | | = √(275m)2 + (125m)2 = 302.08 m

The angle θ gives the direction of the resultant vector. We use inverse trigonometric function, we find that:
B m
θ = tan−1 ( ) = tan−1 ( ) = 24. 4o
A 275 m
Thus, the resultant displacement of the car has a magnitude of 302 m and points north of east at an
angle of 24.4o.

Adding Vectors by Means of Graphical Method

When two vectors to be added are no perpendicular, the

tail- to-head arrangement does not lead to a right triangle,
and the Pythagorean theorem cannot be used.

One procedure for adding vectors utilize a

graphical techniques, in which the vectors to be added are
arranged in a tail-to-head fashion, the resultant vector is
drawn from the tail of the first vector to the head of the last
vector.

The lengths of the vector arrows are drawn to scale, and

the angles are drawn accurately(with a protractor, perhaps).
Then the length of the arrow representing the resultant
vector is measured with a ruler.

The subtraction of one vector from another is carried out in

a way that depends on the following fact. When a vector
is multiplied by - 1, the magnitude of the vector remains
the same, but the direction of the vector is reversed.

Figure in the left shows the difference in graphing

vector addition and subtraction

Adding of Vectors by Means of Component Method

The component of a vector provide the most convenient and accurate way of adding or subtracting
any number of vectors. Consider the figure below:

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Suppose that vector is added to vector . the resultant is , where = + . Figure a illustrates
this
vector addition, along with the x andy vector components of and . In part bof the drawing, the vectors
and .have been removed, because we canuse the vector components of these vectors in the place
of
them. The vector component has been shifted downward and arranged tail to head with vector
component . Similarly, the vector component has been shifted to the right and arranged tail to
head
with the vector component . The x components are collinear and add together to give the x component
of
the resultant vector . in the like fashion, the y components are collinear and add together to give the
y
component of .

In terms of scalar components, we can write

Cx = A x+ Bx and Cy = Ay + By
For magnitude and direction:

C = |C| = √Cx2 + Cy 2 θ = tan−1

Example Problem 1.5

Three players on a reality TV show are brought to the center of a large, flat field. Each is given a
meter stick, a compass, a calculator, a shovel, and (in a different order for each contestant) the
following three displacements:

= 72.4 m, 32.0。east of north; = 57.3m, 36.0。south of west; = 17.8 mdue south

The three displacements lead to the point in the field where the keys to a new Porsche are buried.
Two players start measuring immediately, but the winner first calculates where to go. What does she
calculate?

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Solution:

Practice Problem1.6
A cross-country skier skis 1.00 km north and then 2.00 km east on a
horizontal snowfield. How far and in what direction is the she from the
starting point?

Answer: 2.24 km; 63.4o east of north or 26.6o north of east

Practice Problem 1.7

A jogger runs 145 m in a direction 20o east of north ( ) and then 105
m in a direction 35o south of east ( ) . Using components, determine
the magnitude and direction of the resultant vector for these two
displacements. (Figure at the left)

Answer:155 m, 29o

References:

Physics 9 th Edition by Cutnell, et. al.

Sears and Zemansky’s University Physics with Modern Physics Technology Update 13th Edition by Young, et. al.

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EN PHYS 1 - PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERS Period:

Name of Student: Course and Year:
Schedule (Time and Day): Final Rating:
=================================================================================
1 . Introduction to Physics for Engineers
Direction: Accomplished and submit only the assessment task on the next delivery of learning materials.

Assessment Task
I. Units and Measurement
1. A student sees a newspaper ad for an apartment that has 1330 square feet of floor space.
How many square meters of area are there?

2. Suppose a man’s scalp hair grows at a rate of 0.35 m per day. What is this growth rate in feet
per century?

3. Consider the equation v = zxt2. The dimensions of the variables v,x, and t are [L]/[T]. [L], and
[T], respectively. the numerical factor 3 is dimensionless. What must be the dimensions of the
variable z, such that both sides of the equation have the same dimensions? Show how you
determined your answer.

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II. Trigonometry
1. A highway is to be built between two towns, one of which lies 35.0 km south and 72.0 km west
of the other. What is the shortest length of highway that can be built between the two towns,
and at what angle would this highway be directed with respect to due west?

2. The corners of a square lie on a circle of distance D = 0.35 m. Each side of the square has a
length L. Find L.

3. The two hot-air balloons are 48.2 and 61.0 m above the ground. A person in the left
balloon observes that the right balloon is 13.3o above the horizontal. What is the horizontal
distance x between the two balloons?

III. Scalar and Vector Quantity

1. Identify each statement either a scalar or vector quantity, explain your answer.
a. I walked 2 miles along the bench.

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b. I walked 2 miles due north along the beach

c. I jumped off a cliff and hit the water travelling at 17 miles per hour.

d. I jumped off a cliff and hit the water traveling straight down at a speed of 17 miles per hour.

e. My bank account shows a negative balance of -25 pesos.

IV. Vector Component

1. The components of vector are Ax and Ay (both positive), and the angle that it makes with
respect to the positive x axis is θ. Find the angle θ if the components of the displacement vector
A are (a) Ax = 12 m and Ay = 12 m, (b) Ax = 17 m and Ay = 12 m, and (c) Ax = 12 m and Ay = 17 m.⃗

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2. During takeoff, an airplane climbs with a speed of 180 m/s at an angle of 34o above the
horizontal. The speed and direction of the airplane constitute a vector quantity known as the
velocity. the sun is shining directly overhead. How fast is the shadow of the plane moving along
the ground? (that is, what is the magnitude of the horizontal component of the plane’s velocity?

3. Your friend has slipped and fallen. To help her up, you pull with a force . The vertical
component of this force is 130 Newton, and the horizontal component is 150 Newton. Find
the (a) magnitude of and (b) angle θ .

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V. Vector Addition and Subtraction

1. Consider the following four force vectors:
= 50N, due east, = 10N, due east, = 40N, due west, and = 30N, due west

Which two vectors add together to give a resultant with the smallest magnitude, and which
two vectors add to give a resultant with the largest magnitude? In each case specify the magnitude
and direction of the resultant.

2. A golfer, putting on a green, requires three strokes to hole the ball. During the first putt,
the ball rolls 5.0 m due east. For the second putt, the ball travels 2.1 m at an angle of 20o
north of east. The third putt is 0.50 m due north. What displacement (magnitude and
direction relative to due east) would have been needed to hole the ball on the very first
putt?

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3. On a safari, a team of naturalists sets out toward a research station located 4.8 km away
in a direction 42o north of east. After travelling in a straight line for 2.4 km they stop
and discover that they have been travelling 22o north of east, because their guide
misread his compass. What are (a) the magnitude and (b) the direction (relative to the
east) of the displacement vector now required to bring the team to the research station?

Student’s Corner
Write your feedback and learning in the lesson.

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