PHYS 1151 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Atomic Clock, Unit Vector, Caesium
5 May 2016
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Chapter 1 - units, physical quanities and vectors. Physics is an experimental science in which physicists observe natural phenomena and find patterns that relate them. Well established and widely used physical theories are known as physical laws or principles. It is always possible that new observations will require that a theory be revised or discarded. Theories often take indirect paths, with unsuccessful theories discarded. It is the nature of a theory that it can be disproved but never proved to be correct. Range of validity: a theory that only applies to objects in a certain situation. Physics problems involve understanding a concept and applying it to a variety of problems. Model: a simplified version of a physical system that would be too complicated to analyze in full detail. Represent a ball as a point object, or particle. Ignore air resistance by making the ball move in a vacuum. A useful model simplifies the problem yet keeps its essential features.
