PHYS 1405 – Conceptual Physics I

Chapter Objectives

Ch. 1
1. Define Science
2. Discuss the importance of measurement in science
3. Describe the Scientific Method
4. Differentiate between a hypothesis, theory, and law
5. Use falsifiability to differentiate between a scientific and non-scientific hypothesis

Ch. 2
1. Identify the conditions for equilibrium
2. Distinguish between mass and inertia
3. Apply Newton’s First Law to find the net force on an object in equilibrium
4. Find the net force on an object
5. Draw a free body diagram for an object
6. Find an unknown force acting on an object in equilibrium

Ch. 3
1. From position and time, calculate displacement, average velocity, and average
acceleration
2. Find distance given velocity and time
3. Distinguish between velocity and speed
4. Distinguish between average speed and instantaneous speed
5. Distinguish between velocity and acceleration
6. Find the velocity at different times for a freely falling object
7. Find the position at different times for a freely falling object
8. Find the time it takes an object dropped from rest to fall a given distance.

Ch. 4
1. Describe the relation between net force and acceleration
2. Find the acceleration due to a net force acting on a mass
3. Differentiate between mass and weight
4. Distinguish Newtonian and Non-Newtonian explanations of motion

Ch. 5
1. Describe a force as an interaction between two objects
2. Identify Action/Reaction Pairs
3. Given a force, find the magnitude and direction of the reaction force
4. Apply Newton’s third law to identify the force that produces a given acceleration
5. Compare action/reaction pairs and resultant forces on objects of different mass

Ch. 6
1. Determine an object’s momentum
2. Determine effect of changing interaction time and force on impulse
3. Calculate average force given impulse and time
4. Define a system to which conservation of momentum applies

1
5. Identify necessary conditions for conservation of momentum to apply
6. Apply conservation of momentum to simple collisions

Ch. 7
1. Determine the work done by a force moving an object a distance
2. Determine the rate at which work is done and identify as the power
3. Find the gravitational potential energy of an object
4. Determine the kinetic energy of an object
5. Use the Work-Energy theorem to interpret the work done on an object
6. Compute the mechanical energy of an object
7. Apply conservation of mechanical energy to free fall problems
8. Apply the conservation of energy principle to identify energy transformations

Ch. 8
1. Identify how tangential speed changes with radius from axis
2. Identify the factors which affect rotational inertia
3. Determine the torque acting on an object
4. Determine the direction of a centripetal force acting on an object
5. Determine the angular momentum of an object
6. Apply conservation of angular momentum to interpret rotational collision problems

Ch. 9
1. Use Newton's law of gravity to describe how the force differs with distance between
masses
2. Apply the inverse square law to light intensity
3. Interpret Weightlessness as Free Fall
4. Describe the affect of acceleration on apparent weight

Ch. 10
1. Describe Projectile motion as a combination of horizontal motion at constant velocity
and vertical free fall
2. Describe satellite motion as projectile motion
3. Apply conservation of energy to describe the speed at different points in elliptical
satellite orbits
4. Apply kinematic equations to problems involving horizontally released projectiles
5. Apply Kepler's laws to describe satellite orbits

Ch. 11
1. Describe the atomic hypothesis
2. Describe Brownian motion
3. Differentiate between an element, atom, and isotope
4. Determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in an atom given the atomic
number and mass number
5. Describe the properties of the electron, proton, and neutron
6. Describe the constituents of the nucleus
7. Describe the quark structure of nucleons
8. Differentiate between elements, compounds, and mixtures

2
Ch. 12
1. Describe and diagram the structure of a crystal
2. Find the density of a material
3. Discuss density in terms of the atomic hypothesis
4. Describe the relation between force and change of length for an elastic material
5. Distinguish between tension and compression
6. Distinguish between mass, weight, and density

Ch. 13
1. Find the pressure exerted by a force on an area
2. Determine the pressure in a liquid at different depths
3. Use Archimedes’ Principle to determine the buoyant force acting on an object
4. Determine if an object will sink float or be neutrally buoyant
5. Apply Pascal’s Principle to a simple hydraulic press

Ch. 14
1. Identify the cause of atmospheric pressure
2. Determine the effect of a force due to atmospheric pressure
3. Apply the operating principle of a barometer to similar situations
4. Solve pressure-volume problems using Boyle’s law
5. Apply Bernoulli’s Principle to different situations

Ch. 15
1. Interpret heat as a measure of average molecular kinetic energy
2. Differentiate between the Fahrenheit, Celsius, and kelvin scales
3. Differentiate between heat and temperature
3. Relate heat, mass, and temperature change for a given substance
4. Identify the effect of relative sizes of specific heat on temperature changes
5. Identify the factors that affect thermal expansion
6. Apply the anomalous behavior of the expansion of water to freezing water

Ch. 16
1. Identify the factors which affect conduction
2. Explain the mechanism of convection
3. Identify the carrier of energy in radiation
4. Describe how the black body spectrum changes as the temperature changes
5. Compare the absorption and reflection of radiation from a black and white body
6. Apply the black body spectrum to the greenhouse effect
7. Differentiate between conduction, convection, and radiation
8. Describe how a thermos bottle controls heat transfer

Ch. 17
1. Identify physical changes at the boiling point
2. Compare boiling and evaporation
3. Apply evaporation and condensation to temperature regulation

3
4. Describe the effect of pressure on the boiling point
5. Identify physical changes at freezing point
6. Compare freezing and melting
7. Compare heat of vaporization to heat of fusion for the same substance
8. Describe the heating curve of a pure substance at phase changes
9. Describe the heating curve of a pure substance between phase changes

Ch. 18
1. Describe the pressure of a gas at absolute 0
2. Describe the ideal gas thermometer
3. Convert between celsius and kelvin temperature scales
4. Describe the internal energy of a system
5. Describe the First Law of Thermodynamics
6. Apply the 1st law to adiabatic processes
7. Describe adiabatic process in the atmosphere
8. Describe the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics microscopically
9. Apply the 2nd Law to heat engines
10. Determine the ideal efficiency of a heat engine

Ch. 19
1. Differentiate between a vibration and a wave
2. Determine the factors that affect the period of a pendulum
3. Describe a wave
4. Differentiate between transverse and longitudinal waves
5. Identify the wavelength of a wave
6. Determine the period of a wave
7. Relate the frequency to the period of a wave
8. Determine the factors that affect the speed of a wave
9. Solve problems relating wave speed, frequency and wavelength
10. Differentiate between constructive and destructive interference
11. Describe standing waves

Ch. 20
1. Describe sound waves
2. Differentiate between compressions and rarefactions
3. Describe wave properties of sound including reflection and refraction
4. Describe the affect of resonance
5. Use the superposition principle to describe interference
6. Distinguish between constructive and destructive interference
7. Interpret beats as interference patterns in time

Ch. 21
1. Describe the physical property of a wave that determines pitch
2. Describe the decibel scale of sound intensity
3. Distinguish between fundamental and harmonics
4. Describe how different combinations of harmonics give musical instruments different
quality of sound