Reynald Morales

ULO 1A - Let’s check

Problem 1. Unit Conversion

A certain car has a fuel efficiency of 25.0 miles per gallon (mi/gal). Express this efficiency in
kilometers per liter (km/L).

Problem 2. Unit Conversion

A house is 50.0 ft long and 26 ft wide and has 8.0-fthigh ceilings. What is the volume of the interior
of the house in cubic meters and in cubic centimeters?

Problem 3. Significant Figures

How many significant figures are there in

a. 78.9±0.2

b. 3.788 x109

c. 2.46 x10-6

d. 0.003 2
Problem 4. Significant Figures

The speed of light is now defined to be 2.997 924 58 x 108 m/s. Express the speed of light to

a. three significant figures

b. five significant figures, and

c. seven significant figures.

Problem 5. Scalar and Vector Quantities

State which of the following are scalars and which are vectors.

a. weight

b. calorie

c. specific heat

d. momentum

e. density

f. energy

g. volume

h. distance

i. speed

j. magnetic field intensity

Reynald Morales

ULO 1A - Let’s Analyze

Problem 1. Unit Conversion

A small turtle moves at a speed of 186 furlongs per fortnight. Find the speed of the turtle in
centimeters per second. Note that 1 furlong = 220 yards and 1 fortnight = 14 days.

Problem 2: Dimension Analysis

Kinetic energy, KE, has dimensions 𝑘𝑔 𝑚2 . It can also be written in terms of the momentum, 𝑠 2 p,
and mass m as 𝐾𝐸 = 𝑝 2 2𝑚

a. Determine the unit for momentum using dimensional analysis.

b. The unit of force is the newton, N, where 1𝑁 = 1 𝑘𝑔 ∙ 𝑚 . What are the units of momentum 𝑠 2
p in terms of a newton and another fundamental SI unit?

Problem 3: Dimension Analysis

Show by dimensional analysis that the equations are correct or incorrect. a. 1 2 𝑚𝑣 2 = 1 2 𝑚𝑣𝑜 2
+ √𝑚𝑔ℎ b. 𝑣 = 𝑣𝑜 + 𝑎𝑡2 c. 𝑚𝑎 = �
Problem 4: Significant Figures

A block of gold has length 5.62 cm, width 6.35 cm, and height 2.78 cm.

a. Calculate the base area and round up the answer to the appropriate number of significant figures.

Let this be 𝑉1.

b. Now multiply the rounded result of part (a) by the height and again round, obtaining the volume.

c. Now obtain volume 2, 𝑉2, by first finding the width times the height, rounding up to appropriate
significant figures, and multiply by the length.

d. Explain why the answers don’t agree with the third significant figure.

Problem 5: Scalar and Vector Quantities

If 𝑟1= 2𝑖 − 𝑗 + 𝑘, 𝑟2= 𝑖 + 3𝑗 − 2𝑘, 𝑟3= −2𝑖 + 𝑗 − 3𝑘, and 𝑟4 = 3𝑖 + 2𝑗 + 5𝑘, find the scalars 𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐
such that 𝑟4= 𝑎𝑟1+ 𝑏𝑟2 + 𝑐𝑟3.

Problem 6: Scalar and Vector Quantities

Find a unit vector parallel to the resultant of vectors 𝑟1 = 2𝑖 + 4𝑗 − 5𝑘, 𝑟2 = 𝑖 + 2𝑗 + 3𝑘.

Reynald Morales

ULO 1A – In a nutshell

Activity 1.

Physics is based on experimental observations and quantitative measurements. The fundamental

laws used in developing theories are expressed in the language of mathematics, the tool that
provides a bridge between theory and experiment. Discrepancies and uncertainties must be defined
to achieve satisfactory data. Discuss the relevance of the significant figures.

Activity 2.

Physical phenomena can be described by physical quantities. Thoroughly discuss the difference
between scalar and vector quantities and enumerate examples.
Reynald Morales

ULO 1B - Let’s check

Problem 1. Speed and Velocity

The speed of a nerve impulse in the human body is about 100 m/s. If you accidentally stub your toe
in the dark, estimate the time it takes the nerve impulse to travel to your brain.

Problem 2: Speed and Velocity

A motorist drives north for 35.0 minutes at 85.0 km/h and then stops for 15.0 minutes. He then
continues north, traveling 130 km in 2.00 h.

a. What is his total displacement?

b. What is his average velocity?

Problem 3: Acceleration

A certain car is capable of accelerating at a rate of 0.60 m/s2. How long does it take for this car to go
from a speed of 55 mi/h to a speed of 60 mi/h?

Problem 4: Particle Under Constant Acceleration

A space capsule was fired from a 220-m-long cannon with final speed of 10.97 km/s. What would
have been the unrealistically large acceleration experienced by the space travellers during their
launch?
Problem 5: Free-falling Objects

A ball is thrown vertically upward with a speed of 25.0 m/s.

a. How high does it rise?

b. How long does it take to reach its highest point?

c. How long does the ball take to hit the ground after it reaches its highest point?

d. What is its velocity when it returns to the level from which it started?

Problem 6: Components of a Vector

A person walks 25.0° north of east for 3.10 km. How far due north and how far due east would she
have to walk to arrive at the same location?

Problem 7: Projectile Motion

A brick is thrown upward from the top of a building at an angle of 25° to the horizontal and with an
initial speed of 15 m/s. If the brick is in flight for 3.0 s, how tall is the building?
Reynald Morales

ULO 1B - Let’s Analyze

Problem 1. Speed and Velocity

To qualify for the finals in a racing event, a race car must achieve an average speed of 250 km/h on
a track with a total length of 1 600 m. If a particular car covers the first half of the track at an average
speed of 230 km/h, what minimum average speed must it have in the second half of the event to
qualify

Problem 2: Particle Under Constant Acceleration

An object moves with a constant acceleration of 4.00 m/s2 and over a time interval reaches a final
velocity of 12.0 m/s.

a. If its original velocity is 6.00 m/s, what is its displacement during the time interval?

b. What is the distance it travels during this interval?

c. If its original velocity is 26.00 m/s, what is its displacement during this interval?

d. What is the total distance it travels during the interval in part(c)?

Problem 3: Free-falling Objects

A baseball is hit so that it travels straight upward after being struck by the bat. A fan observes that it
takes 3.00 s for the ball to reach its maximum height. Find the ball’s initial velocity and the height it
reaches.

Problem 4: Projectile Motion

fire hose at an angle of 𝜃 = 30.0° above the horizontal. If the speed of the stream as it leaves the
A fireman d = 50.0 m away from a burning building directs a stream of water from a ground level

hose is 𝑣 𝑖 = 40.0 m/s, at what height will the stream of water strike the building?

Problem 5: Projectile Motion

A projectile is launched with an initial speed of 60.0 m/s at an angle of 30.0° above the horizontal.
The projectile lands on a hillside 4.00 s later. Neglect air friction.

a. What is the projectile’s velocity at the highest point of its trajectory?

b. What is the straight-line distance from where the projectile was launched to where it hits its
target?
ULO 1B – In a nutshell

Activity 1.

Under what circumstances would a vector have components that are equal in magnitude?

Activity 2.

Can the instantaneous velocity of an object at an instant of time ever be greater in magnitude than
the average velocity over a time interval containing that instant? Can it ever be less?
Reynald L. Morales

ULO 1C Let’s check

Problem 1. Laws of Motion

The heaviest invertebrate is the giant squid, which is estimated to have a weight of about 2 tons
spread out over its length of 70 feet. What is its weight in newtons?

Problem 2: Laws of Motion

A 6.0-kg object undergoes an acceleration of 2.0 m/s2.

a. What is the magnitude of the resultant force acting on it?

b. If this same force is applied to a 4.0-kg object, what acceleration is produced?

Problem 3: Laws of Motion

A 75-kg man standing on a scale in an elevator note that as the elevator rises, the scale reads 825 N.
What is the acceleration of the elevator?

Problem 4: Laws of Motion

A dockworker loading crates on a ship finds that a 20-kg crate, initially at rest on a horizontal surface,
requires a 75-N horizontal force to set it in motion. However, after the crate is in motion, a
horizontal force of 60 N is required to keep it moving with a constant speed. Find the coefficients of
static and kinetic friction between crate and floor.
Reynald Morales

ULO 1C Let’s analyze

Problem 1: Laws of Motion

A 5.0-g bullet leaves the muzzle of a rifle with a speed of 320 m/s. What force (assumed constant) is
exerted on the bullet while it is traveling down the 0.82-m-long barrel of the rifle?

Problem 2: Laws of Motion

Two forces are applied to a car to move it, as shown below

a. What is the resultant of these two forces?

b. If the car has a mass of 3 000 kg, what acceleration does it have? Ignore friction.
Problem 3: Laws of Motion

A 150-N bird feeder is supported by three cables as shown. Find the tension in each cable.

Problem 4: Laws of Motion

A 1 000-N crate is being pushed across a level floor at a constant speed by a force of 300 N at an
angle of 20.0° below the horizontal, as shown in Figure a.

a. What is the coefficient of kinetic friction between the crate and the floor?

b. If the 300-N force is instead pulling the block at an angle of 20.0° above the horizontal, as shown
in Figure b, what will be the acceleration of the crate? Assume that the coefficient of friction is the
same as that found in part (a).
Reynald Morales

ULO 1C In a nutshell

Activity 1

A space explorer is moving through space far from any planet or star. He notices a large rock, taken
as a specimen from an alien planet, floating around the cabin of the ship. Should he push it gently, or
should he kick it toward the storage compartment? Explain.

Activity 2:

If only one force acts on an object, can it be in equilibrium? Explain