Math of Physics

Math of Physics

Introduction

Welcome to Physics! You are going to spend time in this course learning about how the physical world works. You will explore motion, forces, energy, waves, optics, magnetism, nuclear physics, and modern physics. But first, we need to make sure that you are comfortable with the math and tools needed for this course. You will be expected to use the International System of Units in all measurements. Sometimes numbers will be presented in Scientific Notation and you will be expected to deal with them mathematically. You will use significant figures in all calculations. And finally, you will be expected to draw and interpret line graphs, especially using their slopes and areas.

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

What are the metric base units and prefixes?
What are significant figures, and how do we use them to limit mathematical answers?
How do we convert from scientific notation to standard notation and from standard notation to scientific notation?
How do we add, subtract, multiply, and divide using scientific notation?
What is required to correctly produce a graph of trends in physics?

Key Terms

Engineering Notation: A system of writing numbers as a digit between 1 and 1000 multiplied by a power of 10 that limits the power of 10 to numbers divisible by 3.
Kilogram: The SI unit for mass defined as the mass of a cube that is 0.10 m on a side (kg).
Meter: The SI unit for length (m).
Scientific Notation: A system of writing numbers as a digit between 1 and 10 multiplied by a power of 10.
Second: The SI unit for time (s).
SI: International System of Units, the standards used in measurement throughout the world.
Significant Figures: The reliable digits in a number known with certainty.

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