The Language of Science
How we communicate
Describing an object Scalars
Quantity that can be expressed with a single number
10 gallons, 30 miles, 20 years Expressed in magnitude only
Vectors Quantity expressed with a number and
direction Expressed in magnitude and direction 30 miles east, 24 m/s north
How do we represent vectors?
The arrow is called a vector. The length represents the
magnitude of the objects speed. The direction represents the
direction of the applied velocity.
Examples Calculate the resultant velocity of
Freda Flyer who normally flies at 100 km/h and then encounters a 10 km/h headwind.
100 km/H 10 km/h
90 km/h
Adding Vectors
80 km/h
60 km/h
Resultant = 100 km/h
Vector Components Changing a single vector into it’s
vertical and horizontal components is called resolution or decomposition.
Vertical component
Horizontal Component
Solving for the resultant Pythagorean Theorem
a2 + b2 = c2
5 km/h
5 km/h(5 km/h)2 + (5 km/h)2 = _________
Vertical and Horizontal Components
Equations – What are they good for? Equations help us describe what
happens and relationships. Equations are a shorthand form of
expressing ideas. Equations can be expressed in
graphical format.
Direct Relationship
A = k x B
Inverse Relationship
A = B
k
Power Law Relationship
A = k Bn
Inverse Square Relationship
A = 2B
k
Metric Prefixes
Multiply Giga
billion Mega
million Kilo
thousand
Divide Centi
hundred Milli
thousand Micro
million Nano
billion
Homework
Read Chapter 24 definitions