PHYSICS FOR SCIENTISTS AND

ENGINEERS

Introduction and Chapter 1 Physics and Measurements

Hamzeh hatamleh
Al- Balqa' Applied University (BAU)
QUANTITIES USED IN MECHANICS
In mechanics, three fundamental quantities are
used:
Length
Mass
Time
All other quantities in mechanics can be
expressed in terms of the three fundamental
quantities.

Section 1.1
LENGTH
Length is the distance between two points in
space.
Units
SI meter, m
Defined in terms of a meter the distance
traveled by light in a vacuum during a given time
See Table 1.1 for some examples of lengths.

Section 1.1
MASS
Units
SI kilogram, kg
Defined in terms of a kilogram, based on a specific
cylinder kept at the International Bureau of
Standards
See Table 1.2 for masses of various objects.

Section 1.1
TIME
Units
seconds, s
Defined in terms of the oscillation of radiation
from a cesium atom
See Table 1.3 for some approximate time
intervals.

Section 1.1
REASONABLENESS OF RESULTS
When solving a problem, you need to check your
answer to see if it seems reasonable.
Reviewing the tables of approximate values for
length, mass, and time will help you test for
reasonableness.

Section 1.1
US CUSTOMARY SYSTEM
Still used in the US, but text will use SI

Quantity Unit

Length foot

Mass slug

Time second

Section 1.1
FUNDAMENTAL AND DERIVED UNITS
Derived quantities can be expressed as a
mathematical combination of fundamental
quantities.
Examples:
Area
A product of two lengths
Speed
A ratio of a length to a time interval
Density
A ratio of mass to volume

Section 1.1
MODEL BUILDING
A model is a system of physical components.
Useful when you cannot interact directly with the
phenomenon
Identifies the physical components
Makes predictions about the behavior of the system
The predictions will be based on interactions among the
components and/or
Based on the interactions between the components and the
environment

Section 1.2
BASIC QUANTITIES AND THEIR
DIMENSION
Dimension has a specific meaning it denotes the
physical nature of a quantity.
Dimensions are often denoted with square
brackets.
Length [L]
Mass [M]
Time [T]

Section 1.3
DIMENSIONS AND UNITS

Each dimension can have many actual units.

Section 1.3
DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS
Technique to check the correctness of an equation
or to assist in deriving an equation
Dimensions (length, mass, time, combinations)
can be treated as algebraic quantities.
Add, subtract, multiply, divide
Both sides of equation must have the same
dimensions.
Any relationship can be correct only if the
dimensions on both sides of the equation are the
same.
Cannot give numerical factors: this is its
limitation

Section 1.3
DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS, EXAMPLE
Given the equation: x = at 2
Check dimensions on each side:
L
L T2 L
T 2

The T2s cancel, leaving L for the dimensions of

Section 1.3
DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE A
POWER LAW
Determine powers in a proportionality
Example: find the exponents in the expression
x amt n
You must have lengths on both sides.
Acceleration has dimensions of L/T2
Time has dimensions of T.
Analysis gives
x at 2

Section 1.3
SYMBOLS
The symbol used in an equation is not necessarily
the symbol used for its dimension.
Some quantities have one symbol used
consistently.
For example, time is t virtually all the time.
Some quantities have many symbols used,
depending upon the specific situation.
For example, lengths may be x, y, z, r, d, h, etc.
The dimensions will be given with a capitalized,
non-italic letter.
The algebraic symbol will be italicized.
Section 1.3
CONVERSION OF UNITS
When units are not consistent, you may need to
convert to appropriate ones.
See Appendix A for an extensive list of conversion
factors.
Units can be treated like algebraic quantities that
can cancel each other out.

Section 1.4
CONVERSION
Always include units for every quantity, you can
carry the units through the entire calculation.
Will help detect possible errors
Multiply original value by a ratio equal to one.
Example:
15.0 in ? cm
2.54 cm
15.0 in 38.1cm
1in

Note the value inside the parentheses is equal to 1,

Section 1.4