Final+1+Study+Guide

=__Study Guide for Trimester 1 Final__= ===This is a guide in the sense that you can use it to GUIDE your studying. It is not a list of practice problems or questions. If you want questions you should look over your notes, textbook, or previous quizzes.===

__ **Unit 1: Basic Physics Skill**s __

1) Check your understanding of the following concepts:
 * the metric system
 * scientific notation
 * scalar vs. vector quantities
 * precision in measurement
 * conversions
 * basic trigonometric functions

2) I did not follow the book much for this chapter because I feel like the book has a lot of stuff early on that isn't particularly useful, so be careful with your textbook studying because you might be studying something that we didn't cover. I still have my presentations on the Unit 1 link on my site.

3) The final doesn't require any calculation, but it's definitely important to know relative sizes of matric prefixes and how you would calculate best-fit lines if you needed to. Same with trigonometric functions. You don't need to find any angles or numbers, but you'd want to know what the equation would look like.

__** Unit 2: Projectile Motion **__

1) Check your understanding of the following concepts:
 * distance vs. displacement
 * speed vs. velocity
 * velocity and acceleration
 * positive vs. negative vector values.
 * When would we set two motion equations equal to each? What's the logic behind that?
 * X component vs. Y component equations. When do you use X and when do you use Y?
 * use of the full distance formula
 * how the distance formula reduces to simpler formulas for certain situations
 * use of the quadratic formule
 * when will the quadratic formula give you one real root and when will it provide two real roots? (a "root" is a solution to the QF)
 * steps for solving advanced projectile problems (shooting something at an angle off a cliff)

2) Textbook review is very useful for this unit. It will help conceptual understanding if you struggled in this chapter. I still have my presentations on my website if you click on the Unit 2 link.

3) This unit had a lot of calculation in it and lots of use of the quadratic formula. You won't be calculating any final answers on the final but you'll want to know which steps to do, in which order, and what a final equation might look like. For example, you won't need to find the time it takes a ball to fall off a cliff but you WILL want to know the equation for that.

__** Unit 3: Newton's Laws **__

1) Check your understanding of the following concepts:
 * What are the three Newton's Laws?
 * What is inertia and how does it apply to everyday situations?
 * dimensional analysis of force (this goes for every variable from this point on)
 * understanding of 3rd law and force-pairs (also called action-reaction forces)
 * gravity and it's effect on various situations
 * when forces are in opposition to each other and calculating net force
 * forces involved in free-fall and terminal velocity
 * what are the implications of "constant velocity" in terms of opposing forces?
 * understanding of microwelds and surface area considerations
 * the four types of friction and example of each. Relative strengths of them. (excluding fluid friction).
 * coefficients of friction and how to calculate frictional forces
 * the forces involved in inclined plane problems and formulas for the different forces involved (think "triamgle" and "friction")
 * tension and the process for finding it (including why would want to limit our unknowns to 2 variables and substitute)

2) Again, the textbook is useful for this unit if you struggled with conceptual understanding. Also refer to my Unit 3 link on my website.

3) Have a deep understanding of forces, which direction they go, and whether or not you'd be adding the forces, subtracting them (adding a negative), or setting them equal. Think of situations where you'd do each.

4) You won't need to calculate anything for this section but you certainly need to know what the formulas are for certain things. If you can't figure out when to add two forces together or when to set them equal, that's a big problem. You won't need to solve for the force due to friction but you'll need to know the equation. That really goes for everything we've done this year. Know HOW you would solve it but you don't have to actually solve it.

__** Unit 4: Energy and Work **__

1) Check your undestanding of the following concepts:
 * potential energy and kinetic energy
 * The Law of Conservation of Energy and it's application to various situations
 * Where does the missing energy go? Possible sources of "lost" energy in situations like a ball bouncing, a marble on a half-pipe, etc.
 * Using conservation laws to reach the same answer as force/motion laws. Benefits of using conservation law instead of force/motion, drawbacks of using conservation laws instead of force/motion
 * what is work and how is it related to energy?
 * dimensional analysis of PE, KE, work, and power
 * when does net work = 0? What does that mean for all the forces involved? Does it mean no work is being done at all? Conceptual understanding to questions like this.
 * What is power? What happens to power if you change different variables--does power go up or down? Proportionality and inverse proportionality.
 * How/when do we plug work into our energy equations?

2) The book is partially useful for this unit because it covers a lot of the same stuff we did in class, but it's explanation of work may or may not make sense to you. I'm not a particular fan of the way the book tackles work (the energy part is great) but I know for some students it has helped clear up some misunderstandings.

3) Force of friction is not the same as work done by friction, so you'll need to know how/when to use each. Know how the work done by opposing forces on an inclined plane will reduce the kinetic energy available at the end.

4) Power is simply work/time, so it's a small addition to your understanding of energy/work. Just be aware of how force, distance, and time are all involved in calculating power and what the effect of changing each variable would be.