05 SBSC1103 - Topic01

Topic Physical
1 Quantities and
Motion
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1. Identify the seven fundamental quantities and the units associated with
them;
2. Use the metric prefixes;
3. Differentiate a vector quantity from a scalar quantity;
4. Resolve a vector into its components;
5. Exercise the kinematic equations; and
6. Apply Newtons laws.
INTRODUCTION
What is science? Science is a process of studying and understanding nature. The
behaviour of nature and its phenomena is best described by scientific theories and
physical laws that are supported by experiments. The beauty of science lies in the
simplicity of the theories and their usefulness. Using these theories, scientists
have been able to develop many useful applications, from integrated chips, to
iPads and smart phones in our homes, to fibre optics devices in
telecommunications, to lasers used in eye surgery, to curing life-threatening
diseases and medical imaging, to satellites used in weather forecasting, and to
live television broadcasts. Needless to say, these and a host of other applications
of science have contributed to the technical advancement of our society. Also, as
science is an ongoing human endeavour that is constantly evolving, the
knowledge generated by science can be used to develop new technologies.
Copyright Open University Malaysia (OUM)

2 TOPIC 1 PHYSICAL QUANTITIES AND MOTION
The building blocks of science are physical quantities in which the laws of science
can be expressed. We will begin this topic by studying physical quantities and the
SI system of units. We will also cover kinematics and Newtons laws.
SELF-CHECK 1.1
Name two theories or scientific laws that were discovered through the
study of nature.
1.1 PHYSICAL QUANTITIES AND SYSTEM OF

UNITS
In science, experiments involve measurements of different quantities. Scientists
spend a lot of effort in ensuring that the measurements made are as accurate as
possible. Quantities that can be measured directly are known as physical
quantities. Every physical quantity has a magnitude or value, and the unit it is
measured in. For example, if you happen to be 1.67m tall, then 1.67 represents
the magnitude of your height, and m the unit.
Every physical quantity that we measure can be expressed in various ways. For
example, you can measure your height in feet, inches, or in metres. However, in
order to make meaningful comparisons, a standard system of units needs to be
defined. For this purpose, in 1960, scientists around the world agreed to adopt the
SI system of units, which is based on the metric system.
Table 1.1 displays the seven fundamental or base quantities in science in SI.
All other quantities that are needed are derived from these seven quantities,
andare called derived quantities. Examples of derived quantities are displacement,
velocity, and force.
Table 1.1: The Fundamental Quantities

TOPIC 1 PHYSICAL QUANTITIES AND MOTION 3
ACTIVITY 1.1
Besides displacement, velocity, and force, list three other derived
quantities that you know.
An advantage of the metric system is that it is a decimal or base-10 system. Thus

it is possible to write very large or very small numbers in multiples of 10. Table
1.2 shows some common multiples and their corresponding prefixes.
For example, 1,000m can be written as 1 103 m or as 1km. Similarly, you can
express 0.000006s as 6 106 s or 6 s .
Table 1.2: Some Common Prefixes Used in Physics
1.2 CONVERSION OF UNITS

In science, because different units in the SI system can express the same quantity,
we sometimes need to convert the units of a quantity from one unit to another. For
example, we may often need to convert m to mm, or m2 to cm2, or litre to m3.
How do we convert 2m2 to cm2? Before we can perform this conversion, we must
know the relationship between the units. Since 1m = 100cm, then
1m2 = 1002cm2. With this information, 2m2 = 2 1002cm2 = 2 104cm2.
Example 1.1
(a) Convert 3mm3 to m 3.
Solution
Since 1m = 1000mm, 1mm = 0.001m, then 1mm3 = 1 10-9m3.

So, 3mm3 = 3 10-9m3.

3
(b) In chemistry, we often measure volume in litres. Convert 0.1 litre to m .
Solution
Since 1L = 1 10-3m3, then 0.1 L = 0.1 1 10-3m3 = 1 10-4m3.
EXERCISE 1.1
1. A CD has a diameter of approximately 10cm. What is its area in m2?

(Ans: 0.0314m2)
2. The width and length of a room are 9ft and 12ft, respectively. If the
height of the room is 20ft, find the volume of the room in cubic
metres (m3).
(1ft=30.5cm)
(Ans: 76129.7m3)
1.3 UNCERTAINTY IN MEASUREMENT

In order to make accurate observations in science, one needs to make
measurements. A measurement is a way of providing valuable information about
the physical property of the object that is being measured. For instance, it might
tell us how light or heavy the object is, or how short it is. By measuring, we are
able to quantify that property by assigning a number to it. In science,
measurements are always made using apparatus like thermometers, rulers,
burettes, stopwatches, and others.
Any measurement is only accurate up to a certain degree, depending on the

apparatus used and the constraints of the person making the measurement. Any
quantity measured has an uncertainty or error in the value obtained.
For example, say that you measured the length of a copper rod and found it to be
16.54cm. What can you say about this measurement? We are certain of the initial
numerals, i.e., 16.5cm. However, the last digit, i.e. 4, is uncertain. We can say that
the accuracy of the measurement is only up to 0.01cm. The uncertainty or the
error in the measurement can be expressed by writing the length of the rod as
(16.54 0.01)cm.

Uncertainties in measurements can result from:

(a) The measuring apparatus It can suffer from errors due to ageing, or when
used under different conditions from which it was calibrated.
(b) The observer Limitations or physical constraints on the part of the
observer making the measurement.
SELF-CHECK 1.2
How can we reduce uncertainties when taking measurements?
1.4 DIFFERENTIATING VECTOR AND SCALAR

QUANTITIES
We can classify all physical quantities as either scalars or vectors. A scalar
quantity can be described completely by just stating its magnitude. It has no
direction. For example, if you say that the temperature of an object is 30C, then
this information completely specifies the temperature of the object; no direction is
required. Other examples of scalars are mass, time, and length.
In contrast, a vector quantity is described completely by its magnitude and

direction. For example, your friend wants to go to a certain place and asks for
your help. It would be insufficient for you to just give the distance of the place,
say 5km, from where your friend lives. You also need to state the direction,
whether the place is 5km north, south, or east from where your friend is.
Examples of vectors in science are velocity, acceleration, displacement, and force.
SELF-CHECK 1.3
Are the following vectors or scalars?
(a) The number of pages in this module.
(b) The average speed registered by a Ferrari over 20 laps at the
Sepang F1 race circuit.

1.4.1 Representing a Vector

A vector can be represented geometrically by a straight line drawn parallel to the
required direction, with an arrow indicating its direction. The magnitude of the
vector is proportional to the length of the line.
We represent a vector quantity by a single boldface type, such as A. Alternatively,

we
can also indicate a vector quantity by placing an arrow above the letter as in
A . To indicate the magnitude of vector A, the absolute value sign, A , can be
used, or the quantity can be written as A.
Two vectors, A and B, are said to be equal if they have the same magnitude and
direction (see Figure 1.1). A negative vector C, is one having the same
magnitude as C but in the opposite direction (see Figure 1.2).
Figure 1.1: Equal vectors Figure 1.2: Negative vector
1.4.2 Resolving a Vector into Its Components

A vector A in two dimensions will have two components. This is shown in
Figure 1.3.

Figure 1.3: Vector components in two dimensions
Let us call the two components Ax and Ay. They lie along the x and y axes
respectively.
The magnitudes of these components are:

A x A cos
Eq.1.1
A y A sin
with A being the magnitude of A and the angle made by A with the horizontal
axis.
The magnitude of A can be found using Pythagoras theorem:
A A 2x A 2y Eq.1.2

EXERCISE 1.2
The velocity v of a particle has components

v x 2 ms 1 , v y 3 ms 1
Find the magnitude of the vector.
Answer:
v 22 32 13 ms 1
1.5 KINEMATICS
Kinematics is the study of the motion of objects along a straight line without
considering the causes of motion. There are four basic parameters in kinematics;
they are time, displacement, velocity, and acceleration.
1.5.1 Displacement
When an object moves, it travels from one point to another point. The distance
between the two points is called displacement. Displacement is a vector, so it
also gives the direction.
Figure 1.4: Example of displacement
From Figure 1.4, if a car, initially at position xi, moves to a final position xf, then
the magnitude of the displacement is
x x f x i Eq.1.3
Note that the magnitude of the displacement is equal to the total distance
travelled.
Example 1.2
Starting from the origin, a car travelled a distance of 2km east and back to its
starting position.
What is the total displacement made by the car?

What is the total distance travelled by the car?
Solution
The displacement is x x f x i . Since the car made a round trip (i.e. it returned
to its initial position at the origin), x f x i , therefore x 0.
The distance travelled by the car is d = 2 + 2 = 4km.
1.5.2 Average Speed and Velocity

The next thing to do in solving a problem is to find the objects average speed.
We define the average speed as follows:

Total distance travelled
Average Speed Eq.1.4
Time
The SI unit is m/s.
Speed is a scalar quantity. It represents how fast something is moving but does not
indicate the direction of the object.
Unlike speed, the average velocity is a vector quantity. The magnitude of v tells
us the speed or how fast an object is moving, and the sign gives the direction. If
the sign is +ve, the object moves in the +x direction. However, if the sign turns
out to be ve, the object is then moving in the x direction.

Example 1.3
One Sunday morning, you drive at 30m/s for 15 minutes, then at 50m/s for
another 10 minutes.
(a) What is the distance covered in km?
(b) What is your average speed in km/h?
Solution
(a) The total distance covered, D, is the sum of two parts i.e.
(i) d1 = Distance covered when you were driving at 30m/s for 15 minutes
and
(ii) d 2 = Distance covered when you were driving at 50m/s for
10 minutes.
d1 = 30m/s (15 60s) = 27,000m = 27km
d 2 = 50m/s (10 60s) = 30,000m = 30km
D = d1 + d 2 = 27 + 30 = 57km
(b) From Eq.1.4,

Total distance D 57
Average speed = 136.8 km / h
Total time 15 10 1 1

60 60 4 6
1.5.3 Acceleration
An object accelerates whenever its velocity changes. Acceleration is a vector
quantity and has units of m/s2.
The average acceleration a is the change in velocity, v over the time interval,
t .
v
a Eq.1.5
t
An object will move faster if the velocity and acceleration are in the same
direction. Conversely, if they are in opposite directions, the object slows down.

Example 1.4
A mosquito moving along a straight line has an average acceleration of

0.01m/s2 over a time of 0.9s. If the initial velocity of the mosquito is 0.05m/s,
what is its final velocity?
Solution
a 0.01m/s 2 , vi 0.05m/s, t 0.9s
From Eq.1.5:
v vf vi
a
t t
vf 0.05
0.01
0.9
vf (0.01 0.9) 0.05 0.06m/s
EXERCISE 1.3
1. In the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Justin Gatlin won the 100m event
in 9.85s. What was his average speed?
2. An athlete accelerates to a final velocity of 5.0m/s in 4.0s.
If his average acceleration is 0.6m/s2, find his initial velocity.
3. A plane accelerates at 10m/s2 for 5s. Find its increase in speed.
Answers:
1. 10.15m/s
2. 2.6m/s
3. 50m/s

1.6 LINEAR MOTION WITH CONSTANT

ACCELERATION
To describe motion along a straight line with constant acceleration, we require a
set of equations, called the kinematic equations. The four kinematic equations are:
v = u + at Eq.1.6
1
x u v t Eq.1.7
2
1
x ut at 2 Eq.1.8
2
v 2 u 2 2ax Eq.1.9
where x = distance covered by the object
u = initial velocity of the object
v = final velocity of the object
a = constant acceleration
t = time
Example 1.5
A car travelling on a straight line increases its velocity from 20km/h to 100km/h
in 45s.
Calculate the following:

(a) Magnitude of the acceleration in m/s2
(b) Distance covered by the car in m.
Solution
(a) Recall that 1km = 1000 m and 1h = 3600s.

We first need to convert the given velocities from km/h into m/s.
Since 1km = 1000m and 1h = 3600s, we have
20km 20 1000m
u 20km/h 5.56m / s
h 3600s
100km 100 1000m

v 100km/h 27.78m/s
h 3600s
Therefore, the magnitude of the acceleration is

v u 27.78 5.56
a 0.49m/s 2
t 45
1
(b) From Eq.1.7, x u v t
2
1
5.56 27.78 45 750.15m
2
Example 1.6
A sports car accelerates uniformly at a rate of 10 m/s 2 over a straight line distance
of 100m. Calculate the speed of the car at the end of 100m.
Solution
Apply Eq.1.9 to find the speed v.
Since a = 10 m/s 2 , u = 0, x =100m,

v 2 u 2 2ax 02 2 10 100
v 2000 44.7m / s
EXERCISE 1.4
1. Our heart is able to accelerate the flow of blood through the ventricle
from rest to a final velocity of about 30cm/s.
(a) Find the time taken for blood to reach its final velocity.
(b) If the displacement of the blood is 5cm, calculate the
acceleration in cm/s2.
Answer:
(a) 0.33s
(b) 90cm/s 2

2. A car accelerates from 36km/h to 54km/h in 10s. Find the acceleration

and the distance travelled by the car during this time.
Answer:
0.5m/s2, 125m
1.7 INERTIA AND MASS

You are surely aware from everyday experience that a push or a pull must be
applied to get a stationary object to move. You will also know from experience
that it is more difficult to move a heavier object than a lighter one. This is because
greater effort must be expended to overcome resistance in the heavier one. The
heavier the object, the greater is its resistance to motion.
We call this resistance to change as inertia. In physics, we define inertia as the

natural tendency of an object to resist any change in its state of rest or uniform
motion in a straight line.
Mass is the measure of inertia in a body. The more inertia a body has, the greater
is its mass. The SI unit for mass is kg.
1.8 FORCE
We can think of a force as a push or a pull exerted on an object. Force is also the
cause for motion. When you push a chair, it will slide across the floor because you
have exerted force on it. Similarly, when a ball is tossed into the air, it will fall
towards the ground because of the pull or force of gravity.
Force is a vector quantity that has direction and magnitude. The SI unit of force is
Newton (N).
Another type of force is weight. We call the magnitude of the gravitational force
acting on a body of mass, m, near the earths surface as the weight of the object, W.
Mathematically:
W = mg Eq.1.10
Here, g is gravitational acceleration near the surface of the earth.

Weight is also a vector quantity. The unit of weight is also Newton.

ACTIVITY 1.2
Can we assume that in order for an object to move, the force applied
must be greater than the objects inertia? Discuss.
Example 1.7
An astronaut weighs 600N on earth. What is his mass in kg?
Solution
W = 600N, g = 9.8m/s2
From Eq.1.10, his mass is given as:

W 600
m 61.2kg
g 9.8
SELF-CHECK 1.4
Consider the previous example again. If the astronaut is on the surface
of the moon, will he still weigh 600N?
1.9 NEWTONS FIRST AND SECOND LAWS

Newtons First Law of Motion states that an object at rest will remain at rest and
an object in motion will remain in motion with constant velocity along a straight
line unless acted upon by a force. This is also known as the law of inertia.
Newtons Second Law of Motion states that the total force acting on a body is
equal to the mass of the body times its acceleration.
Mathematically, this is written as F = ma. Eq.1.11
If more than one force is acting on a body, the net effect of these forces is a single
resultant force, F , that causes a resultant acceleration, a, on the body:
F ma Eq.1.12

Eq.1.11 shows that a force is necessary to produce an acceleration.

The acceleration will act in the same direction as the force. It also follows from
Eq.1.11 that a body will have zero acceleration if:
(a) It is at rest; or
(b) When it is moving with constant velocity.
Example 1.8
A constant force acting on a body of mass 2kg increases its speed from u = 5m/s
to v = 10m/s in t = 2s. What is the magnitude of the force?
Solution
The acceleration can be found from:

v u 10 5
a 2.5m/s 2
t 2
The force is F = ma = 2 2.5 5N
Example 1.9
The force that acts on a 10kg mass has components Fx 30 N and Fy 40 N.

Calculate the resultant acceleration of the object.
Solution
In this example, there are two forces acting on the mass in the x and y directions.
We need to find the component of the acceleration in these directions.
Using Fx ma x and Fy ma y , we can obtain the x and y components of the

acceleration as follows:
ax
F x

30
3 m/s 2
m 10
ay
F y

40
4 m/s 2
m 10
The resultant acceleration of the object is then a a 2x a 2y 32 42 5 m/s 2 .

EXERCISE 1.5
1. A force of 50N is applied to a 10kg mass initially at rest.
(a) What is the acceleration produced?
(b) How far will it travel in 5s?
2. What is the magnitude and direction of the resultant force that acts
on the 10kg mass in Example 1.9?
Answers:
1. (a) 5m/s 2
(b) 62.5m
2. 50N, 53.1 with the x-axis
1.10 FRICTION
Friction is the force that exists between two surfaces in contact. Friction has an
important role in our lives. For example, a body can remain at rest on a slope without
sliding down if there is sufficient friction. In general, friction opposes motion. We
will now consider two types of friction: static friction and kinetic friction.
(a) Static Friction

This is the frictional force that acts on a body at rest. Consider a body
resting on a rough surface (see Figure 1.5). A force of increasing magnitude,
F, is now applied to it. When F has a small value, the body will not move.
When F is increased, so will fs. The body will remain at rest so long as F is
less than fs,max. The maximum value of the static friction is given as:
f s,max s N Eq.1.13
Here, s is the dimensionless quantity known as the coefficient of static

friction and N is the normal force exerted by the surface on the body. The
normal force acts perpendicular (i.e. 90) to the surface.
When F exceeds the maximum value of fs, the body will start to move and
kinetic friction takes over.

Figure 1.5: Example of static friction
(b) Kinetic Friction

When a body slides on a rough surface, a frictional force, called kinetic
friction, opposes the motion of the body.
The magnitude of kinetic friction can be found from the following equation:
fk k N Eq.1.14
k is a dimensionless quantity known as the coefficient of kinetic friction.
The Force of Tension in a Cord
When a cord is connected to a body and pulled tight, the cord is said to be taut or
under tension. The cord will pull the body with a force, called tension force, T,
which is directed away from the body.
Referring to Figure 1.6, if the cord does not have mass, then the tension
throughout it will be the same. If the cord is connected to a smooth pulley, the
tension in the cord on both sides will be equal.
Figure 1.6: Body being pulled to the right

EXERCISE 1.6
1
1. A car of mass 900kg is travelling at 20 ms along a straight road and
is brought to rest in a distance of 40m. What is the magnitude of the
braking force?
2. A student drags a box of mass m = 310kg across a rough floor by

pulling a rope tied to the box. The tension in the rope is T = 450N and
the force of friction is f = 125N (See the figure below).
(a) What is the resultant force acting on the box?
(b) What is the acceleration of the box?
Answers:
1. 4500N
2. (a) 229.6N
(b) 0.74m/s2
1.11 NEWTONS THIRD LAW

If you exert a force against the wall with your hands, you will feel the pressure
exerted on your palms. This is caused by the force exerted by the wall on your
palms. Likewise, when you kick a large stone with your bare foot, you will surely
feel the pain. The pain is due to the force the stone exerts back on your foot. In
both these cases, the force that you exert on the other body is opposite to the force
exerted by that body on you.

Newtons Third Law of Motion states that when body A exerts a force
(called an action) on body B, then body B will exert an equal and opposite
force (called the reaction) on A.
Newtons Third Law plays an important role during the launch of a rocket. At
launch, a rockets mass is composed mainly of propellant fuel. When the fuel burns,
hot gases are produced, which are expelled from the rocket at high velocities. An
action force is exerted when the rocket pushes against the gas in the downward
direction. According to Newtons Third Law, the hot gases push back, causing a
reaction force, with equal magnitude on the rocket in an upward direction. When it
exceeds the weight of the rocket, the rocket accelerates upwards.
ACTIVITY 1.3
This is a very simple experiment that you can try at home. Tape a
balloon to a straw. Make sure that the straw is able to move freely along
a string as shown below. Now, release the balloon. Why does the
balloon move forward? What does this experiment demonstrate?

EXERCISE 1.7
A block of mass m = 2kg is pulled along the surface of a floor by a cord
of tension T = 10N. The coefficient of friction between the floor and the
block is 0.5.
(a) Draw a free-body diagram for the block.
(b) Determine the acceleration of the block.
Answers:
(a)
(b) ax = 0.1 ms 2
1.12 EQUILIBRIUM
A body is said to be in static equilibrium when it is stationary i.e. when the velocity
is zero. When the velocity is constant, the body will be in dynamic equilibrium. We
already know, from Newtons First Law, that the resultant force acting on a body
will be zero if its velocity is zero, or when it moves with constant velocity.
When concurrent forces act on a body, the net effect of these forces is a single
force called the resultant force, F. When the body is in equilibrium then the
resultant force must be equal to zero, F = 0.
In component form, this implies that Fx 0, Fy 0.

SELF-CHECK 1.5
What is the resultant force when an object is in equilibrium?
Example 1.10
A load of mass 10 kg is held at point B as shown in Figure 1.7(a). If the system is

in equilibrium, find the tension in strings AB and BC.
Figure 1.7(a): Example of equilibrium
Solution
Let the tension in strings AB and BC be T1 and T2 respectively.

The weight of the 10kg object is equal to 10 9.8 = 98N.
Consider the 3 forces that act on point B (see Figure 1.7(b)).
Figure 1.7(b): Example of equilibrium

Consider the three forces that act on point B, in component forms (refer to
Table 1.3):
Table 1.3: Description of Three Forces
Force x-component y-component
W 0 98
T1 T1 0
T2 + T2 cos 30 T2 sin 30
Since the system is in equilibrium: Fx 0, Fy 0

Therefore along the y direction, Fy 0, which means that
T2 sin 30 98 = 0 or
T2 sin 30 = 98
98 98
T2 = 196 N
sin 30 0.5
Similarly, along the x direction, we have Fx 0 :
T2 cos 30 T1 = 0
T1 = T2 cos 30 = 196 cos 30 = 169.7N
All quantities that can be measured directly are known as physical quantities.
Quantities which have magnitudes and directions are called vectors.
Kinematics is the branch of physics that deals with the description of the
motion of objects.
The four basic parameters used to describe motion along a straight line are
time, displacement, velocity, and acceleration.
Newtons First Law states that an object at rest will remain at rest, and an
object in motion will remain in motion with constant velocity and along a
straight line, unless acted upon by a force.
Newtons Second Law states that the rate of change of momentum of a body is
directly proportional to the resultant force acting on the body.
Newtons Third Law states that when body A exerts a force (called action
force) on body B, then body B will exert an equal and opposite force (called
reaction force) on A.
Acceleration Kinetic friction

Displacement Mass
Equilibrium Resultant Force
Force Scalar Quantities
Friction Vector Quantities
Inertia Velocity
Kinematics

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Topic Physical

Copyright Open University Malaysia (OUM)

1.1 PHYSICAL QUANTITIES AND SYSTEM OF

Copyright Open University Malaysia (OUM)

An advantage of the metric system is that it is a decimal or base-10 system. Thus

Table 1.2: Some Common Prefixes Used in Physics

1.2 CONVERSION OF UNITS

(a) Convert 3mm3 to m 3.

Since 1m = 1000mm, 1mm = 0.001m, then 1mm3 = 1 10-9m3.

Copyright Open University Malaysia (OUM)

So, 3mm3 = 3 10-9m3.

Since 1L = 1 10-3m3, then 0.1 L = 0.1 1 10-3m3 = 1 10-4m3.

1. A CD has a diameter of approximately 10cm. What is its area in m2?

1.3 UNCERTAINTY IN MEASUREMENT

Any measurement is only accurate up to a certain degree, depending on the

Copyright Open University Malaysia (OUM)

Uncertainties in measurements can result from:

How can we reduce uncertainties when taking measurements?

1.4 DIFFERENTIATING VECTOR AND SCALAR

In contrast, a vector quantity is described completely by its magnitude and

Examples of vectors in science are velocity, acceleration, displacement, and force.

Copyright Open University Malaysia (OUM)

1.4.1 Representing a Vector

We represent a vector quantity by a single boldface type, such as A. Alternatively,

Figure 1.1: Equal vectors Figure 1.2: Negative vector

1.4.2 Resolving a Vector into Its Components

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Figure 1.3: Vector components in two dimensions

The magnitudes of these components are:

The magnitude of A can be found using Pythagoras theorem:

Copyright Open University Malaysia (OUM)

The velocity v of a particle has components

Find the magnitude of the vector.

Figure 1.4: Example of displacement

What is the total displacement made by the car?

1.5.2 Average Speed and Velocity

We define the average speed as follows:

The SI unit is m/s.

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(b) From Eq.1.4,

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A mosquito moving along a straight line has an average acceleration of

a 0.01m/s 2 , vi 0.05m/s, t 0.9s

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1.6 LINEAR MOTION WITH CONSTANT

Calculate the following:

(a) Recall that 1km = 1000 m and 1h = 3600s.

100km 100 1000m

Therefore, the magnitude of the acceleration is

Apply Eq.1.9 to find the speed v.

Since a = 10 m/s 2 , u = 0, x =100m,

Copyright Open University Malaysia (OUM)

2. A car accelerates from 36km/h to 54km/h in 10s. Find the acceleration

1.7 INERTIA AND MASS

We call this resistance to change as inertia. In physics, we define inertia as the

Here, g is gravitational acceleration near the surface of the earth.

Copyright Open University Malaysia (OUM)

An astronaut weighs 600N on earth. What is his mass in kg?

From Eq.1.10, his mass is given as:

1.9 NEWTONS FIRST AND SECOND LAWS

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Eq.1.11 shows that a force is necessary to produce an acceleration.

The acceleration can be found from: