Dimensional Analysis slides for Conceptual Physics students with little math background.

1. A N D M E T R I C S
DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS

2. THIS IS HOW I FEEL WHEN I HEAR
“DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS”

3. SO JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO!

4. 1. KEEP THIS INFORMATION HANDY
Three bases: Meter,
Liter, Gram
Add in a prefix:

5. 2. GIVE ME JUST ONE REASON!

6. MORE TO THE POINT:

7. BUT:
Prefixes save
1. Work
2. Energy
3. Time

8. REMEMBER THE
PREFIXES?
We use them
like this:
How? How?
We need a relationship!

9. This is
One way
But
another
useful
Way is
On the
Next slide.

10. EXAMPLES OF CONVERSIONS AND
DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS
• 1. look at units and see if you can cancel all the
ones on the top and bottom:
cl ml mg Mm km mi ml mm N
km mi mm km kg cl ml ml mg
2. Use your prefix chart to put numbers in front of these
Units.
17 km x ______m x _______cm = __?___
km m
Cancel out units until you cannot cancel anymore.
Multiply across the top and divide by the bottom.
What
is
Left?

11. TRY AND TRY AND TRY!
56 Mm x _____m x ______Gm = ______
Mm m
35 m x _____km x ______hr = ______
s m s
Put in the numbers and
solve:

12. ITS POSSIBLE I CAN GET THIS!
Set up one by yourself:
2345.5 km = ? cm
1. Write the left side
2. put an x and a line
3. Put the unit you start with
On The bottom. Keep going.
Cancel. Multiply. Divide.
2345.5 km x ___ m_
km
x ____cm
m
103
1
1
10-2
= 2345.5 x 108 cm