College Physics Reviewer

Intro only

Physics

It is the science of matter and energy, concerned only with phenomena in which the nature of bodies remains unchanged. It is a precise science, and its natural language is mathematics.

Mathematics

It is the natural language of Physics.

They studied motion, astronomy, and simple machines

What kinds of phenomena did ancient Chinese, Egyptian, and Babylonian observers focus on?

They explained nature using reason instead of mythology.

How did Greek thinkers change the way nature was explained?

• Thales

• Pythagoras

• Aristotle

• Archimedes

Greek philosophers that contributed to Physics:

They preserved and expanded Greek ideas.

What did scholars in the Islamic Golden Age (Middle East) do with Greek scientific ideas?

Physics became a true experimental science.

What major change occurred in physics during the Scientific Revolution?

• Copernicus

• Galileo

• Kepler

• Isaac Newton

Which key figures played major roles during the scientific revolution?

• Electricity

• Magnetism

• Energy

Which scientific areas expanded during (1800 - 1900: The Rise of Modern Physics)?

• Faraday

• Maxwell

• Joule

• Ohm

Which scientists helped develop the foundations of electricity, magnetism, and energy during the 1800s - 1900s (The Rise of Modern Physics)? 

• Heat 

• Electricity

• Magnetism

• Energy

What did physics begin to explain during 1800s - 1900s (The Rise of Modern Physics)?

• Einstein’s Relativity

• Quantum Mechanics

What two revolutionary theories emerged in the 20th century (1900s - Present)?

Lasers, semiconductors, nuclear power, medical imaging, modern electronics.

What technologies came from quantum mechanics and relativity?

Albert Einstein

Who developed the theory of Relativity?

• Particle physics

• Cosmology

• Astrophysics

• Applied Physics

What topics does contemporary physics focus on today (Contemporary Physics: Late 20th - 21st Century)?

the motion of objects, forces, and energy—including any variable that affects motion.

What does the branch of mechanics study?

heat, temperature, and energy transfer.

What does thermodynamics focus on?

It covers electricity, magnetism, and electromagnetic waves.

What areas of physics are covered under electromagnetism?

Physics as an Experimental Science

By experimental science, we understand an arrangement of facts and laws derived from those facts, and descriptive of a certain field of knowledge. Our understanding of the physical world has as its foundation experimental measures and observations, on these are based our theories that organize our facts and deepen our understanding of Nature.

Scientific Method

It provides an organized way to think about and solve problems based on data.

1. Make Observations

2. Ask Questions

3. Formulate Hypothesis

4. Design an Experiment

5. Conduct Experiment

6. Draw Conclusions

7. Report Findings

What are the seven steps in conducting the scientific method?

Measurement

The process of determining the size or magnitude of a physical quantity by comparing it with a standard unit. It means to compare a magnitude with another of the same unit to find how many times the second is contained in the first; it is a conversion of all experimental scientists. It allows scientists to quantify observations, compare results, and establish universal standards

Matter

Occupies space, possess inertia, and is subjected to gravitation

Mass

The quantity of matter that contains a body.

Force

It is the push or pull exerted on a body and can change an object’s motion.

Motion

It is the change in position of a body with respect to another body in time, or of some of its parts with respect to another. It is described by concepts like distance, speed, velocity, and acceleration, and is governed by Newton’s Laws of Motion.

Fundamental Magnitudes

These are those in terms of which all other magnitudes can be expressed.

Systems of Units

These are set of standards for some or all the basic units. It includes the English System and the Metric System.

• foot

• slug

• second

What are the fundamental units of the English system?

• meter

• kilogram

• second

What are the fundamental units of the Metric system?

Systéme International d’ Unités

What does SI stand for?

the SI system

What is the modernized version of the metric system called?

Units

These are multiplied and divided just like ordinary symbols and are treated in an equation in the same way (equal) as algebraic quantities.

Significant Figures

These indicate the precision of a measurement or calculation, reflecting the degree of uncertainty associated with the value.

3 (5-6-7)

Determine the number of significant figures:

0.00567 _______

2 (1-2)

Determine the number of significant figures:

1200 _______

4 (8-9-0-0)

Determine the number of significant figures:

8.900 × 10² _______

0.000568

Round the following to the number of significant figures indicated:

0.00056789 → 3 significant figures ___________

0.0079

Round the following to the number of significant figures indicated:

0.007854 → 2 significant figures ___________

9.88 × 10³

Round the following to the number of significant figures indicated:

9.8765 × 10³ → 3 significant figures ___________

16

Perform the operations and express the final answer with the correct number of significant figures:

(7.83)(2.1) __________

60.9

Perform the operations and express the final answer with the correct number of significant figures:

56.78 + 4.1 + 0.003 __________

5.9 × 10²

Perform the operations and express the final answer with the correct number of significant figures:

(6.12 × 10²) − (1.3 × 10¹) __________

4.56 × 10⁻⁴

Convert to Scientific Notation:

0.000456 __________

1.23 × 10⁷

Convert to Scientific Notation:

12,300,000 __________

6.5 × 10⁵

Convert to Scientific Notation:

650,000 __________

0.000789

Convert to Standard (Decimal) Form:

7.89 × 10⁻⁴ __________

5,670

Convert to Standard (Decimal) Form:

5.67 × 10³ __________

0.0234

Convert to Standard (Decimal) Form:

2.34 × 10⁻² __________

1.35×10⁷

Scientific Notation Calculations:

(4.5 × 10²) × (3.0 × 10⁴) __________

6.0 × 10⁻⁵

Scientific Notation Calculations:

(7.2 × 10⁻³) ÷ (1.2 × 10²) __________

5.23 × 10⁶

Scientific Notation Calculations:

(5.0 × 10⁶) + (2.3 × 10⁵) __________

Vectors

Quantities that have both magnitude and direction

• weight

• force

• acceleration

• displacement

• torque

• velocity

• magnetic field

Examples of Vectors:

• speed

• time

• temperature

• energy

• power

• volume

Examples of Scalars:

Scalars

Quantities that only has magnitude

Since Psychology deals with behavior and mental processes, many of those behavior involves movement, perception, and forces—all of which can be described using vectors and scalars.

How do Vectors and Scalars connect to Psychology?

• reaction time

• arousal level

• short term test

• stress level

Example of Scalars being used in Psychology:

• eye tracking movement

• maze experiment

• attentional shifts

• locomotion

Example of Vectors being used in Psychology:

Multiple Vectors

A set of vectors that may act on the same object or exist in the same space.

Resultant

The single force that has the same effect as two or more combined factors

Equilibrant

The force that exactly cancels the resultant; opposite direction

Speed

It is measured by the distance it travels per unit of time.

Velocity

It is speed with direction

Acceleration

It is how much the velocity of an object changes over time.

Torque

It is a turning or rotational force.

Balance

The ability to maintain your center of mass over your base of support.

True

True or False: In the early scientific era, the understanding of the concepts of mechanics was heavily dependent of the onset of describing the motion of the celestial bodies.

According to Aristotle, natural motion is:

Motion that occurs due to an object’s internal nature.

Which of the following is an example of natural motion?

A stone falling to the ground

Who is the key proponent of the theory of natural and violent motion?

Aristotle

Violent motion occurs when an object:

Is forced by an external push or pull

Galileo

He refuted Aristotle’s ideas about motion by providing conclusive evidence through observation and experiment. For example, he stated that a push or pull is needed to continue to let an object move.

Free Fall

According to Galileo, it is the motion of an object when the only force acting on it is gravity.

Uniform Motion

Galileo defined it as motion in which an object moves equal distances in equal intervals of time—only when adding “resistance” stops its movement.

Projectile Motion

For Galileo, it is a combination of uniform forward motion and free-fall motion.

Inertia

The tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion.

• inertia of rest

• inertia of motion

• inertia of direction

What are the three types of inertia?

Inertia of rest refers to an object’s tendency to:

Remain at rest unless acted upon

Which situation best shows inertia of motion?

A moving car continuing forward when the engine is off

Inertia of direction is the tendency of an object to:

Continue moving in the same direction

When a moving bus suddenly stops and passengers move forward, this is an example of:

Inertia of motion

Position

This refers to the location of an object

Distance

The total path length traversed in moving one direction or point to another.

Displacement

`The straight-line separation of two points in a specified direction

• Law of Inertia

• Law of Force

• Law of Action and Reaction

What are Newton’s three Laws of Motion:

How many laws of motion did Newton propose?

Three

Law of Universal Gravitation

It states that every object with mass attracts every other object with a force—this law is about the universality of gravity.

Which law explains how force affects motion?

Law of Force

The Law of Action and Reaction states that:

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction

Law of Inertia

According to Newton, this is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its motion.

Accuracy

Closeness of a measurement to the true value

Precision

Reproducibility of repeated measurements

Scientific Notation

Expressing very large or small numbers concisely.

Unit Conversion

Changing one unit to another using conversion factors

By subtracting the true value from the measured value, dividing the result by the true value, and then multiplying by 100.

How do you calculate the percent error?

Human Reaction Time (RT)

The interval between the appearance of a visual stimulus and the motor response that follows. It reflects the combined speed of visual processing, neural conduction, decision-making, and motor activation.

The stimulus is a change in light intensity and wavelength, detected by the retina; the device displays the change using electronic timing, governed by its internal clock frequency; and the response occurs through muscle contraction driven by electrical impulses along neural pathways.

How is human reaction time (RT) fundamentally grounded in physics?

hand dominance

A well-known factor affecting human reaction time (RT):

Hand dominance affects reaction time because the dominant hand:

Exhibits faster and more consistent responses due to stronger neuromuscular control, more practiced motor pathways, and more efficient cortical representation.