Intro to Physics!

5/19/14
Warm Up: What is • Start notes here
Physics?
the science that deals
with matter, energy,
motion, and force.

Please have both of

the Cornell Notes in
the basket for me to
check!
 So…
• How much of the info in the Cornell Notes do you
remember from past years?

• It’s important to remember that motion is the result of

a force acting on an object and that the movement of
the object can cause forces that affect other objects.
• In this unit, we’ll be learning about how to measure &
describe these forces
• On these notes, feel free to add diagrams, etc, to the
left side of your note page!
• Click on image
 Force
• Force – a push or a pull
• Most objects have lots of forces acting on
them at once – think about you right now
sitting on your chair
 Motion
• Challenge – can you describe “motion”
without using the word “move” in your
definition?
• Motion – the act of changing position.
Pause for a minute to think about “distance”
• Challenge: How could you describe distance?
• Think about how we defined “motion”…
– A change in position…
• So, distance is the difference between an object’s
initial and final position
• d = distance
• ∆ = delta = change
• x = position (X marks the spot)
• x1 = initial position (start)
• x2 = final position (end)

d = ∆x
so... d = x2 – x1
 Practice with Distance

•You can start measuring from the back of the trolley or the front –
just be consistent.
•For example – if you measure the change in position of the front of
the trolley, it moved from 10 cm to 85 cm. 85 cm – 10 cm = 75 cm
•OR, measure the change in position of the back of the trolley. It
moved from 0 cm to 75 cm. 75 cm – 0 cm = 75 cm
•In both cases your answer for distance moved is 75 cm
 Practice with Distance

• 70 cm – 20 cm = 50 cm
OR
• 60 cm – 10 cm = 50 cm
 Practice with Distance

• 40 cm –0 cm = 40 cm
 Speed
• Speed – the measurement of how fast an
object moves
 Speed
• It is calculated by taking the distance traveled
divided by the time it took for the motion to
occur
Speed = Distance
Time
• The unit for speed is: m/s (meters/seconds)

• It can also be “mph” (miles/hour) or any other

unit of distance over time
 Speed

• What is the speed of a car that travels 100 m in 5 s?

• Speed = 100 m = 20 m
5 s s
 Velocity
• Velocity – A measurement describing both
speed and direction.
• Same formula as speed but add a direction
(such as North, South, right or left)
• Note the velocity changes as the direction
changes
 Velocity
• What is the velocity of a car that travels
northbound 100 m in 5 s?

• Velocity = 100 m North = 20 m North

5 s s
 Velocity
• To calculate the average velocity of a moving
object, take the difference in position divided
by change in time and include the direction:
• Velocityave = (x2 – x1)/(t2 – t1) with direction!
 Acceleration
• Acceleration – is the rate at which the velocity of an
object changes over time (a change in speed and/or
change in direction).

• Velocity and acceleration are vector quantities, with

magnitude and direction
– Vectors are just shown as arrows in the direction being
travelled

• It is calculated by taking the final speed and

subtracting the initial speed, then dividing by the time
it took for the motion to occur
• Acceleration = Final Speed – Initial Speed
Final Time – Initial Time
 Acceleration
• The unit for acceleration is: m
s2

• What is the acceleration of a car that goes from 0 m/s

to 50 m/s in 10 s?

• Acceleration = 50 m/s – 0 m/s = 5 m

10 s s2
 Acceleration
• Can be positive, negative, or zero

• Positive when the object is speeding up

• Negative when the object is slowing down
• Zero when the object has constant speed
 Practice (left side on notebook!)
• Describe, in one or more complete sentences,
how speed and velocity are similar and how
they are different.
 Momentum
• Momentum – linear momentum (or translational)
momentum is the product of the mass and
velocity of an object.
• It is calculated by taking the mass of an object
and multiplying it by its speed and including
direction
• Momentum = (Mass  Speed) + direction

• The unit for momentum is: kgm + direction

• s
• Click on image
 Momentum
• What is the momentum of a 5,000 kg car traveling 10 m
in 1 s?
• Momentum = 5,000  10 = 50,000 kgm
• 1 s
• Click on bus
 Speed & Velocity Practice
for tomorrow

• Set up this data chart:

Participant Time Distance Speed Direction Velocity

Average
 Your Group Decides…
• Choose a distance
• Decide how you will each travel the distance
(run, skip, grapevine, ….)
• Each person will travel the distance while
timed by the group.
• Direction must be recorded
 Intro Physics – Day 2
Speed and Velocity Practice
Goal: Practice measurements and
calculations
Warm Up: Review your C-notes on
speed & velocity
 Speed & Velocity Practice
you should have made this chart yesterday!

• Set up this data chart:

Participant Time Distance Speed Direction Velocity

Average
 Your Group Decides…
• Choose a distance
• Decide how you will each travel the distance
(run, skip, grapevine, ….)
• Each person will travel the distance while
timed by the group.
• Direction must be recorded
 Your Data – Your Group Decides…
• Choose a distance – 100 feet Write Up-
• Decide how you will each travel the • Directions or
distance (run, skip, grapevine, ….) but Procedure
everybody does it! • Data table
• Each person will travel the distance • Conclusion:
while timed by the group. • High/low data
• Direction must be recorded - NORTH • & purpose was
• When you have completed the data, practice!
come inside to complete the math!
• There is a worksheet to practice on
when you are done!