ENGINEERING REVIEW PROGRAM (ECE, EE, ME)

Physics
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VECTORS
Physics
- the science that deals with fundamental principles that govern the behavior
of the physical universe. It involves the study of matter and energy.
Branches of Physics
1. Mechanics
a. Kinematics (ideas to describe motion)
b. Dynamics (ways in which forces cause motion to change)
2. Heat
3. Waves and Sound
4. Electricity and Magnetism
5. Light and Optics
6. Modern Physics
Physical Quantities
These are quantities used to describe physical phenomena
quantitatively.
Two types:
1. Scalar Quantities
those that can be described by magnitude only.
example: time, mass, length/distance, speed, energy.
2. Vector Quantities
those that can be described by both magnitude and direction.
represented by arrows. (line segment represents the magnitude and
arrowhead represents its direction)
example: displacement, velocity, acceleration, force.
Ways of Describing Vectors
There are several ways of describing a vector. Consider:
N
Here are the different ways to describe the
A = 5.0 m vector shown in the left:
550
350
A = 5.0 m, 350 N of E
E
W
A = 5.0 m, 550 E of N
A = 5.0 m, 350 above +x-axis
A = 5.0 m, 550 below +y-axis
A = 5.0 m, E 350 N
A = 5.0 m, N 550 E
S
Equal Vectors

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are vectors having the same magnitude and direction.
example: A = 5.0 m, E
B = 5.0 m, E
therefore: A = B
Anti-parallel Vectors
are vectors having the same magnitude but opposite direction.
example: A = 5.0 m, E
B = 5.0 m, W
therefore: A = B
Resultant Vector
is the single vector that will represent all the vectors when added
together.
Vector Addition of Non Co-linear Vectors
A. Graphical Method (uses ruler & protractor as the only way to
measure resultant)
1. Parallelogram method
used to resolve 2 vectors only.
tail-to-tail fashion utilized.
resultant (R) starts from the origin to the point of intersection
of the 2 vectors where R is the diagonal of the parallelogram.
2. Polygon method
used to resolve 3 or more vectors.
tip-to-tail fashion utilized.
resultant starts from the tail of the first vector up to the head
of the last vector.
B. Analytical Method (uses exact equations from algebra, geometry
& trigonometry)
1. Trigonometric method
used to resolve 2 vectors only.
tail-to-tail fashion utilized.
Case I:
If the vectors to be added are perpendicular to each other,
simply use Pythagorean
Theorem and tangent function.
Case II: If the vectors to be added forms an oblique triangle, use sine law and
cosine law.
Recall sine law:

2. Rectangular Component method

Recall Cosine Law:

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Physics
used to resolve multiple vectors.
all vectors must be concurrent (should pass through a
common point).
Steps in the rectangular component method:
1. Each vector is resolved into its x and y components.
2. x-components are summed up to give Rx while y-components are
summed up to give Ry.
3. The magnitude of the resultant (R) is calculated using the Pythagorean
Theorem.
4. The quadrant where the resultant is located is determined by the signs
of Rx and Ry.
5. The direction of R is specified by the greek letter , which is the acute
angle between R and the x-axis. To compute, use:
R
tan1 Y
RX
Sample Problems:
1. Find the resultant R of the following vectors A, B, C, and D, whose
magnitude and directions are described below:
A 2.00 m, 300 N of
= E
B 4.00 m, 400 W of
= N
C 6.00 m, 600 S of
= W
D 8.00 m, 200 S of
= E
2.

A civil engineer is surveying a cave by making the following

displacements: He first walked 200 m south, then 50 m in a direction 55 0
W of N, and then 100 m southeast. After a 4 th unmeasured
displacement, he finds himself standing right where he started. Using the
method of components, calculate the magnitude and direction of the 4 th
unmeasured displacement.

Answers:
1. R = 5.35 m, 46.50 S of E
2. R = 244m, 830 N of W

NEWTONS LAWS OF MOTION

Force
- defined as a push or a pull.
- a vector quantity.
- it is due to the interaction between two bodies either directly or indirectly.
Types of Forces
1. Contact Force

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Physics
force arising due to direct physical interaction between 2 bodies.
(a) Normal Force (N)
perpendicular component of the force exerted by a surface on
another surface.
it is always at right angle or 900 to the contact surface.
Consider the following figures:

(b) Frictional Force (f)

parallel component of the force exerted by a surface on another
surface it is in contact
with.
its direction is always opposite the motion or impending motion.
Consider the following figures:

(c) Tension (T)

is the pulling force of a string, rope or wire.
Consider the following figures:

2. Non-contact Force
force present even in the absence of direct physical contact
between the 2 bodies.
(a) Weight (W)
gravitational pull exerted by a body on another body by virtue of
their masses.
W = mg
where: m = mass of the body (kg, g, lbm)
g = gravitational acceleration or acceleration due to
gravity
= numerically equal to 9.8 m/sec2, 980 cm/sec2 or 32
2
ft/sec
Consider the following figures:

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Units of Force
Newton (N) = kgm/sec2
Dyne (D) = gcm/sec2
Pound-force (lbf) = slugft/sec2
Conversion Factors

1 N = 105 Dynes
1 lbf = 4.45 N
Newtons First Law of Motion
- also known as Law of Inertia.
- states that: A body at rest or moving with a uniform velocity remains at
rest or moving with a uniform velocity unless acted upon by an unbalanced
external force.
Inertia
- the tendency of objects to resist changes in their state of motion.
Free Body Diagram (FBD)
- also known as a force diagram.
- is a diagram of an isolated body showing all external forces acting on it.
First Condition of Equilibrium
- a state of balance.
- a body that is at rest or moving with a uniform velocity in an inertial frame
of reference.
A body will be in a state of equilibrium if either one of the following
conditions is satisfied:
1. No force acts on the body.
2. Forces acting on the body are balanced.
In either case, the net force or vector sum of external forces on the
body must be ZERO.

F = 0
FX = 0
FY = 0

Equilibrant
- the force needed to balance the given forces to place an object in
equilibrium.
- it is equal in magnitude to the resultant of all the given forces acting on
the object but its direction is exactly opposite that of the resultant.

R+E=0
R=E

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Sample Problems:
1. An object weighing 30 N is suspended by two ropes, each rope making an
angle of 600 with the horizontal. Find the tension on the ropes. Answers:
T1 = T2 = 17.32 N
2.

An object weighing 200 slugs is suspended by a rope A. Rope A is

pulled by a horizontal rope B and held such that rope A makes an
angle of 300 with the vertical. Find the tension in ropes A and B.
Answers: TA = 7390 lbf, TB = 3695 lbf

3.

A 15.0-kg box is to be suspended by a wire A at an angle of 35 0 with the

horizontal and a second support wire B. Tension in wire A is safely
limited to 60 N. To place this box in equilibrium:
(a What tensile force must the second support wire safely handle?
) Answer: TB = 123 N
(b At what angle from the horizontal must it be oriented? Answer: =
) 670

Torque ( )
- moment of a twisting force.
- is a measure of how effective a given force is at twisting or turning
something.

= F s
where:
F = perpendicular component of the force
s = shortest distance between the rotation axis and the point of
application of the force
Second Condition of Equilibrium
The net torque of a system of forces must sum up to zero for a system
to attain equilibrium.

= 0

Sample Problems:
1. A weight W located on the rightmost side balances a 5.2 N force on the
left side of the fulcrum. If the fulcrum is located 10 cm to the right of the
5.2-N force and that weight W is 13 cm to the right of the fulcrum,
calculate the value of W and the reaction force of the fulcrum on the
balance. Answer: W = 4.0 N, F = 9.2 N
2.

Two carpenters are carrying a uniform 6 x 6 beam. The beam is 2.44 m

long and weighs 43.4 kg. One of the carpenters, being a bit stronger than
the other, agrees to carry the beam 1.00 m in from the left end, while the
other carries the beam at its opposite end. What is the upward force
exerted on the beam by each carpenter?
Answer: F1 = 360 N, F2 = 65 N

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FRICTION
Friction
- is produced when two bodies or surface rub against each other.
- also defined as the resistance to motion or the force that resists motion.
Coefficient of Friction ()
- is the ratio between the frictional force and the normal force of a body in
contact.
- is a unitless quantity for which the value ranges only from zero (0) to unity
(1).
- the nearer its value to zero, the smoother the surface, while if the value is
nearer to unity, the rougher the surface.
Types of Friction:
1. Static Friction (fS)
the frictional force acting between 2 surfaces at rest with respect to
each other.
Coefficient of static friction
ratio of the maximum force of static friction to the normal force.

fS
N

2. Kinetic Friction
the frictional force acting between 2 surfaces in relative motion.
Coefficient of kinetic friction
the ratio of the maximum force of kinetic friction to the normal
force.

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K

fK
N

Three types of Kinetic Friction:

1 Sliding Friction
.
- type of friction that opposes sliding motion.
2
.

Rolling Friction
- is the resistance to motion due to the deformation of the surface on
which the body rolls. This is the weakest type of friction.

3
.

Fluid Friction
- is the resistance to motion when a gas or liquid is made to flow around
a stationary object or the object is made to move through a stationary
gas or liquid.

Angle of Repose or Uniform Slip

- is the angle of the plane to which an object maybe raised to move the
body by slipping down the inclined plane at a uniform motion.
tan

f
N

Sample Problems:
1. A block weighing 400 N is lying on a horizontal plane. A force of 100 N is
applied 300 with respect to the plane. The block is just about to move.
Find the coefficient of friction between the block and the plane if:
(a the force applied is a pull. Answer: = 0.247
)
(b the force applied is a push. Answer: = 0.192
)
2.

A 100-slug mass rests on an inclined plane which makes an angle of 25 0

with the horizontal. What force F must be applied parallel to the plane
in order to start uniform motion upward? Take the coefficient of static
friction to be 0.20. Answer: F = 1932 lbf

3.

A boy slips down on a giant slide when it is inclined 30 0 with the

horizontal. What is the coefficient of friction between the boy and the
slide? Answer: = 0.577

Newtons Second Law of Motion

- also known as Law of Acceleration.
- states that: The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the
net applied force but is inversely proportional to its mass.

F = ma

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If an unbalanced force acts on a body, the body will accelerate. The
higher the net force, the higher will be the acceleration of the body. The
greater the mass of the object, the smaller is its acceleration.
Applications involving second law of motion is best calculated by
resolving the force and acceleration into their x and y components.

FX = maX (horizontal motion)

FY = maY (vertical motion)
Sample Problems:
1. Block A weighing 15.0 kg hangs from a string that passes over a
weightless and frictionless pulley. It is connected to a 20.0 kg block B
which rests on a table. The coefficient of kinetic friction between block B
and the table is 0.150. Neglecting the mass of the string, find:
(a the acceleration of the block. Answer: a = 3.36 m/sec2
)
(b the tension in the string. Answer: T = 96.6 N
)
2.

Blocks A and B having masses of 10.0 kg and 15.0 kg respectively, are

connected by a string over a frictionless and massless pulley. Determine
the:
(a acceleration of block A. Answer: aA = 1.96 m/sec2
)
(b acceleration of block B. Answer: aB = +1.96 m/sec2
)
(c tension in the string. Answer: T = 118 N
)

SPEED, VELOCITY & ACCELERATION

Speed
- is the total distance travelled per unit time.
- is a scalar quantity.

dT
tT

where:
s = speed (m/sec, km/hr, ft/sec)
dT = total distance (m, km, ft)
tT = total elapsed time (sec, min, ft)
Velocity

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Physics
- is the displacement over a specified time interval.
- is a vector quantity.
- the direction of velocity is the same as that of the displacement since time
is a scalar quantity and can never be a negative value.

d d2 d1

t t2 t1

Acceleration
- is the rate of change of velocity per unit of time.
- is a vector quantity.
- the direction of acceleration follows that of the velocity since time is a
scalar quantity and can never be a negative value.

a
NOT
E:

V V2 V1

t t2 t1

Speed and velocity at a first glance look the same but these 2
quantities differ significantly.

Sample Problem:
From school to her grandmothers house 400 m North, Handrey rides a
school bus for 5.00 minutes. After a short exchange of conversation with a
friend, he then walked 50.0 m towards home for another 5.00 minutes in a
direction 100 East of South. Compute Handreys:
(a speed
)
(b velocity
)
during his entire journey home.
Answer: S = 45.0 m/min ; V = 35.1 m/min, 88.60 N of E

MOTION WITH CONSTANT ACCELERATION

Uniformly Accelerated Motion
- a special type of motion often occurring in nature.
examples:
(a falling body
)
(b object sliding down an inclined plane
)
(c jet fighter being catapulated from the deck of an aircraft liner
)
- the velocity changes at the same rate throughout the motion.
Derivation of Formulas for Uniformly accelerated Motion:

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Physics

Sample Problems:
1. An airplane travels 280 m down a runway before taking off. It starts from
rest, moves with constant acceleration, and becomes air borne in 8.00
sec. What is its speed, in m/sec, when it takes off? Answer: V2 = 70.0
m/sec
2.

An automobile moving with a constant velocity of 75 mi/hr (miles per

hour) saw a big truck resting 150 m ahead. The driver applied the brakes
0.70 sec after he had seen it, and decelerates at a rate of 4.0 m/sec 2.
(a Will the automobile hit the big truck? Answer: YES, it will hit the
) big truck because the total distance covered is 169 m which
is higher than 150 m.
(b If so, what is its speed? Answer: V2 = 12 m/sec
)

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Physics

FREELY FALLING BODIES

Free Fall
- motion affected by gravitational acceleration alone.
- a body is said to be in free fall if gravity on earths pull is the only force
acting on it.
Sign conventions of g:
1. g is (+) if the body is moving downwards because the pull of gravity is
also downwards.
2.

g is (-) if the body is moving upwards because it is opposite the

direction of the pull of gravity.

Free Fall equations can be derived by changing all a terms in the three
equations for uniformly accelerated motion into g and affixing the correct
signs for g into the equation. Thus:
A
.

For DOWNWARD Motion

(1
)

V2 V1 gt

(2
)

s V1t

(3
)

V2 V12 2gs

1 2
gt
2

B
.

For UPWARD Motion

(1
)

V2 V1 gt

(2
)

s V1t

(3
)

V2 V12 2gs

1 2
gt
2

Sample Problems:
1. (a If a flea can jump straight up to a height of 0.440 m, what is its initial
) speed as it leaves the ground? Answer: V1 = 2.94 m/sec
(b For how much time is it in the air? Answer: t = 0.60 sec
)
2.

A brick is dropped from the roof of a building.

ground in 2.50 sec. Air resistance maybe ignored,
free fall.
(a How tall, in meters, is the building? Answer: s
)
(b What is the magnitude of the bricks velocity
) the ground? Answer: V2 = 24.5 m/sec

The brick strikes the

so that the brick is in
= 30.6 m
just before it reaches

PROJECTILE MOTION
Projectile
- a type of planar motion wherein an object experiences constant velocity
along the horizontal axis and constant acceleration along the vertical axis.
- motion affected by both gravitational acceleration and air resistance.

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Consider:

Vx = V cos

and

VY = V sin

Derivation of formulas for Projectile Motion:

13

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Sample Problems:
1. A projectile is thrown with a speed of 100 ft/sec in a direction of 30 0
above the horizontal. Find the:
(a height to which it rises. Answer: ymax = 38.8 ft
)
(b total time of flight. Answer: t = 3.1 sec
)
(c horizontal range. Answer: xmax = 269 ft
)
2.

A bomb is dropped from an airplane travelling horizontally with a speed

of 300 miles per hour. If the airplane is 10,000 ft above the ground:
(a How far from the target must it be released? Answer: x = 2.08
) miles
(b What was its velocity when it hits the ground? Answer: V2 = 624
) miles per hour

3.

A football player kicks off from a 40-yard line. How far will the ball travel
before hitting the ground if its initial speed is 80 ft/sec and the ball leaves
the ground at an angle of 300? Answer: x = 173 ft

4.

A water balloon is tossed from your window 8.0 m above the ground.
When the water balloon leaves your hand, it is moving at 10 m/sec at an
angle of 200 below the horizontal. How far horizontally from your window
will the balloon hit the ground? Ignore air resistance. Answer: x = 9.2 m