PHYSICS PROBLEMS 0.1: MEASUREMENT
1. Express the following using metric prefixes:
(a) 3,000,000 volts
(c) 0.000001 pounds
(b) 5000 days
(d) 0.008 bucks
2. Write the following as full (decimal) numbers without unit prefixes:
(a) 35.6 nm
(c) 2500 dg
(b) 345 centidollars
(d) 0.0000019 krad
3. Perform the following conversions:
(a) 3.2 Mm = ? nm
(d) 183 ms = ? s
(b) 460 km = ? cm
(e) 9140 mg = ? dg
(b) 4.25 cups = ? L
(use 1 gal = 3.79 L, and 16 cups = 1 gal)
(f) 25.0 m/s = ? mph (use 1 mi = 1.61 km)
1. Convert to scientific notation:
(a) 80,900,000,000
(c) 0.00009803
(b) 432,010,000,000,000
(d) 0.00000000077703
2. Convert to a decimal number:
(a) 8.91 × 107
(c) 2.2041 × 104
(b) 6.03 × 10-6
(d) 5.555 × 10-8
PHYSICS PROBLEMS 0.2: ACCURACY & PRECISION
1. Determine the number of significant figures in the following:
(a) 3.1415927
(b) 230,000,000
(c) 0.000043
(d) 560
(e) 1,204,010,000
(f) 0.0598000
(h) 99,000.0
(i) 45,000,000,000
(j) 802.0
2. Round off 5.13159 to
(a) 5 significant figures
(b) 4 significant figures
(c) 3 significant figures (d) 2 significant figures.
3. Round off 859,533 to
(a) 5 significant figures
(b) 4 significant figures
(c) 3 significant figures (d) 2 significant figures.
(g) 2.30
4. Perform the following calculations, giving answers to the correct number of significant figures:
(a) (20.7)(7.01)(1.110)
(b) 3053/(70+4.1123)
(c) (7801.6)(540)/1.0043
(d) (95.4)(5.000)/10.875
(e) (45,000,000,000,000) / (102,000,000)
(f) (81519)(0.0000000000530)
5. Joe Fisycks is sitting at home doing his physics homework. The house is quiet, except for the
ticking of a grandfather clock. Joe wonders what the period of the clock's pendulum is, so he
times it. He does 5 trials with the following results: 1.98 s, 2.04 s, 1.78 s, 2.13 s, and 2.02 s. He
figures it should be 2.00 s (the accepted value). What is Joe's smallest percent error?
PHYSICS PROBLEMS 0.3: MATHEMATICS
3. Solve the following problems:
(a) 1.20 × 10-4 + 2.1 × 10-5
(b) (4.55 × 104)(3.98 × 1012)
(c) (2.06 × 10-16)÷(5.96 × 1024)
4. Rearrange the following equations as shown:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
PHYSICS PROBLEMS 0.4: GRAPHING
1. Graph the data below on Excel. Be sure you label your graph properly. The Pressure is the
independent variable (x) and Volume is the dependent variable (y).
Pressure (atm)
1.0
1.5
2.5
3.0
5.0
6.5
7.2
8.8
Volume (mL)
500
333
200
167
100
77
69
57
(a) Describe the relationship in words.
(b) Describe the relationship with a mathematical equation. Find the value of any constants in the
equation.
(c) What is the volume when the pressure is 4.0 atm?
2. Graph the data below on Excel. Be sure you label your graph properly. Elapsed time is the
independent variable (x) and Travel Distance is the dependent variable (y).
Elapsed Time (min)
20
50
100
150
250
330
360
430
Travel Distance (km)
24
60
120
180
300
396
432
516
(a) Describe the relationship in words.
(b) Describe the relationship with a mathematical equation. Find the value of any constants in the
equation.
(c) What would be the distance traveled in 300 min?
(d) How much time would be needed to travel 725 km?
3. 3. Graph the data below on Excel. Be sure you label your graph properly. Radius is the
independent variable (x) and Surface Area is the dependent variable (y).
Radius (cm)
1.0
2.0
Surface Area (cm2)
4.19
16.8
(a) Describe the relationship in words.
3.0
37.7
4.0
67
5.0
105
6.0
151
7.0
205
(b) Describe the relationship with a mathematical equation. Find the value of any constants in the
equation.
(c) What radius will give a surface area of 1000 sq. cm?