High School Physics Online

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A series of free Online High School Physics Video Lessons.

In this lesson, we will learn

• what is physics?
• the steps of scientific method
• the unit system
• the scientific units
• the scientific notation

Physics Definition
Physics is defined as a natural science which studies the dynamics of matter, energy and physical forces. Advanced physics relies upon Calculus to mathematically represent motion and acceleration. Physics is the underlying foundation which explains processes in Chemistry.
Understanding the science of physics Scientific Method Steps
How to use and convert scientific units. The scientific method is a set of guidelines for scientific investigation. It helps us approach all scientific experiments and inquiries methodically and scientifically in order to avoid jumping to conclusions or missing links in a logical chain. The five steps of the scientific method include 1) defining the problem 2) making observations, 3) forming a hypothesis, 4) conducting an experiment and 5) drawing conclusions.
The 5 steps of the scientific method. Unit System - Scientific Units the SI System and Metric Units
A unit system is composed of the variants upon one standard scientific unit of measurement. The metric system, for example, contains a basic unit, meters (m), as well as numerous variants including kilometers (km) and centimeters (cm). Other useful unit systems include mass (g, kg, mg), volume (L, mL), and time (sec, min, hr).
There are certain unit systems which the scientific community has universally agreed upon. To measure distance in scientific units we use meters (m), to measure mass we use grams (g), to measure volume we use liters (L) and to measure temperature we use either degrees centigrade (C) or degrees Kelvin (K).
The definition of the unit system and common prefixes.
How to use and convert scientific units. Scientific Notation
Scientific notation is used to make extremely large or small numbers more manageable. Numbers written in scientific notation are the products of a digit term and an exponential term and are written in the general form a x 10ⁿ. For example, 0.0000234 is written 2.34 x 10ⁿ and 456,000 is written as 4.56 x 10⁵.

How to move between scientific notation and standard notation of numbers.