physics mod 1 to 4 Flashcards
factor used to convert one unit of measurement into another
conversion factor
amongst the most valuable tools that physical scientists use. conversion between an amount in one unit to the corresponding amount in the desired unit
dimensional analysis
two ways that scientists think about error
precision and accuracy
refers to how close a measurement is to the true or accepted value
accuracy
refers to how close a measurement of the same item are to each other
precision
is independent of accuracy
precision
is consistent, repeatable error associated with faulty equipment or a flawed experiment design
systematic error ( also called systematic bias)
has no patter. you cant predict and these errors are usually unavoidable
random error
usually caused by measuring instruments that are incorrectly calibrated or are used incorrectly
systematic errors
are completely random. they are unpredictable and cant. be replicated
random errors
produce consistent errors, either a fixed amount or a proportion
systematic errors
types of systematic error
offset error and scale factor errors
type of systematic error where the instrument isnt set to zero when you start to weigh items. results in consistently wrong readings
offset error
errors that are proportional to the true measurement. increase or decrease the true value by a proportion or percentage
scale factor errors
do not follow a pattern
random errors
the physical quantities which have only magnitude are known as
scalar quantities
fully described by a magnitude or a numerical value. it does not have directions.
scalar quantity
is a measure of quantity
scalar
the physical quantities for which both magnitude and direction are defined distinctly are known as
vector quantities
has direction
vector quantity
are represented as a combination of direction and magnitude and they are drawn with an arrow representation
vectors
can be used for the addition of vectors
famous triangle law also called head to tail method
putting two or more vectors together.
vector addition
are represented as a combination of direction and magnitude and are written with an alphabet and an arrow over them
vectors
is a mathematical object with a magnitude and a direction. often visualized as arrows starting from the origin
vector
allows us to write very large numbers or very small in amore convenient way. widely used by engineers and scientists.
scientific notation
the way scientists and engineers handle numbers that are very large or numbers that are very small
scientific notation
are digits in the number that are reliable and necessary to indicate the quantity of something
significant figures
isnt very descriptive about the exact rate of motion of an object at a specific time
average velocity
is the change of velocity over a period of time
average acceleration
when a moving object slows down. also called negative acceleration
deceleration
when a moving object changes direction
accelerating
the change of velocity over an instance of time
instantaneous acceleration
defined as the limit of the average acceleration when the interval of time considered approaches 0
instantaneous acceleration
when the velocity changes the same amount un every equal time period
constant or uniform acceleration
a motion that is characterized for having a movement in a straight line and a constant acceleration and different of zero
uniformly accelerated motion
the laws of physics which apply when are at rest on the earth..
relative motion
is the calculation of the motion of an object with regard to some other moving or stationary object
relative motion
