Throughout this first week of class I have learned many things that I am going to share with you today from the notes I have taken. I was honestly very confused to begin with but I finally got it figured it out. If you are having trouble with a subject, never give up, just keep practicing and researching!!
What is the most commonly used system of measurement used in physics?
MKS (Meter, Kilogram, Second)
I also learned how to convert mph to m/s… 40 mph= 17.9 m/s 70 mph= 31.3 m/s
Scalars: Describes magnitude only. (speed is an example)
Vectors: Describes magnitude and direction. (acceleration is an example)
Force Vectors
Below are examples
5 —> + 5—> = 10—>
5 —> + <— -5 = 0
5 —> + <— -10 = <— -5
Pythagorean Theorem for adding two vectors
Almost everyone knows what the Pythagorean Theorem is. For those of you who do not it is a^2 + b^2 = c^2
Example Question: Jim leaves his office and walks 12 km, North and then walks 12 km, East, determine Jim’s resulting displacement.
12^2 + 12^2 = R^2
144 +144 = R^2 ( Take the square root of 288 for final answer)
16.971 = R
Using Trigonometry to determine a vectors direction
SOH CAH TOA
a (x) = side adjacent to angle b (y)= side opposite to angle c (r)= hypotenuse of triangle
REMEMBER THE CALCULATED ANGLE ISNT ALWAYS THE DIRECTION!
Above are just a few things that I learned throughout this first week of online physics. It may seem difficult but after just a little bit of practice you will catch on and it’ll be like second nature to you!
Physics 110-110A 