Physics for Health I Study Guide

Learning Objectives for this Week

After going through this unit activities carefully, you should be able to

Explain the terms principle, law, model, and theory.

Perform unit conversions in the SI units.

Write the numbers in scientific notation.

Explain the difference between modern and classical physics.

Describe a process for developing a problem-solving strategy.

Physics in Action

Jumping Robot

Roboticists have designed all sorts of jumping robots over the years, and many of them have been inspired by
biology. But, as diverse as the natural world is, evolution hasn’t cracked every option.

To Do

Watch this video and answer the following questions:

• What physics related terms and ideas are mentioned in this video?
• What was the most interesting to you in this video?
• What was new to you?

Practical Skills for Scientific Investigations

Scientific investigations have several stages – planning, collecting data, analyzing data and evaluation. It is important to understand how to carry out each stage of the investigation.
Review the skills necessary for conducting successful scientific investigations with BBC Bitesize.

Solving Problems in Physics

Note: Image by Chudaeva, E. (2022).

• Strategy is the beginning stage of solving a problem.
• The solution stage is when you do the math.
• In physics, we use mathematics as a tool to help us understand nature. So, after you obtain a numerical answer, you should always assess its significance: check units, and check the answer to see whether it is reasonable.
• The following general procedures facilitate problem solving in physics and make it more meaningful:

Strategy

• Examine the situation to determine which physical principles are involved.
• Make a list of what is given or may be inferred from the problem as stated (identify the knowns).
• Identify exactly what needs to be determined in the problem (identify the unknowns).
  Solution
• Find an equation or set of equations that can help you solve the problems.
• Substitute the knowns along with their units into the appropriate equation, and obtained numerical solutions complete with units

Assessing significance

• Check units.
• Check the answer to see if it is reasonable.

Web Resource

Strock, A. (2018, October 12). How physics is relevant for pre-health professional biology majors. Grand
Canyon University. https://www.gcu.edu/blog/engineering-technology/how-physics-relevant-pre-healthprofessional-
biology-majors

Nature. (2022). Sorting out units of measurements.

The Twin Study propelled NASA into the genomics era of space travel. It was a ground-breaking study comparing what happened to astronaut Scott Kelly, in space, to his identical twin brother, Mark, who remained on Earth.

NASA Twin Study. (2018). NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-twins-study-confirms-preliminaryfindings