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What is Physics? I, II, III
don't click. . .I dare you!
Gary Zukav's, The Dancing WuLi Masters

 

Physics is the art of discovering the patterns in nature.
We have a wonderful opportunity to understand her often deep, mostly subtle mysteries if we focus our gaze, listen intently and analyze her incredible signals.
Physics does not belong to Physicists!
Click to view a Scientist in action. . .
The God Particle (a Flash Reading)
by Leon Lederman
 
 
A Short History of Nearly Everything
by Bill Bryson
Does reading the text help us understand what Physics is all about?
                      
A Scientific Theory

“A Scientific Theory is a proclamation supported by an abundance of observational evidence from nature and the remarkable ability to make accurate predictions of future natural phenomena. Examples of scientific theories include the Special and General Theory of Relativity, Atomic Theory of Matter, Quantum Theory, The Theory (Law) of Evolution, Plate Tectonic Theory and The Big Bang Theory.

A proclamation that does not support all the observational evidence and cannot be used to provide accurate predictions is an idea or speculation. Examples of ideas that are not theories are String Model of Matter, Ptolemaic Model of the Solar System, Lamarkian Evolution and The Hole in the Earth.”

                 
Time (seconds)

Mass (kilograms)

Distance (meters)

We are on the hunt for the Higgs Boson. . .maybe then, we will know mass!
Time is everyone's guess. . .
Distance to the nearest 7-11 is in the bag. . .but to the nearest Galaxy?

We will get back to these fundamental units. . .again.
Right now, let's pretend we got a handle on them.
Powers of Ten


Powers of Ten I, II, III
Dimensional Analysis



more  2, 3, 4
Significant Figures. . .are important!!
I, II, II

The use of significant figures in our measurements are very important.

For example; I say I am 6 feet tall.
Is this correct?
Sure, to one sig fig! But, I am really not being honest.
I am really 5'7''.
This too, is not exactly correct, if I measure my height with a tape measure, I can get as close as 5'6.75''! You see, I am exaggerating my height because I feel small!
Sig. figs. are important. They tell us what the best measurement is at any certain time.You can't arbitrarily use as many sig. figs as you want!
 
Trigonometry. . .simple stuff!
 
pdf

Graph of y = sin x
Graph of y = cos x
Graph of the six trig functions
SinCosSlider
TrigMagic
 
Vectors. . .uh oh!
Adding and Subtracting Vectors I, II, III
Vector Visualization

Toronto Vectors
Adding two Vectors


Realize that we can move the two vectors any where we like, as long as we maintain the vector's magnitudes and directions.

Place the two vectors at the origin of a coordinate axis system.

Decompose the two vectors into their respective x and y components.

Add the x-components of the two vectors,
this will be the x-component of the
resultant vector.

Add the y- components of the two vectors,
this will be the y-component of the
resultant vector.

Find the magnitude of the resultant vector
by using the pythagorean theorem.

Find the direction of the resultant vector
by using the inverse tangent of the
angle between the two vectors.




Solving Problems


The Atmosphere

Lungs and Things
Howling at the Moon

  

Diagram
a diagram is worth a thousand words

Reasoning
using logic and critical thinking skills

Solution
finding the numerical answer

Animated Problem Solving.
Click on animation for a larger animation