Physics Foundation Worksheet
Welcome back to real life after (what I hope was) a fun and relaxing summer. The topics on this worksheet should all be
review and is essential for success in physics. There will be a quiz on the following information Friday, September 12.
Do the following problems on a separate sheet of paper to put in your notebook. The heading should read “Physics
Foundation Worksheet,” and your name, date, and class period should be in the upper right hand corner.
Scientific Notation and Sig Figs
1. State how many digits in the following numbers are significant. Then, convert the following into scientific
notation:
a. 1,610,000
d. 101,000
b. 0.000000302
e. 45.01
c. 32,900.104
f. 0.00671
2. Convert the following into standard notation:
a. 6.30 x 108
d. 8.65 x 10-1
-2
b. 9.2 x 10
e. 1.76 x 100
3
c. 4.8802 x 10
3. How does writing a number in scientific notation make it easier to determine the number of significant
figures? (Think about how 3.00x105 differs from 300,000)
4. Solve the problems below. Write your answer in scientific notation. (Remember Sig Figs!)
a. (8.7 x 104) + (2.9 x 103)
i. (2.68 x 10¯5) x (4.40 x 10¯8)
4
3
b. (8.7 x 10 ) - (2.9 x 10 ).
j. (2.95 x 107) ÷ (6.28 x 1015)
4
3
c. (8.7 x 10 ) x (2.9 x 10 ).
k. (8.41 x 106) x (5.02 x 1012)
d. (8.7 x 104) ÷ (2.9 x 103).
l. (9.21 x 10¯4) ÷ (7.60 x 105)
-5
3
e. (8.0x10 ) ÷ (2.0x10 )
m. (2.71 x 106) - (5.00 x 104)
2
5
f. (2.00x10 ) * (3.0x10 )
n. (4.52 x 10¯5) + (1.24 x 10¯2) + (3.70 x
g. (9.9x10-4) ÷ (3x10-2)
10¯4) + (1.74 x 10¯3)
4
-2
h. (8.7x10 ) * (2.3x10 )
5. Which of the following numbers are written in correct scientific notation? Explain how you know.
6. In 2000, the population of Geneseo, New York, was about 7600 people. The population of the entire state of
New York was about 2.5x103 times larger than the population of Geneseo. What was the population of New York
in 2000? Show your work, write your answer in scientific notation.
Metric System and Conversions
7. Convert the following to the correct units. Write the answer in both scientific notation and standard notation.
You may use your dimensional analysis reference sheet.
a. 203 cm to meters
d. 0.987 L to mL
b. 234 m to km
e. 0.97 kg to mg
c. 8,009 g to kg
f. 88,720 oz to kg
Trigonometric Functions
For each of the following, solve the triangle. Assume all digits are significant.
1.
2.
8
x  _______
x
36
y  _______
y
x  _______
8
y  _______
y
x
4
3.
4.
10
x
x  _______
y
y  _______
5
y  _______
6.
x  _______
x  _______
12
x
y  _______
y
B
x  _______
20
y
16
A
C
x
m  A=_______
h  _______
x  _______
x  _______
z  _______
40˚
w
25˚
C
y  _______
9
x
y  _______
w  _______
y  _______
7.2
x  _______
10.
z
x
70
8.
9.
20
y
y  _______
4
7.
m  B=______
64
y
50
5.
y  _______
x
x  _______
37
A
B
y
h
10
x
110 55˚
˚
y
y
x
11. How tall is the tree?
12. A man who is 6 feet tall is flying a kite.
The kite string is 75 feet long. If the angle
that the kite string makes with the line
horizontal to the ground is 35, how far
above the ground is the kite?
62
31’