Foundations of Physics Flashcards
What are the 6 S.I base quantities and their units
mass (kg), length (m), time (s), current (A), temperature (K), amount of substance (mol)
Scalar quantities have
Magnitude only
Vector quantities have
Magnitude and direction
Examples of vectors
Displacement velocity acceleration force momentum
Examples of Scalars
Distance speed potential difference temperature energy time length power volume
Pythagoras theorem
a2 = b2 + c2
Sine rule
a = b = c
SinA sinB SinC
Cosine Rule
a2=b2 + c2 -2bcCosA
Resolving a vector into two vertical components
Fx = F cos i ; Fy = F sin i .
Accuracy
This is to do how close a measurement result is to the true value
Precision
This is to do with how close repeated measurements are to each other
Uncertainty
The uncertainty in the measurement is an interval within which the true value can be expected to lie
Random errors
These are measurement errors in which the measurements vary unpredictability
How are random errors caused
They are caused by factors that are not controlled in the experiment and difficulty deciding on the readings
How can random errors be corrected
They cannot be corrected but can be reduced by taking repeat measurements
