Introductory Concepts in Physics

Question 1

What is measurement?

Answer 1

The art of comparing unknown values to a standard, or the accepted set of values for a particular quantity.

Question 2

What can be used to quantitatively describe physical phenomena?

Answer 2

Physical variables such as time, temperature and length.

Question 3

When measurements are made, the units serve as…

Answer 3

means to compare the measured value with the standard.

Question 4

In the past until the first half of the 1900s, which international organization was known to establish the different standards of the different quantities?

Answer 4

Metric system

Question 5

Then, in 1960, the organization was called SI, which stands for?

Answer 5

Systéme International d’Unités (SI) or the International System of Units

Question 6

Then the new name of the organization (SI) was adopted by the…

Answer 6

11th General Conference on the Weights and Measures

Question 7

There are ___ fundamental quantities and units in the SI, these are best remembered by the acronym _____

Answer 7

7; METTALL

Question 8

FUNDAMENTAL QUANTITIES & UNITS:

M

Answer 8

Physical quantity: Mass
Unit: Kilograms (kg)
Definition: an international prototype kilogram made of platinum-iridium and is kept in the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Sévres, France

Question 9

FUNDAMENTAL QUANTITIES & UNITS:

E

Answer 9

Physical quantity: Electric current
Unit: Ampere (A)*
Definition: the current maintained in two straight wires, placed one meter apart in vacuum which produce a force of 2 x 10^-7 Newton per meter of length

Question 10

FUNDAMENTAL QUANTITIES & UNITS:

Ti

Answer 10

Physical quantity: Time
Unit: Second (sec)
Definition: associated with the specified transition of Cesium-133 atom, during 9 192 631 770 cycles of microwave radiation are generated by the atom

Question 11

FUNDAMENTAL QUANTITIES & UNITS:

Te

Answer 11

Physical quantity: Temperature
Unit: Kelvin (K)
Definition: The Kelvin Scale is named after physicist William Thomson (popularly known as Lord Kelvin) and is similar in intervals in the Celsius scale. Adding 273.15 to Celsius temperature reading will equal the measure in Kelvin Scale

Question 12

FUNDAMENTAL QUANTITIES & UNITS:

A

Answer 12

Physical quantity: Amount of substance
Unit: mole (mol)
Definition: amount of substance contained in 0.012 kg of Carbon-12. One mole of substance containes 6.02 x 10^23 particles of atom

Question 13

FUNDAMENTAL QUANTITIES & UNITS:

Le

Answer 13

Physical quantity: Length
Unit: meter (m)
Definition: defined as the distance traveled by light in vacuum in 1/ 299 792 458 second

Question 14

FUNDAMENTAL QUANTITIES & UNITS:

Lu

Answer 14

Physical quantity: Luminous intensity
Unit: candela (cd)
Definition: the intensity of light produced by a vacuum emitting with a frequency of 540 x 10^12 cycle/second in a direction where the intensity is 1/683 Watt per sterdian

Question 15

TRUE or FALSE:

No quantities can be taken from the combination of other quantities.

Answer 15

FALSE because “some quantities can be taken from the combination of other quantities.”

Question 16

Examples of quantities that can be taken from the combination of other quantities are….

Answer 16

Area, volume acceleration, force and pressure or the acronym AVAFP

Question 17

Formula for AREA

Answer 17

Area = product of two measures of length = (l x w) = (m x m) = m^2

Question 18

Formula for VOLUME

Answer 18

Volume = product of three measures of length = ( l x w x h) = (m x m x m) = (m^3)

Question 19

Formula for ACCELERATION

Answer 19

Acceleration = ratio between length or distance and the square of time = m/s/s = m/s^2

Question 20

Formula for FORCE

Answer 20

Force = product of mass and area = (kg x m/s/s) = (kg x m/s^2) = Newton

Question 21

Formula for PRESSURE

Answer 21

Pressure = ratio between force and area = Newton/m^2 = N/m^2

Question 22

Scientific notation, _______ __________ ____ __________ made during measurements.

Answer 22

facilitates comparisons and computations

Question 23

Generally, scientific notations can be expressed as: _______,

where M is the _______ following the condition: _______

Answer 23

M x 10^E; mantissa; 1 ≥ M > 10 (it can be equal to one but not less than 10)

Question 24

The common definition of scientific notation.

Answer 24

Is a way of writing very small or large numbers

Question 25

Definition of measurement.

Answer 25

To know a specific object’s weight, height, etc. then applying appropriate units to the measured values.

Question 26

scientific notation of 980 000 000 is _____.

Answer 26

9.8 x 10^8

Question 27

scientific notation of 0.0000000000925 is _____.

Answer 27

9.25 x 10^-11

Question 28

SCIENTIFIC NOTATION:
When the decimal moves to the right;_____,
Thus when it moves to the left;______.

Answer 28

negative; positive

Question 29

What are significant figures?

Answer 29

These are any non-zero or trapped zeros.

Question 30

The very basic rule for significant figures is that…

Answer 30

all non-zero digits are significant.

Question 31

A shorthand rule for determining the significant figures of given values, is called…

Answer 31

Atlantic/Pacific rule, where the left part is the Pacific and the right part is the Atlantic.

Question 32

Definition of accuracy

Answer 32

means obtaining a measurement result that is close to the theoretical or accepted value, and vise versa.

Question 33

Definition of precision

Answer 33

denotes getting a similar result when measurement of a certain object is repeated.

Question 34

What is systematic error?

Answer 34

this happens when the accuracy is poor and measurements are reproducible.

Question 35

What is random error?

Answer 35

this happens when the precision is poor.

Question 36

TRUE or FALSE:

Systematic errors are more problematic than Random errors.

Answer 36

FALSE, because random errors are more problematic since tracing the source of error is more difficult. The measurements made are not reproducible and will more likely produce a different set of measurements again.

Question 37

What is least count?

Answer 37

A reflection of an instrument’s ability to measure minimum distance of accurately. It is the difference between the value of the main scale and the auxiliary scale divisions.

Question 38

VARIABLE RELATIONSHIPS:

Direct Proportion

Answer 38

• as the quantity increases, the other quantity also increases proportionally.
• the graph of a direct proportion is a slanted straight line (directed to the upper right- hand corner)

Question 39

VARIABLE RELATIONSHIPS:

Inverse Proportion

Answer 39

• as one quantity increases, the other quantity decreases proportionally.
• the graph of an inverse proportion is a parabola that approaches the lower right.

Question 40

Formula for slope of line (m).

Answer 40

m = rise/run = change of Y/ change of X = Ysub2 - Ysub1/ Xsub2 - Ysub1

Question 41

Formula for slope- intercept equation.

Answer 41

y = mx + b

where:
y - dependent variable
x - independent variable
m - slope
b - y-intercept (value of y when x = 0)

Question 42

Formally, the general equation of the linear regression is given as…

Answer 42

Y = a + bx

where:
a = (∑y)(∑x^2)-(∑x)(∑xy)/ n(∑x^2)-(∑x)^2

b = n(∑xy)(∑x^2)-(∑x)(∑y)/ n(∑x^2)-(∑x)^2