Physics A: Foundations & Vectors Cheat Sheet

Physics relies on precise measurement, systematic experimentation, and the mathematical representation of physical quantities using scalars and vectors.

Core Principles

Precision refers to the consistency of repeated measurements.
Accuracy represents the correctness or closeness to a true value.
Scalars are physical quantities defined only by magnitude.
Vectors are physical quantities defined by both magnitude and direction.
Scientific notation simplifies the representation of very large or small numbers.
The Pythagorean theorem is used to solve for the hypotenuse in right-triangle vector problems.

Formulas

$c^2 = a^2 + b^2$

Key Terms

Significant Figures (Sig Figs):* The digits in a number that carry meaningful information about its precision. *Definition:* Digits that contribute to the precision of a measurement.:
Resultant:* The single vector that represents the net effect of two or more combined vectors. *Definition:* The sum of multiple vectors.:
Components:* The horizontal or vertical parts of a vector. *Definition:* Individual projections of a vector along coordinate axes.:
Hypothesis:* An educated guess or proposed explanation for a phenomenon. *Definition:* A testable prediction.:

Quiz

Which quantity requires both magnitude and direction to be fully described: a scalar or a vector?:
If you are calculating the resultant of two perpendicular vectors, which mathematical formula is used?:
How is 5.86 x 10^6 written as a standard decimal number?: