GENERAL PHYSICS 1

SCIENTIFIC NOTATION
Scientific notation
•Scientificnotation is a way of
expressing numbers that are too
large or too small to be conveniently
written in decimal form, since to do
so would require writing out an
unusually long string of digits.
Convert each number to its scientific
notation
1. 210,000 m 1. 2.1 x 10? m
2. 0.000085 g 2. 8.5 x 10? g
3. 36250 s 3. 3.63 x 10? s
4. 1145092 V 4. 1.15 x 10? V
5. 0.0759 A 5. 7.59 x 10? A
Convert each number to its scientific
notation
1. 210,000 m 1. 2.1 x 105 m
2. 0.000085 g 2. 8.5 x 10-5 g
3. 36250 s 3. 3.63 x 104 s
4. 1145092 V 4. 1.15 x 106 V
5. 0.0759 A 5. 7.59 x 10-2 A
Converting unit with prefixes into whole
numbers
Converting unit with prefixes into whole
numbers
Converting unit with prefixes into whole
numbers
Converting unit with prefixes into whole
numbers
UNIT CONVERSION
What do we mean by unit?
A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a quantity,
defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as
a standard for measurement of the same kind of quantity. Any
other quantity of that kind can be expressed as a multiple of
the unit of measurement. For example, a length is a physical
quantity.
 SI Units English Units
The International System of Units English units are the units of
is a global standard for measurement used in England up
expressing the magnitudes or to 1826, which evolved as a
quantities of important natural combination of the Anglo-Saxon
phenomena. Also referred to as and Roman systems of units. The
the metric system, the System English standard builds on an
of Units is commonly abbreviated earlier system of measurement
as SI, which comes from the called foot-pound-second (FPS).
original French name, Système
international d'unités. The SI
standard builds on an earlier
system of measurement called
the meter-kilogram-second (MKS)
system.
Common Conversion Factor
(English)
Common Conversion Factor
(SI ↔ English)
1 m = 3.281 ft
1 in = 2.54 cm
1 mi = 1.609 km
1 kg = 2.2 lbs
1 gal = 3.785 L
1 m3 = 1000 L
1 L = 1000 mL
Convert the quantities to the
desired unit
a) 8 in = ___ cm 1 m = 3.281 ft
b) 98 mi = _____ ft 1 in = 2.54 cm
c) 27 m = ____ yd 1 mi = 1.609 km
d) 5 cups = ____ L 1 kg = 2.2 lbs
e) 100kph = ______ m/s 1 gal = 3.785 L
f) 30.6 cm2 = _____ in2 1 m3 = 1000 L
g) 44 gpm = _____ L/s 1 L = 1000 mL
ANSWERS
a) 8 in = 20.32 cm
b) 98 mi = 517440 ft 1 m = 3.281 ft
c) 27 m = 29.529 yd 1 in = 2.54 cm
d) 5 cups = 1.1828 L 1 mi = 1.609 km
e) 100kph = 27.7778 m/s 1 kg = 2.2 lbs
f) 30.6 cm2 = 4.7430 in2 1 gal = 3.785 L
g) 44 gpm = 2.7757 L/s 1 m3 = 1000 L
1 L = 1000 mL
ACCURACY &
PRECISION
VECTOR VS SCALAR
Vector
Vector, in physics, is a quantity that has both
magnitude and direction. It is typically
represented by an arrow whose direction is the
same as that of the quantity and whose length
is proportional to the quantity’s magnitude.
 Is it vector or scalar?

The force exerted to the left is 9N.

Vector
 Is it vector or scalar?

Martin is running at 25m/s.

Scalar
 Is it vector or scalar?

The bird flew east at a rate of 41m/s.

Vector
 Is it vector or scalar?

Acceleration due to gravity is 9.81m/s .

2

Vector
 Horizontal and Vertical Components

The horizontal component of the vector extends from its origin to its furthest
x-coordinate. The vertical component extends from the x-axis to the vector's
most vertical point.

cos θ = tan θ =

F = 5N F = 5N cos θ =
tan θ =
Fx = Fcos θ
tan θ =
Fy = ?? Fy = ??
sin θ = tan θ =
θ = 53o θ = 53o
sin θ =
Fx = ?? Fx = ?? θ =tan -1
Fy = Fsin θ
Find the horizontal and vertical component of a
particle’s velocity moving at 12m/s, 30o with respect
to the horizontal
What are the horizontal and vertical components of a
particle’s velocity moving at 12m/s, 1o with respect to
the horizontal?
What are the horizontal and vertical components of a
particle’s velocity moving at 12m/s, 0o with respect to
the horizontal?
What is the magnitude and angle θ of a force if
it has a horizontal component Fx = 77N and a
vertical component Fy = 36N?
What is the vertical component of a vector
quantity 53m/s at angle θ if the horizontal
component is 28m/s?
DISTANCE
It is the total length of pathway a
body has traveled.

DISPLACEMENT
Displacement is simply the
change in position.
 Mind exercise
• Rebecca’s parents drove her to school 5km away.
• Theroad between their house and the school is a straight line with no
obstruction
• On their way back home, the parents made a stop at a supermarket
• The supermarket is directly between the school and the house
• After getting groceries, the parents went home.
1. What is the distance traveled by Rebecca?
2. How far did her parents travel?
3. What is the displacement of her parents?
Plot the following points on the coordinate
plane. Determine the distance and
displacement. Assume that the particle travels
in a straight line from one point to the next.

1. (-3, 0) → (-3, 4) → (1, 4) → (1, 0)

2. (1, 7) → (4, 3) → (7, 7)
3. (2, -6) → (6, -4) → (4, -1)
4. (-6, -5) → origin → (9, 2)
SPEED
Speed is a scalar quantity of distance
traveled with respect to time. Because
speed is a rate, it depends on the time
interval of motion. You can calculate
the elapsed time or the change in time
of motion as the difference between
the final time and the initial time
Average speed
Average speed, vavg, is the distance
traveled divided by the time during
which the motion occurs.
A car travels 150 kilometers in 3.2
hours. Its average speed for the trip is:
a. ________ km/h;
b. ________ m/s;
c. ________ ft/s?
TIME FOR QUESTIONS