2020-2021

Physics for Engineers

(PHYS 20034)

Engr. Ferrie Oliva

2020-2021
 Polytechnic University of the
Philippines
Department of Physical Science

Subject: Physics for Engineers (PHYS 20034)

OVERVIEW:

Known as the fundamental science, physics creates a foundation for other natural sciences. In
this lesson, you'll be introduced to the field of physics, learning about its history and its modern
branches of study. Most people hear the word 'physics' and run for cover. But it's not just for
rocket scientists! You are surrounded by physics all the time, and whether you realize it or not,
you use physics every day.

Physics, the study of matter and energy, is an ancient and broad field of science concerned
with the nature and properties of matter and energy. The subject matter of physics,
distinguished from that of chemistry and biology, includes mechanics, heat, light and other
radiation, sound, electricity, magnetism, and the structure of atoms. Mechanics of particles, rigid
bodies, and fluids; waves; and heat and thermodynamics using the methods and concepts of
algebra, geometry, trigonometry, graphical analysis, and basic calculus.

The word 'physics' comes from the Greek 'knowledge of nature,' and in general, the field aims
to analyze and understand the natural phenomena of the universe. Physics has been around
for a long, long time. We consider the Ancient Greeks to be the 'founders' of early physics, as
they pushed for a better understanding of the natural world around them. This includes some
major players you are likely familiar with, like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

Modern physics came centuries later, with folks like Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton during
the 15- and 1600s. There were many critical scientific breakthroughs during this time as people
discovered more and more about our universe. In fact, much of the knowledge we take for
granted was discovered during this Scientific Revolution. For example, Copernicus was the first
to demonstrate that the earth revolves around the sun, not the other way around.

Galileo described many fundamental physical concepts, but he also made many astronomical
discoveries, such as sunspots and planetary satellites, by perfecting the telescope. Physics
certainly wouldn't be the same without Isaac Newton, who you will no doubt learn much about
in your physics studies. He is probably most famous for his three laws of motion and the law of
universal gravitation. Aristotle wrote the first work which refers to that line of study as
"Physics" – in the 4th century BCE, Aristotle founded the system known as
Aristotelian physics. He attempted to explain ideas such as motion (and gravity) with the theory
of four elements.

Physicists are responsible for designing experiments, implementing them using the scientific
method and drawing conclusions which will be beneficial to the advancement of science and
industry. A physicist can also educate others in advanced, intermediate and basic physics.

Physics aims to understand the world around us at the most basic level. It emphasizes the use
of a small number of quantitative laws to do this, which can be useful to other fields pushing the
performance boundaries of existing technologies. Consider a smartphone. Physics describes
how electricity interacts with the various circuits inside the device. This knowledge helps
engineers select the appropriate materials and circuit layout when building a smartphone.
Knowledge of the physics underlying these devices is required to shrink their size or increase
their processing speed. Or, think about a GPS. Physics describes the relationship between the
speed of an object, the distance over which it travels, and the time it takes to travel that
distance. When you use a GPS in a vehicle, it relies on physics equations to determine the
travel time from one location to another.

The Scope of Physics

The Whirlpool Galaxy contains billions of individual stars as well as huge clouds of gas and
dust. Its companion galaxy is also visible to the right. This pair of galaxies lies a staggering
billion trillion miles (1.4×1021mi) from our own galaxy (which is called the Milky Way). The stars
and planets that make up the Whirlpool Galaxy might seem to be the furthest thing from most
people’s everyday lives, but the Whirlpool is a great starting point to think about the forces that
hold the universe together. The gravity that causes the stars of the Whirlpool Galaxy to rotate
and revolve is thought to be the same as what causes water to flow over hydroelectric dams
here on Earth. When you look up at the stars, realize the forces out there are the same as the
ones here on Earth.

Think, now, about all the technological devices you use on a regular basis. Computers,
smartphones, global positioning systems (GPSs), MP3 players, and satellite radio might come
to mind. Then, think about the most exciting modern technologies you have heard about in the
news, such as trains that levitate above tracks, “invisibility cloaks” that bend light around them,
and microscopic robots that fight cancer cells in our bodies. All these groundbreaking advances,
commonplace or unbelievable, rely on the principles of physics. Aside from playing a significant
role in technology, professionals such as engineers, pilots, physicians, physical therapists,
electricians, and computer programmers apply physics concepts in their daily work

The underlying order of nature makes science in general, and physics in particular, interesting
and enjoyable to study. For example, what do a bag of chips and a car battery have in
common? Both contain energy that can be converted to other forms. The law of conservation of
energy (which says that energy can change form but is never lost) ties together such topics as
food calories, batteries, heat, light, and watch springs. Understanding this law makes it easier to
learn about the various forms energy takes and how they relate to one another. Apparently
unrelated topics are connected through broadly applicable physical laws, permitting an
understanding beyond just the memorization of lists of facts.

Science consists of theories and laws that are the general truths of nature, as well as the body
of knowledge they encompass. Scientists are continuously trying to expand this body of
knowledge and to perfect the expression of the laws that describe it. Physics, which comes from
the Greek phúsis, meaning “nature,” is concerned with describing the interactions of energy,
matter, space, and time to uncover the fundamental mechanisms that underlie every
phenomenon. This concern for describing the basic phenomena in nature essentially defines the
scope of physics.

OBJECTIVES:

After successful completion of this subject, you should be able to:

 Learn the foundations of physics, as evidenced through solving problems in mechanics
and electricity and magnetism.
 Demonstrate analytical and problem solving skills.
 Understand how things work from first principles. Courses in physics reveal the
mathematical beauty of the universe at scales ranging from subatomic to cosmological. 
 Strengthens quantitative reasoning and problem solving skills that are valuable in areas
beyond physics.

COURSE MATERIALS:

Google Drive + Messenger GC + Messenger Room + ZOOM + Reading Materials

(PDF) Physics Textbooks (University Physics Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 + Modern Physics )
+ Videos + You Tube + EDMODO
Chapter 1: MEASUREMENT

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

-After successful completion of this lesson, you should be able to...

1. Solve measurement problems involving conversion of units, expression of

measurement in scientific notation
2. Differentiate accuracy from -precision
3. Differentiate random errors from systematic errors
4. Use the least count concept to estimate errors associated with single measurements
5. Estimate errors from multiple measurements of a physical quantity using variance
6. Estimate the uncertainty of a derived quantity from the estimated values and
uncertainties of directly measured quantities.

CONTENT:

 Units
 Physical Quantities
 Measurement
 Graphical Presentation
COURSE MATERIALS:

MEASUREMENT is the assignment of a number to a characteristic of an object or event,

which can be compared with other objects or events. The scope and application of
measurement are dependent on the context and discipline. In the natural
sciences and engineering, measurements do not apply to nominal properties of objects or
events, which is consistent with the guidelines of the International vocabulary of
metrology published by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. However, in other
fields such as statistics as well as the social and behavioral sciences, measurements can
have multiple levels, which would include nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio scales.

Measurement is a cornerstone of trade, science, technology, and quantitative research in many

disciplines. Historically, many measurement systems existed for the varied fields of human
existence to facilitate comparisons in these fields. Often these were achieved by local
agreements between trading partners or collaborators. Since the 18th century, developments
progressed towards unifying, widely accepted standards that resulted in the
modern International System of Units (SI). This system reduces all physical measurements to a
mathematical combination of seven base units. The science of measurement is pursued in the
field of metrology.

STANDARDS OF LENGTH, MASS, AND TIME

The laws of physics are expressed in terms of basic quantities that require a clear definition. In
mechanics, the three basic quantities are length (L), mass (M), and time (T). All other quantities
in mechanics can be expressed in terms of these three. If we are to report the results of a
measurement to someone who wishes to reproduce this measurement, a standard must be
defined. It would be meaningless if a visitor from another planet were to talk to us about a length
of 8 “glitches” if we do not know the meaning of the unit glitch. On the other hand, if someone
familiar with our system of measurement reports that a wall is 2 meters high and our unit of
length is defined to be 1 meter, we know that the height of the wall is twice our basic length unit.
Likewise, if we are told that a person has a mass of 75 kilograms and our unit of mass is defined
to be 1 kilogram, then that person is 75 times as massive as our basic unit.1 Whatever is
chosen as a standard must be readily accessible and possess some property that can be
measured reliably—measurements taken by different people in different places must yield the
same result. In 1960, an international committee established a set of standards for length,
mass, and other basic quantities.

The system established is an adaptation of the metric system, and it is called the SI system of
units. (The abbreviation SI comes from the system’s French name “Système International.”) In
this system, the units of length, mass, and time are the meter, kilogram, and second,
respectively. Other SI standards established by the committee are those for temperature (the
kelvin), electric current (the ampere), luminous intensity (the candela), and the amount of
substance (the mole). In our study of mechanics we shall be concerned only with the units of
length, mass, and time.

Length

In A.D. 1120 the king of England decreed that the standard of length in his country would be
named the yard and would be precisely equal to the distance from the tip of his nose to the end
of his outstretched arm. Similarly, the original standard for the foot adopted by the French was
the length of the royal foot of King Louis XIV. This standard prevailed until 1799, when the legal
standard of length in France became the meter, defined as one ten-millionth the distance from
the equator to the North Pole along one particular longitudinal line that passes through Paris.
Many other systems for measuring length have been developed over the years, but the
advantages of the French system have caused it to prevail in almost all countries and in
scientific circles everywhere.

As recently as 1960, the length of the meter was defined as the distance between two lines on
a specific platinum– iridium bar stored under controlled conditions in France. This standard
was abandoned for several reasons, a principal one being that the limited accuracy with which
the separation between the lines on the bar can be determined does not meet the current
requirements of science and technology. In the 1960s and 1970s, the meter was defined as 1
650 763.73 wavelengths of orange-red light emitted from a krypton-86 lamp. However, in
October 1983, the meter (m) was redefined as the distance traveled by light in vacuum during a
time of 1/299 792 458 second. In effect, this latest definition establishes that the speed of light in
vacuum is precisely 299 792 458 m per second.

Approximate Values of Some Measured Lengths

Distance from the Earth to most remote known quasar 1.4 X 1026
Distance from the Earth to most remote known normal galaxies 9 X 1025
Distance from the Earth to nearest large galaxy, the Andromeda galaxy) 2 X 1022
Distance from the Sun to nearest star (Proxima Centauri) 4 X 1016
One light year 9.46 X 1015
Mean orbit radius of the Earth about the Sun 1.50 X 1011
Mean distance from the Earth to the Moon 3.84 X 108
Distance from the equator to the North Pole 1.00 X 107
Mean radius of the Earth 6.37 X 106
Mass
The basic SI unit of mass, the kilogram (kg), is defined as the mass of a specific platinum–
iridium alloy cylinder kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures at Sèvres,
France. This mass standard was established in 1887 and has not been changed since that time
because platinum–iridium is an unusually stable alloy. A duplicate of the Sèvres cylinder is kept
at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Time
Before 1960, the standard of time was defined in terms of the mean solar day for the year 1900.
The mean solar second was originally defined as of a mean solar day. The rotation of the Earth
is now known to vary slightly with time, however, and therefore this motion is not a good one to
use for defining a standard. In 1967, consequently, the second was redefined to take advantage
of the high precision obtainable in a device known as an atomic clock. In this device, the
frequencies associated with certain atomic transitions can be measured to a precision of one
part in 1012. This is equivalent to an uncertainty of less than one second every 30 000 years.
Thus, in 1967 the SI unit of time, the second, was redefined using the characteristic frequency
of a particular kind of cesium atom as the “reference clock.” The basic SI unit of time, the
second (s), is defined as 9 192 631 770 times the period of vibration of radiation from the
cesium-133 atom.3. To keep these atomic clocks—and therefore all common clocks and
watches that are set to them—synchronized, it has sometimes been necessary to add leap
seconds to our clocks. This is not a new idea. In 46 B.C. Julius Caesar began the practice of
adding extra days to the calendar during leap years so that the seasons occurred at about the
same date each year. Since Einstein’s discovery of the linkage between space and time,
precise measurement of time intervals requires that we know both the state of motion of the
clock used to measure the interval and, in some cases, the location of the clock as well.
Otherwise, for example, global positioning system satellites might be unable to pinpoint your
location with sufficient accuracy, should you need rescuing.
Watch the video for Measurement History:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NValmBwli1Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC2Wivnq344

ACTIVITIES AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Find the order of magnitude of the following physical quantities.

(a) The mass of Earth’s atmosphere: 5.1×1018kg; 

(b) The mass of the Moon’s atmosphere: 25,000 kg;

(c) The mass of Earth’s hydrosphere: 1.4×1021kg; 

(d) The mass of Earth: 5.97×1024kg 

(e) The mass of the Moon: 7.34×1022kg; 

(f) The Earth–Moon distance (semi major axis): 3.84×108m; 

(g) The mean Earth–Sun distance: 1.5×1011m; 

(h) The equatorial radius of Earth: 6.38×106; 

(i) The mass of an electron: 9.11×10−31kg; 

(j) The mass of a proton: 1.67×10−27kg; 

(k) The mass of the Sun: 1.99×1030kg.

2. Use the orders of magnitude you found in the previous problem to answer the following
questions to within an order of magnitude.
(a) How many electrons would it take to equal the mass of a proton?

(b) How many Earths would it take to equal the mass of the Sun?

(c) How many Earth–Moon distances would it take to cover the distance from Earth to the Sun?

(d) How many Moon atmospheres would it take to equal the mass of Earth’s atmosphere?

(e) How many moons would it take to equal the mass of Earth?

(f) How many protons would it take to equal the mass of the Sun?

7:30 am - 9:30 am
Attendance:
 Contact tracing thru emails and cell phone
nos.,
 Creating Messenger GC and EDMODO
ACCOUNT
Schedule:
9:30 am – 1:00 pm

April 14, 2021 Converting Units With Conversion Factors -

Metric System Review & Dimensional Analysis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=xzPOHd_YkvA
1:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Attendance: End of Class via Messenger GC
 Practice solving all the exercises given
 ANSWERS WILL BE SUBMITTED ON THE
ASSIGNMENT SECTION OF EDMODO