General Physics I and Engineering I - Lecture 1

Flashcards for General Physics I and Engineering I Lecture 1, focusing on Units, Physical Quantities, and Vectors. Covers SI units, fundamental quantities, problem-solving, and significant figures.

Physics

An experimental science studying the laws of nature, underlying basic sciences like astronomy, biology, chemistry, and geology, to find physical laws that relate natural phenomena.

Physical Law/Principle

A very well established or widely used theory in physics.

SI Units

International System of Units (Systéme International), also known as the MKS system, using meter for length, kilogram for mass, and second for time.

US Customary Units

Also known as the British Engineering system, using feet for length, seconds for time, and slugs for mass (often using pounds for weight instead of mass).

Meter (m)

SI unit of length, defined as the distance traveled by light in a vacuum during a given time.

Kilogram (kg)

SI unit of mass, defined as the mass of a specific cylinder kept at the International Bureau of Standards in France.

Second (s)

SI unit of time, defined as the time of oscillation of radiation from a cesium atom.

Unit Prefixes

Used to represent larger and smaller units for fundamental quantities.

Significant Figures

The meaningful digits in a measurement, indicating the uncertainty of the measured quantity.

Leading Zeros

Zeros that never count as significant figures (e.g., 0.0025).

Captive Zeros

Zeros that always count as significant figures (e.g., 1.008).

Trailing Zeros

Zeros that count only if the number is written with a decimal point (e.g., 100. vs. 100).