This is the class blog for the 2007-2008 Mendon High School Regents Physics Class, Period 5.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
I don't really understand what the dot product is. What does it solve for? What does "dot" mean? Also, all these vocab words and units are becoming hard to remember and not get mixed up.
Sarah - We don't need to know the details of the dot product. I mentioned it since it was in the video clip we saw. It is simply the formal way to get the component of a vector (in this case force) in the direction of another vector (in this case displacement), since we calculate work (W=fd) by multiplying the displacement by the component of force in the direction of displacement. Check out references, and other information on on vector operations or linear algebra if you want to learn more - I guarantee you'll see it eventually in your education!
Sarah - One more comment: I agree that physics has a lot of vocabulary, units, and equations. I've tried to define everything in the posted class notes as we go, so be sure to use them as a resource. Also, don't forget about your textbook, either the hardcover or the online version. I haven't been making any specific assignments in the book, but it's a great reference.
2 comments:
Sarah - We don't need to know the details of the dot product. I mentioned it since it was in the video clip we saw. It is simply the formal way to get the component of a vector (in this case force) in the direction of another vector (in this case displacement), since we calculate work (W=fd) by multiplying the displacement by the component of force in the direction of displacement.
Check out references, and other information on on vector operations or linear algebra if you want to learn more - I guarantee you'll see it eventually in your education!
Sarah - One more comment: I agree that physics has a lot of vocabulary, units, and equations. I've tried to define everything in the posted class notes as we go, so be sure to use them as a resource. Also, don't forget about your textbook, either the hardcover or the online version. I haven't been making any specific assignments in the book, but it's a great reference.
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