Applied Physics
Course Instructor:
Engr. Hassaan Bin Younis
AE (Mechatronics), KRL
Lecture # 4, 5
2
Thought of the Day
“Find your purpose, your passion,
your unique place in the world
and fight for it”
3
Examples: Converting volume units
• The world’s largest cut diamond is the First Star of
Africa (mounted in the British Royal Sceptre and
kept in the Tower of London). Its volume is 1.84
cubic inches. What is its volume in cubic
centimeters? In cubic meters?
• According to the label on a bottle of salad dressing,
the volume of the contents is 0.473 liter (L). Using
only the conversions 1𝐿 = 1000𝑐𝑚3 and 1𝑖𝑛 =
2.54𝑐𝑚 express this volume in cubic inches.
4
Uncertainty and Significant Figures
• Measurements always have uncertainties
• The distinction between the two measurements is in their
uncertainty
• The uncertainty is also called the error
• We often indicate the accuracy of a measured value—that is,
how close it is likely to be to the true value
• We can also express accuracy in terms of the maximum likely
fractional error or percent error
• In many cases, uncertainty is indicated by the number of
meaningful digits, or significant figures, in the measured
value
• When we calculate with very large or very small numbers, we
can show significant figures much more easily by using
scientific notation
• Precision is not the same as accuracy.
5
Example: Significant figures in
multiplication
The rest energy E of an object with rest mass m is
given by Einstein’s famous equation 𝐸 = 𝑚𝑐 2 ,
where c is the speed of light in vacuum. Find E for
an electron for which (to three significant figures)
𝑚 = 9.11 × 10−31 𝑘𝑔 . The SI unit for E is the joule
(J); 1𝐽 = 1𝑘𝑔. 𝑚2 /𝑠 2
6
Vectors and Vector Addition
• When a physical quantity is
described by a single number,
we call it a scalar quantity
• A vector quantity has both a
magnitude and a direction in
space
• We usually represent a vector
quantity such as displacement
by a single letter, such as 𝐴Ԧ
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Vectors and Vector Addition
• If two vectors have the same
direction, they are parallel
• If they have the same
magnitude and the same
direction, they are equal, no
matter where they are located
in space
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Vector Addition and Subtraction
𝐶Ԧ = 𝐴Ԧ + 𝐵 𝐶Ԧ = 𝐵 + 𝐴Ԧ
𝐴Ԧ + 𝐵 = 𝐵 + 𝐴Ԧ
• Vector addition obeys the commutative law. It
means that the order of terms in a vector sum
doesn’t matter
• In the above cases, does the magnitude of the
sum equal the sum of their magnitudes?
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Vector Addition and Subtraction
a) Only when two vectors and are parallel does the
magnitude of their sum equal the sum of their
magnitudes
𝐶 =𝐴+𝐵
a) When and are antiparallel, the magnitude of their
sum equals the difference of their magnitudes
𝐶 = 𝐴−𝐵
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Vector Addition and Subtraction
Several constructions for finding the vector sum 𝐴Ԧ + 𝐵+𝐶Ԧ
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Vector Addition and Subtraction
• To construct the vector difference 𝐴Ԧ − 𝐵 you can either place the tail
of -𝐵 at the head of 𝐴Ԧ or place the two vectors and head to head.
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Example: Addition of two vectors at
right angles
A cross-country skier skis 1.00 km north and then
2.00 km east on a horizontal snowfield. How far
and in what direction is she from the starting
point?
13
Components of Vectors
• We can represent any vector lying in the xy-plane as the
sum of a vector parallel to the x-axis and a vector parallel
to the y-axis. They are called the component vectors
𝐴Ԧ = 𝐴𝑥 + 𝐴𝑦
• The two numbers and are called the components of 𝐴Ԧ
Caution: Components are not vectors
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Components of Vectors
• Imagine that the vector originally lies along the +x-
axis and then it is rotated in its correct direction
▫ If the rotation is from +x-axis towards +y-axis, 𝜃 is
positive
▫ If the rotation is from +x-axis towards -y-axis, 𝜃 is
negative
• From the definition of the trigonometric functions
𝐴𝑥
= 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 → 𝐴𝑥 = 𝐴𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃
𝐴
𝐴𝑦
= 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 → 𝐴𝑦 = 𝐴𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
𝐴
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Components of Vectors
• The components of a vector may be positive or
negative numbers
Cosine of an angle Both cosine and sine
is negative of an angle is negative
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Example: Finding components
a) What are the x- and y-components of vector in Fig (a)?
The magnitude of the vector is 𝐷 = 3.00𝑚 , and the
angle α = 45°
b) What are the x- and y-components of vector in Fig (b)?
The magnitude of the vector is 𝐸 = 4.50𝑚 , and the
angle 𝛽 = 37°
