Honors Physics Summer Assignment

Dear future Honors Physics students,

Im very excited to have you in Honors Physics next year! In this class we will study the world around us,
delving into questions like what causes rainbows?, how does a roller coaster work?, and why is the sky
blue? (just to name a few!) To get you ready for our year together, its time to brush up on some math. While
physics is different from math (and much more interesting in my opinion ) it will be a very useful tool to
our studies. In order for you to succeed in Honors Physics, youll need to be able to express and manipulate
your thoughts in mathematical terms.

To help you brush up on your math skills, Ive created the following document that reviews the skills necessary
for a successful year in Honors Physics. Most of the math included here should be familiar to you from your
previous math courses. At the end of this review document is a worksheet you are required to complete and
turn in on the first day of class. Please complete this worksheet on a separate sheet of paper, and make sure
to show your work!!! In the fall, I will expect that youll know how to tackle these problems and we can focus
our energy on physics.

Enjoy your summer! You can contact me via email at mnunez@ursulineacademy.org if you have any questions.

Algebra Skills
Skill #1: Solve an equation for any variable.
Throughout the year, well be rearranging formulas and equations to solve for the variable we want to know.
Refresh your algebra skills with the following example problems:

Example #1:
Suppose we want to know the height, h, in the following formula:
g
=
Step 1: Divide by sides of the equation by :

Step 2: Reduce the fraction:

Result: =
0
g
mg



Example #2:
Suppose we want to know the radius, r, in the following equation:
c
=
m
2

Step 1: Multiply both sides of the equation by r:

c
r =

2
r
- r
Step 2: Reduce the fraction:

c
r =

2
r
- r

c
r =
2

Step 3: Divide both sides of the equation by
c
to isolate r:

c
r

c
=

2

c

Step 4: Reduce the fraction:

c
r

c
=

2

c

Result:
r =

2

c


Example #3:
Given the equation
]
2
=

2
+ o, solve for the initial velocity,

Step 1: Subtract o from both sides of the equation:

]
2
- o =

2
+ o - o

]
2
- o =

2

Step 2: Take the square root of both sides of the equation:
_
]
2
- o = _

2

Result:

2
= _
]
2
- o
Example #4:
Solve for the angle 0 given the equation = sin0
Step 1: Divide both sides to isolate sin0:

=
sin 0

Step 2: Reduce the fraction:

=
sin 0

Step 3: Take the inverse sine (sin
-1
) of both sides of the equation:
sin
-1

= sin
-1
(sin0)
Result: 0 = sin
-1

:
Pd



Skill #2: Be able to take a multiplicative expression to a power
Example #1: (
3
)
2
=
6

Example #2:
x
2

2
=
x
4

6

Example #3: (
V
)
3
=
3
2

Science Skills
Skill #3: Convert a number into scientific notation, as well as from scientific notation into
standard form.
Example #1: 12,345 m/s = 1.2345 x 10
4
m/s
Example #2: 15000000 m = 1.5 x 10
7
m
Example #3: 1/1000 s = 1 x 10
-3
s
Example #4: 13.43 x 10
5
Hz = 1,343,000 Hz
Example #5: 6.24 x 10
-7
N = 0.000000624 N

Skill #4: Know the unit prefixes!!! You need to memorize the following chart:

Prefix Abbreviation Power
Pico- p 10
-12

Nano- n 10
-9

Micro- 10
-6

Milli- m 10
-3
Centi- c 10
-2
Kilo- k 10
3
Mega- M 10
6
Giga- G 10
9
Skill #5: Be able to convert between prefixes.
Example #1: Convert 37 km to m:

3


= .
4

Example #2: Convert 1.6 ns to s:
. ns

-9
s
ns
= .
-9
s
Example #3: Convert 420 g to kg:
p

-6

p

= .
-7

Example #4: Convert 21.2 km/hr to m/s:

.
r

r
n

n
s
= .89 s
Example #5: Convert 203 km
2
to m
2
:

2

3


= , ,
2
= .
8

2

***Pay close attention to examples #4 & 5 above theyre the most commonly missed types!!!***


Geometry/Trigonometry Skills
Skill #6: Know sin, cos & tan and how to apply them to find the side of right triangle
Example #1: Given the following right triangle, find x and y with the information given.

sin
o
=



= 9.8


cos
o
=



= .88


Example #2: Given the following right triangle, find the value of 0.

tan0 =
75
15


0 = tan
-1

= 8.9
o



55
o
12 m

y

75
15
Practice Problems
These problems are due on the first day of school. Please complete them on a separate piece of paper as they
will be turned in and graded. Make sure you show your work! You will also be quizzed on your knowledge of
these important skills.

For problems #1 15, please use scientific notation in your answer if the exponent is <-3 or >3 (i.e. if your
number is 10000 or larger or 0.0001 or smaller).

1. 1400 g = ________ kg
2. 240 nm = ________ m
3. 5 m = ________ mm
4. 21.7 pm = ________ nm
5. 0.15 cm
2
= ________ m
2

6. 0.003 Gm = ________ pm
7. 170 Ms = _________ s
8. 8 Mm = _________ Gm
9. 30 km/h = ________ m/s
10. A human hair is approximately 50 m in diameter. Express this diameter in meters.
11. If a radio wave has a period of 1 s, what is the waves period in seconds?
12. A Hydrogen atom has a diameter of about 10 nm.
a. Express this diameter in meters.
b. Express this diameter in millimeters.
c. Express this diameter in micrometers.
13. The distance between the sun and Earth is about 1.5 x 10
11
m. Express this distance in kilometers.
14. The average mass of an automobile in the United States is about 1.440 x 10
6
g. Express this mass in
kilograms.
15. From UA, the nearest Starbucks is 1.9 miles. (1 mile = 1.609344 km)
a. How many meters away is that?
b. If you drove an average of 35 miles/hour from UA to get to Starbucks, how long would it take you?
For #16 20, solve for the unknown variable, making sure to show your work for each step!

16.Given Ax = u
|
A +
1
2
(A)
2
solve for a.
17.Given K =
1
2

2
solve for v.
18.Given
g
=
um
1
m
2

2
solve for r.
19.Given = n_
m
k
solve for m.
20.Given = sin0 solve for .
For #21 & 22, simplify the expression.
21.(3x
2
)
4
=
22.
z

2
=

For #23 & 24, find the unknown for the given triangle.

23.







24.










25.Use the internet or any other resource available to you to answer the following questions:
a. What is the standard unit for length IN PHYSICS?
b. What is the standard unit for time IN PHYSICS?
c. What is the standard unit for mass IN PHYSICS?

15N
x
3m
R

25
o
4m
y