RED-HOT CANNON SHOT: In the days of the American Revolution fighting ships often fired shot at each other that had first been heated red hot in a fire. The hope was that the glowing shot would find the power magazine of the enemy and blow the ship to pieces. Extrinsic properties of a hot shot are its diameter, mass and muzzle velocity. These properties are independent of whether the shot is a stone or cast iron. The temperature to which the shot was heated is an intrinsic property. Iron is more readily heated than stone. |
NAME | SYMBOL [dimensions] |
mass: | m ~ [m] |
time: | t ~ [t] |
position:(#) | P ~ [L] |
velocity:(#) | V ~ [L/t] |
momentum:(#) | mV ~ [m L/t] |
angular momentum:(#) | r x (mV) ~ [m L2/t] |
center of mass:(#) | rcm ~[L] |
radius of gyration:(#) | rcm ~[L] |
(#), requiring a vector origin and basis |
RANK | NUMBERS | NAME | EXAMPLES |
0 | (3)0 | scalar | pressure, mass,
density, length... |
1 | (3)1 | vector | position, velocity,
momentum, area. {But not force. Force is a vector but not a property}. |
2 | (3)2 | tensor | moment of inertial and material stress |