Welcome to the Physical Sciences

1
Welcome to the Physical Sciences
2
Objectives

• Syllabus
• Introduction
• What is Science?
• Scientific Method
• Types of Sciences
• What is Physical Science?
• Types of Physical Sciences

3
Objectives (cont.)

• Chapter One The World Around You
• Objects and Properties
• Quantifying Properties
• Measurement System
• Standard Units for the Metric
• Understanding Measurements

4
What is Science?

• Science is the systematic study of systems.
• Science studies these systems on why they work,
  how they work, and the relation of these systems.
• Science tries to ask questions that quantify the
  systems.

5
Scientific Method
6
Types of Sciences

• Physical Sciences
• Studies how physical phenomena work.
• Biological Sciences
• Studies how biological phenomena work.
• Social Sciences
• Studies how social systems work.

7
What is the Physical Sciences?

• The Physical Sciences study how mechanical,
  electrical, chemical geological processes work
• It quantifies the processes with the language of
  mathematics.
• We also try to relate the processes above to each
  other.

8
Types of Physical Sciences

• Astronomy
• The study of how the planets, stars, galaxies,
  and universe work.
• Physics
• The general study of how systems work
  individually and in connection.
• Chemistry
• The study of how atoms combine and create
  compounds.
• Earth Sciences
• The study of how the Earth and its atmosphere
  works

9
Objects and Properties

• Concept (objects)
• An item we either deal with everyday or idea we
  have about a process, i.e. acceleration.
• Properties
• A descriptor about a concept or object
• Qualitative versus Quantitative
• Referent
• A special descriptor that refers back to its
  object, i.e. blue sky.

10
Quantifying Properties

• Measurable Properties
• We want to be able to use a number as descriptor.
• One way, Units
• Can be anything like paper clips or feet.
• But a unit can be variable, so we must
  standardize.

11
Measurement Systems

• English
• Each empire had own system
• English standardize weight while a naval
  superpower Henry VIII and Elizabeth I
• Henry I (1101) determined a yard to be the length
  of his arm
• Divided into 3 feet with 12 inch per foot
• Inch were three barleycorns each

12
Measurement Systems (cont.)

• Metric System
• Introduced by France as naval superpower in 1790
• Used in most countries today via a treaty
• Based on the powers of ten

13
Metric System

• Fundamental properties
• Need length, mass, and time.
• Length meter
• Defined originally as a 1/100,000,000 of distance
  to the North Pole from Paris
• Krypton 86 wavelength
• Now 1/299,792,458 of a second of light travel

14
Metric System (cont.)

• Mass kilogram
• The amount of matter
• No standard unit yet
• Time second
• Originally based on the movement of stars,
  providence of navy
• Now Cesium atom clocks

15
Ratios

• Ratios allow the physical scientist to relate two
  properties.
• Property 1 (numerator) to Property 2
  (denominator).
• Usually numerator is the y axis and denominator
  is the x axis on a graph.
• A formalized ratio has the independent variable
  in the denominator and the dependent variable in
  the numerator .

16
English Metric Conversions

• 1 mile 1.609 km
• 1 inch 2.5 cm
• 1 pound 0.4526 kg
• 1 oz 28.35 g
• Temperature ?Celcius
• (Temperature ?Farenheit-32) 5
  / 9

17
Temperature Scales
18
Conversion Example

• We want to find how many kilometers is 6 miles

19
Convert These! ?

• 20 miles ________km
• 700 inches _________cm
• 200 grams _______ ounces
• 50 pounds ________ kg
• 100 ?F ________?C

20
Understanding Measurements

• Current Weather
• http//www.rap.ucar.edu/weather
• Data
• Plural of datum (Latin word)
• Volume
• 1 in3, 8 in3, 27 in3 (or 1 m3, 8 m3, 27 m3)
• Area
• 6 in2, 24 in2, 54 in2 (or 6 m2, 24 cm2, 54 cm2)

21
Ratio Example Density

• Most important ratio in physical science
• Tells about the state of the object and
  composition
• ? M/V
• D W/V
• Example frozen water (ice) versus liquid water

22
Density Example

• A liquid has 20 kg of mass and it fits into 400
  m3 of volume, what is its density?

23
Symbols and Equations

• Equations
• Variables
• Independent versus dependent
• Direct versus Indirect relationships
• Constants
• Example speed of light

24
Simple Line Graph
25
Homework 1

• Chapter One
• Questions for thought
• 1, 4, 8
• Parallel
• B 2, 5