English for physicists. Лидия Страутман

SI system is often referred to as the mks system, as the three most common measurement units are meters, kilograms, and seconds, which we'll focus on for the majority of this course. The fourth SI base unit we'll use in this course, the ampere, will be introduced in the current electricity section.

      The base unit of length in the metric system, the meter, is roughly equivalent to the English yard. For smaller measurements, the meter is divided up into 100 parts, known as centimeters, and each centimeter is made up of 10 millimeters. For larger measurements, the meter is grouped into larger units of 1000 meters, known as a kilometer. The length of a baseball bat is approximately one meter, the radius of a U.S. quarter is approximately a centimeter, and the diameter of the metal in a wire paperclip is roughly one millimeter.

      The base unit of mass, the kilogram (kg), is roughly equivalent to two U.S. pounds. A cube of water 10cm × 10cm × 10cm has a mass of 1 kg. Kilograms can also be broken up into larger and smalller units, with commonly used measurements of grams (1/1000th of a kilogram) and milligrams (1/1000th of a gram). The mass of a textbook is approximately 2 to 3 kilograms, the mass of a baseball is approximately 145 grams, and the mass of a mosquito is 1 to 2 milligrams.

      The base unit of time, the second, is likely already familiar. Time can also be broken up into smaller units such as milliseconds (10^-3 seconds), microseconds (10^-6 seconds), and nanoseconds (10^-9 seconds), or grouped into larger units such as minutes (60 seconds), hours(60 minutes), days (24 hours), and years (365.25 days).

      The metric system is based on powers of 10, allowing for easy conversion from one unit to another. A chart showing the meaning of commonly used metric prefixes and their notations can be extremely valuable in performing unit conversions.

      VIII. Answer the questions on the text

      1. What does Physics deal with?

      2. What is known by the Système International (SI)?

      3. What is English yard equivalent to?

      4. What is the metric system based on?

      UNIT 3

      Vocabulary

      convenient a. – удобный;

      tool n. – 1) инструмент; 2) станок;

      to convey v. – 1) переправлять; 2) доставлять;

      behavior n. – 1) поведение; 2) тех. режим (работы);

      to describe v. – 1) описывать; 2) изображать;

      therefore adv. – 1) поэтому; 2) следовательно, таким образом fluent a. – 1) плавный; 2) гладкий; 3) беглый;

      to fret v. – беспокоить (ся);

      to conjure up v. – 1) явиться как по волшебству;

      2) включить воображение;

      frustration n. – 1) расстройство; 2) срыв;

      to solve a problem – решить задачу;

      to determine v. – 1) определять; 2) устанавливать;

      to substitute v. – заменять; замещать;

      final equation – окончательное уравнение;

      to distill v. – перегонять, дистиллировать, гнать, очищать;

      sine n. – синус;

      cosine n. – косинус;

      adjacent a. – смежный;

      to inverse v. – быть противоположным ч. – л.;

      I. Practice pronunciation of the following words:

      natural ['natʃ(ə)r(ə)l] strategy ['stratɪdʒi]

      algebra ['aldʒɪbrə] diagram ['dʌɪəɡram]

      trigonometry ['trɪɡə,nɒmɪtri] value ['valju:]

      knowledge ['nɒlɪdʒ] equation [ɪ'kweɪʒ(ə)n]

      successfully [sək'sesfəli] triangle ['trʌɪaŋɡ(ə)l]

      range [reɪn(d)ʒ] cosine ['kəʊsʌɪn]

      majority [mə'dʒɒrɪti] tangent ['tan(d)ʒ(ə)nt]

      conjure ['kʌndʒə] adjacent [ə'dʒeɪs(ə)nt]

      II. a. Match the synonyms

      1) convenient a) issue

      2) tool b) huge

      3) function c) significant

      4) basic d) ultimate

      5) problem e) main

      6) vast f) plurality

      7) important g) instrument

      8) substitute h) comfortable

      9) final i) alternative

      10) majority j) operation

      b. Match the antonyms

      1) determine a) stop

      2) range b) expand

      3) make c) reverse

      4) wide d) destroy

      5) replace e) unsuitable

      6) produce f) dislike

      7) reduce g) commence

      8) appropriate h) remain

      9) require i) narrow

      10) inverse j) domain

      III. Fill in the gaps with the words below

      1. Physicists use ____________to measure things from speed to capacitance.

      2. Scientists need a powerful device to _________ a molecule's form and function.

      3. The ____________, with sine and tangent, is one of the three most common trigonometric functions.

      4. It is not easy to find alternate ways _____________ physics concepts to non-physicists.

      5. Scientists believe that nuclear power is necessary to __________the gas power.

      IV. Mind the explanation of the following terms algebra – (no plural) a type of mathematics in which letters and symbols are used to represent numbers.

      trigonometry – branch of mathematics that studies relationships involving lengths and angles of triangles.

      sine – the ratio of the side opposite a given acute angle to the hypotenuse.

      cosine – the ratio of the side adjacent to a given angle to the hypotenuse.

      tangent – the ratio of the side opposite a given angle to the side adjacent to the angle.

      adjacent – lying near, close, or contiguous, adjoining, neighboring.

      hypotenuse – the side of a right triangle opposite the right angle.

      V. Read and translate the text

      Algebra and Trigonometry

      Just as we find the English language a convenient tool for conveying thoughts to each other, we need a convenient language for conveying our understanding