PHYS 111-6
Notes for Test 1
Chapter 1 Introduction and Mathematical Concepts
Concept Summary is on p. 19.
You should know the names of the basic units of the MKS system (meter, kilogram, second).
You should know how to convert units. (Example: Convert 50 mi/hr to ft/s given that 88 ft/s = 60 mi/hr.)
Metric prefixes to know: micro- (m), milli-, centi-, kilo-, mega-.
You should know the definitions of the sine, cosine and tangent of an angle in terms of the sides of a right triangle. (SOHCAHTOA). You should be able to calculate using your calculator.
You should be able to use your calculator to find the inverse tangent (or arctangent) of a number. The inverse tangent gives an angle as the answer.
You should know the definition of a scalar and the definition of a vector.
You should know how to add two vectors using the head-to-tail method and the parallelogram method.
You should know how to find the components of a vector.
You should know how to do addition of vectors by means of components.
Chapter 2 Kinematics in One Dimension
Concept Summary is on p. 51.
You should know the definitions of displacement, average speed, average velocity and average acceleration.
You should know that speed is a scalar and that velocity and acceleration are vectors.
You should know how to use the equations of kinematics (Equations (2.4), (2.7), (2.8) and (2.9))for constant acceleration to solve word problems that involve moving objects. These equations will be given to you on the test paper. Note, however, that you will need to know the meanings of the symbols in the equations and how to use them.
You should know what is meant by a freely falling body and the acceleration due to gravity g. (The value of g will be provided.)
You should know how to solve free-fall problems using the equations of kinematics.
You should know what position versus time and velocity versus time graphs are. You should know that the slope of a position versus time graph for a moving object gives the object’s instantaneous velocity and that the slope of a velocity versus time graph gives the object’s instantaneous acceleration.
You should also know that the area under the velocity versus time graph for a moving object gives the object’s displacement.