Chapter 1

Units, Physical
Quantities, and Vectors
PowerPoint® Lectures for
University Physics, Thirteenth Edition
– Hugh D. Young and Roger A. Freedman

Copyright Pearson Education Inc – Modified 8/15 by Scott Hildereth, Chabot College.
Three KEYS for Chapter 1

• Fundamental quantities in physics

(length, mass, time)
– Units (meters, kilograms, seconds...)

– Dimensional Analysis

• Force = kg meter/sec2

• Power = Force x Velocity

= kg m2/sec3
Three KEYS for Chapter 1

• Fundamental quantities in physics

(length, mass, time)
– Units (meters, kilograms, seconds...)

– Dimensional Analysis

• Significant figures in calculations

– 6.696 x 104 miles/hour

– 67,000 miles hour

Three KEYS for Chapter 1

• Fundamental quantities in physics

(length, mass, time)
– Units (meters, kilograms, seconds...)

– Dimensional Analysis

• Significant figures in calculations

• Vectors (magnitude, direction, units) 5 m/s at 45°

What you MUST be able to do…

• Vectors & Vector mathematics

• vector components
Ex: v = velocity

• vx = v cosis the “x” component

• vy = v sinis the “y” component

• |v|2 = (vx)2 + (vy)2

5 m/s at 45°

3.54 m/s in “y”

3.54 m/s in “x”

What you MUST be able to do…

• Vectors & Vector mathematics

– vector components
Ex: v = velocity; vx = v cos

– unit vectors (indicating direction only)

vx =

vy =

– Adding, subtracting, & multiplying

vectors
Standards and units

• Length, mass, and time = three fundamental

quantities (“dimensions”) of physics.
• The SI (Système International) is the most widely
used system of units.
– Meeting ISO standards are mandatory for
some industries. Why?
• In SI units, length is measured in meters, mass in
kilograms, and time in seconds.
Unit consistency and conversions

• An equation must be dimensionally consistent.

Terms to be added or equated must always
have the same units. (Be sure you’re adding
“apples to apples.”)

• OK: 5 meters/sec x 10 hours =~ 2 x 102 km

(distance/time) x (time) = distance

Unit consistency and conversions

• An equation must be dimensionally consistent.

Terms to be added or equated must always
have the same units. (Be sure you’re adding
“apples to apples.”)

• OK: 5 meters/sec x 10 hours =~ 2 x 102 km

5 meters/sec x 10 hour x (3600 sec/hour)

= 180,000 meters = 180 km = ~ 2 x 102 km
Unit consistency and conversions

• An equation must be dimensionally consistent.

Terms to be added or equated must always
have the same units. (Be sure you’re adding
“apples to apples.”)

• OK: 5 meters/sec x 10 hours =~ 2 x 102 km

• NOT: 5 meters/sec x 10 kg = 50 Joules

(velocity) x (mass) = (energy)
Unit prefixes
• Table 1.1 shows some larger and smaller units for the
fundamental quantities.

• Learn these – and prefixes like Mega, Tera, Pico, etc.!

• Skip Ahead to Slide 24 – Sig Fig Example

 Measurement & Uncertainty

No measurement is exact; there is always

some uncertainty due to limited instrument
accuracy and difficulty reading results.
 Measurement & Uncertainty

• The precision – and also uncertainty - of

a measured quantity is indicated by its
number of significant figures.
– Ex: 8.7 centimeters
• 2 sig figs
• Specific rules for significant figures exist
• In online homework, sig figs matter!
 Significant Figures

Number of significant figures = number of

“reliably known digits” in a number.

Often possible to tell # of significant figures by the

way the number is written:

• 23.21 cm = four significant figures.

• 0.062 cm = two significant figures

(initial zeroes don’t count).
 Significant Figures

Numbers ending in zero are ambiguous. Does

the last zero mean uncertainty to a factor of
10, or just 1?

Is 20 cm precise to 10 cm, or 1? We need rules!

• 20 cm = one significant figure

(trailing zeroes don’t count w/o decimal point)

• 20. cm = two significant figures

(trailing zeroes DO count w/ decimal point)

• 20.0 cm = three significant figures

 Rules for Significant Figures

•When multiplying or dividing numbers, or

using functions, result has as many sig figs as
term with fewest (the least precise).
•ex: 11.3 cm x 6.8 cm = 77 cm.

•When adding or subtracting, answer is no

more precise than least precise number used.

• ex: 1.213 + 2 = 3, not 3.213!

 Significant Figures

•Calculators will not give right # of sig

figs; usually give too many but
sometimes give too few (especially if
there are trailing zeroes after a
decimal point).

•top image: result of 2.0/3.0

•bottom image: result of 2.5 x 3.2

 Scientific Notation

•Scientific notation is commonly used in

physics; it allows the number of significant
figures to be clearly shown.

•Ex: cannot easily tell how many significant

figures in “36,900”.

•Clearly 3.69 x 104 has three;

and 3.690 x 104 has four.
 Measurement & Uncertainty

No measurement is exact; there is always

some uncertainty due to limited instrument
accuracy and difficulty reading results.

Photo illustrates this –

it would be difficult to
measure the width of
this board more
accurately than ± 1 mm.
Uncertainty and significant figures

• Every measurement has uncertainty

– Ex: 8.7 cm (2 sig figs)
• “8” is (fairly) certain
• 8.6? 8.8?
• 8.71? 8.69?
• Good practice – include uncertainty
with every measurement!
– 8.7  0.1 meters
Uncertainty and significant figures

• Uncertainty should match

measurement in the least precise
digit:
– 8.7  0.1 centimeters
– 8.70  0.10 centimeters
– 8.709  0.034 centimeters
– 8  1 centimeters
• Not…
– 8.7 +/- 0.034 cm
 Relative Uncertainty

•Relative uncertainty: a percentage, the ratio of

uncertainty to measured value, multiplied by 100.
•ex. Measure a phone to be 8.8 ± 0.1 cm

What is the relative uncertainty in this

measurement?
Uncertainty and significant figures

• Physics involves
approximations; these can
affect the precision of a
measurement.
Uncertainty and significant figures

• As this train mishap

illustrates, even a small
percent error can have
spectacular results!
Conceptual Example: Significant figures

Using a protractor, you measure an angle to be 30°.

(a) How many significant figures should you quote in this

measurement?
Conceptual Example: Significant figures

Using a protractor, you measure an angle to be 30°.

(a) How many significant figures should you quote in this

measurement? What uncertainty?
2 sig figs! (30. +/- 1 degrees or 3.0 x 101 +/- 1 degrees)
Conceptual Example: Significant figures

Using a protractor, you measure an angle to be 30°.

(b) What result would a calculator give for the cosine of this
result? What should you report?
Conceptual Example: Significant figures

Using a protractor, you measure an angle to be 30°.

(b) What result would a calculator give for the cosine of this
result? What should you report?

0.866025403, but to two sig figs, 0.87!

 Key Concepts
for the Day!

 Class Calendar

 Mastering Physics Intro Assignment

Results
 Precision vs. Accuracy

 Vectors
 1-3 Accuracy vs. Precision

Accuracy is how close a measurement comes

to the true value.
ex. Acceleration of Earth’s gravity = 9.81 m/sec2
Your experiment produces 10 ± 1 m/sec2
• You were accurate! How accurate? Measured
by ERROR.
• |Actual – Measured|/Actual x 100%
• | 9.81 – 10 | / 9.81 x 100% = 1.9% Error
 Accuracy vs. Precision
•Accuracy is how close a measurement comes
to the true value
• established by % error

•Precision is a measure of repeatability of the

measurement using the same instrument.
• established by uncertainty in a measurement
• reflected by the # of significant figures
Accuracy vs. Precision
Accuracy vs. Precision
Accuracy vs. Precision ?
 Accuracy vs. Precision ?

Use least-
squares fit to
find line that
minimizes
deviation

Lots of data
IMPROVES fit
Large error bars and overall
(uncertainty in precision
measurements) = not
very precise…
 Accuracy vs. Precision Example

•Example:

You measure the acceleration of Earth’s gravitational

force in the lab, which is accepted to be 9.81 m/sec2
• Your experiment produces 8.334 m/sec2

•Were you accurate? Were you precise?

 Accuracy vs. Precision

Accuracy is how close a measurement comes

to the true value. (established by % error)

ex. Your experiment produces 8.334 m/sec2

for the acceleration of gravity (9.81 m/sec2)

Accuracy: (9.81 – 8.334)/9.81 x 100% = 15% error

Is this good enough? Only you (or your

boss/customer) know for sure! 
 Accuracy vs. Precision

Precision is the repeatability of the

measurement using the same instrument.

ex. Your experiment produces 8.334 m/sec2

for the acceleration of gravity (9.81 m/sec2)

Precision indicated by 4 sig figs

Seems (subjectively) very precise – and precisely
wrong!
 Accuracy vs. Precision

Better Technique: Include uncertainty

Your experiment produces

8.334 m/sec2 +/- 0.077 m/sec2

Your relative uncertainty is

.077/8.334 x 100% = ~1%

But your error was ~ 15%

NOT a good result!

 Accuracy vs. Precision

Better Technique: Include uncertainty

Your experiment produces

8.3 m/sec2 +/- 1.2 m/sec2

Your relative uncertainty is

1.2 / 8.3 x 100% = ~15%

Your error was still ~ 15%

Much more reasonable a result!

 Accuracy vs. Precision
•Precision is a measure of repeatability of the
measurement using the same instrument.
• established by uncertainty in a measurement
• reflected by the # of significant figures
• improved by repeated measurements!

•Statistically, if each measurement is independent

• make n measurements (and n> 10)
•Improve precision by √(n-1)
• Make 10 measurements, % uncertainty ~ 1/3
1-6 Order of Magnitude: Rapid Estimating

Quick way to estimate calculated quantity:

• round off all numbers in a calculation to
one significant figure and then calculate.
• result should be right order of magnitude
• expressed by rounding off to nearest
power of 10
• 104 meters
• 108 light years
 Order of Magnitude: Rapid Estimating
Example: Volume of a lake

Estimate how much

water there is in a
particular lake, which is
roughly circular, about 1
km across, and you
guess it has an average
depth of about 10 m.
 Order of Magnitude: Rapid Estimating
Example: Volume of a lake

Volume = x r2 x depth

= ~ 3 x 500 x 500 x 10
= ~75 x 105
= ~ 100 x 105
= ~ 107 cubic meters
 Order of Magnitude: Rapid Estimating
Example: Volume of a lake

Volume = x r2 x depth

= 7,853,981.634 cu. m

~ 107 cubic meters

1-6 Order of Magnitude: Rapid Estimating
Example: Thickness of a page.

Estimate the thickness

of a page of your
textbook.

(Hint: you don’t need

one of these!)
Solving problems in physics

• The textbook offers a systematic problem-solving strategy

with techniques for setting up and solving problems
efficiently and accurately.
Solving problems in physics

• Step 1: Identify relevant concepts, variables, what is

known, what is needed, what is missing.
 Solving problems in physics

• Step 2: Set up the Problem – MAKE a SKETCH, label it,

act it out, model it, decide what equations might apply.
What units should the answer have? What value?
 Solving problems in physics

• Step 3: Execute the Solution, and EVALUATE your

answer! Are the units right? Is it the right order of
magnitude? Does it make SENSE?
 Solving problems in physics

• Good problems to gauge your learning

– “Test your Understanding” Questions throughout
the book
– Conceptual “Clicker” questions linked online
– “Two dot” problems in the chapter

• Good problems to review before exams

– BRIDGING Problem @ end of each chapter ***
Vectors and scalars

• A scalar quantity can be described by a single

number, with some meaningful unit
• 4 oranges

• 20 miles

• 5 miles/hour

• 10 Joules of energy

• 9 Volts
Vectors and scalars

• A scalar quantity can be described by a single

number with some meaningful unit
• A vector quantity has a magnitude and a direction in
space, as well as some meaningful unit.
• 5 miles/hour North

• 18 Newtons in the “x direction”

• 50 Volts/meter down
Vectors and scalars

• A scalar quantity can be described by a single

number with some meaningful unit
• A vector quantity has a magnitude and a direction in
space, as well as some meaningful unit.
• To establish the direction, you MUST first have a
coordinate system!
• Standard x-y Cartesian coordinates common

• Compass directions (N-E-S-W)

Drawing vectors
• Draw a vector as a line with an arrowhead at its tip.
• The length of the line shows the vector’s magnitude.
• The direction of the line shows the vector’s direction
relative to a coordinate system (that should be indicated!)

y
5 m/sec at
30 degrees from the
x x axis towards y in
the xy plane
z
Drawing vectors
• Vectors can be identical in magnitude, direction, and units,
but start from different places…
Drawing vectors
• Negative vectors refer to direction relative to some standard
coordinate already established – not to magnitude.
Adding two vectors graphically

• Two vectors may be added graphically using either the head-to-tail

method or the parallelogram method.
Adding two vectors graphically

• Two vectors may be added graphically using either the head-to-tail

method or the parallelogram method.
Adding two vectors graphically
Adding more than two vectors graphically

• To add several vectors, use the head-to-tail method.

• The vectors can be added in any order.
Adding more than two vectors graphically—Figure 1.13

• To add several vectors, use the head-to-tail method.

• The vectors can be added in any order.
Subtracting vectors
• Reverse direction, and add normally head-to-tail…
Subtracting vectors
• Figure 1.14 shows how to subtract vectors.
Multiplying a vector by a scalar

• If c is a scalar, the

product cA has
magnitude |c|A.
Addition of two vectors at right angles
• First add vectors graphically.
• Use trigonometry to find magnitude & direction of sum.
Addition of two vectors at right angles
• Displacement (D) = √(1.002 + 2.002) = 2.24 km
• Direction  = tan-1(2.00/1.00) = 63.4º East of North
Note how the final answer has THREE things!

• Answer: 2.24 km at 63.4 degrees East of North

• Magnitude (with correct sig. figs!)

Note how the final answer has THREE things!

• Answer: 2.24 km at 63.4 degrees East of North

• Magnitude (with correct sig. figs!)

• Units
Note how the final answer has THREE things!

• Answer: 2.24 km at 63.4 degrees East of North

• Magnitude (with correct sig. figs!)
• Units
• Direction
Components of a vector

• Represent any vector by an x-component Ax and a y-component Ay.

• Use trigonometry to find the components of a vector: Ax = Acos θ and

Ay = Asin θ, where θ is measured from the +x-axis toward the +y-axis.
Positive and negative components

• The components of a vector can

be positive or negative numbers.
Finding components

• We can calculate the components of a vector from its magnitude

and direction.
Calculations using components
• We can use the components of a vector to find its magnitude
Ay
and direction: A  Ax  Ay      and      tan 
2 2
A
x
• We can use the components of a
set of vectors to find the components
of their sum:
Rx  Ax  Bx  Cx ,   Ry  Ay  By  C y 
Adding vectors using their components
Unit vectors

• A unit vector has a magnitude

of 1 with no units.
• The unit vector î points in the
j
+x-direction, j points in the +y-
direction, and kk points in the
+z-direction.
• Any vector can be expressed
in terms of its components as
 j k
A =Axî+ Ay j + Az k.
The scalar product

The scalar
product of two
vectors (the
“dot product”) is
A · B = ABcos
The scalar product

The scalar product of two vectors (the “dot

product”) is
A · B = ABcos

Useful for
•Work (energy) required or released as force is
applied over a distance (4A)
•Flux of Electric and Magnetic fields moving through
surfaces and volumes in space (4B)
Calculating a scalar product

By components, A · B = AxBx + AyBy + AzBz

Example: A = 4.00 m @ 53.0°, B = 5.00 m @ 130°
Calculating a scalar product

By components, A · B = AxBx + AyBy + AzBz

Example: A = 4.00 m @ 53.0°, B = 5.00 m @ 130°
Ax = 4.00 cos 53 = 2.407
Ay = 4.00 sin 53 = 3.195

Bx = 5.00 cos 130 = -3.214

By = 5.00 sin 130 = 3.830

AxBx + AyBy = 4.50 meters

A · B = ABcoscos(130-53) = 4.50 meters2

The vector product

•The vector product (“cross product”) A x B of two vectors is a vector

•Magnitude = AB sin 
•Direction = orthogonal (perpendicular) to A and B,
using the “Right Hand Rule”
y

B x

z
A

AxB
The vector cross product

The cross product of two vectors is

A x B (with magnitude ABsin

Useful for
•Torque from a force applied at a distance away from
an axle or axis of rotation (4A)
•Calculating dipole moments and forces from
Magnetic Fields on moving charges (4B)
The vector product
• The vector
product (“cross
product”) of
two vectors has
magnitude
 
| A B |  AB sin

and the right-

hand rule gives
its direction.