The purpose of the study guide is to point out the most important terms, concepts, principles, etc. that you should know. It is not meant to cover everything that may show up on your test.-->-->-->
Review the key terms and completion questions
at the end of every chapter. You should also complete the recommended exercises and review
your homework and of course you notes. You should also visit the linked web sites in your
course home page and study guide. Always remember your notes will have some important
material that is not covered in the text book.
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The Scientific Method and Enterprise:
A) You should be able to define or discuss the following terms:
science, natural science, social science, humanities, pure science, basic science, applied science, technology, big science, little science, scientism, model, hypothesis, laws, theory, experiment, cumulative, many-brained, single-brained, qualitative, quantitative, objective, subjective, technology assessment, scientism , deductive and inductive logic, etc.
B) You should be familiar with the steps supposed to be followed in the scientific method . You should know some examples where the scientific method was used. You should know the difference between hypothesis and theory . What is Ockham's Razor?
C) You should be able to classify the realms of knowledge into:
a. Natural Science b. Social Science c. Humanities
You should also be able to distinguish between:
basic science, applied science, natural
science, physical science, behavioral science
D) You should be able to identify the means of
communication in science.
Mathematics as a language of science:
You should be able to define vector and scalar quantities and give various examples of each.
Given data, you should be able to identify relationships such as direct proportion, inverse proportion, inverse square law, power law equations, exponential growth and decay etc. You should be able to interpret simple graphs.
Units, Systems, and Standards of Measurement: SI
Be able to give the original definitions of the units: cubit, inch, foot, yard, meter, kilogram, etc.
How did Eratosthenes calculate the circumference of the Earth?
You should be able to explain why scientists shift from anatomically based units of measurement to Earth based standards of measurement and then to atomic standards
You should be able to list the fundamental quantities of physics with SI and British units.
Which countries still use the British system? Does the USA benefit by continuing to use both the British and SI system?
Familiarize yourself with the commonly used prefixes of SI units given in page 39 and Table 1 of the linked NIST website.
Given a conversion factor, you should be able to perform simple conversions from British to SI units and vice versa. e.g. kg wt to Lb, m to ft, miles/hr to km/hr. etc.
You should be able to perform arithmetic in scientific or exponential notation .
Try problems 13,14,& 15
E) Be able to define the following terms in words and/or mathematically :
speed velocity distance displacement acceleration
average velocity instantaneous velocity projectile motion
average speed instantaneous speed initial velocity
final velocity uniform motion constant velocity
uniformly accelerated motion centripetal acceleration
F) You should be able to use the equations of
uniformly accelerated motion to solve simple problems. The equations will be provided for
your use. You do not have to memorize them. Review examples done in the book and in class
also do the recommended exercises.