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Imperial system:
Also known as British Engineering System
Used the units of feet-pound-second (British Units)
Is no longer implemented in most measurement since the use of
SI units.
BASE & DERIVED QUANTITIES
International System of Units (SI Units):
Standard units used by scientists all over the world
Base quantities:
quantities that cannot be derived.
Also known as fundamental quantities
Base quantity Units
Time Seconds (s)
Mass Kilogram (kg)
Length Meter (m)
Temperature Kelvin (K)
Amount of substance Mole (Mol)
Electric current Ampere (A)
Light intensity Candela (cd)
Derived quantity:
Obtained from the derivation of the base quantity
a combination of two or more base quantities
Examples:
Derived quantity Name Symbol
Area Square meter m2
Volume Cubic meter m3
Speed, velocity Meter per second ms-1
Acceleration Meter per second square ms-2
Mass density Kilogram per cubic meter kgm-3
Current density Ampere per square meter Am-2
Magnetic field strength Ampere per meter Am-1
Amount of substance Mole per cubic meter Molm-3
concentration
Luminance Candela per square meter cdm-2
Example of special names and symbols:
Solution:
a) 7.04x1024kg
b) ?
c) ?
SCALAR AND VECTOR
Scalar Quantities:
A quantity that has a magnitude only, no directional component
Example: time, speed, temperature, volume
Vector Quantities:
A quantity that has both magnitude and direction
Example: distance and displacement
Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to how long is the path taken for
an object to move from its initial position to final position.
Displacement is a vector quantity that refers to how far is the final
position of an object from its initial position.
DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS
Dimensions of a physical quantity is associated with combinations
of mass, length, time, electric charge and temperature which
represented by symbols M, L, T, Q and θ respectively, each rose
to rational powers.
Solution:
Solution:
a) v at
Take:
2x v = velocity
b) t a = acceleration
a t = time
x = distance
c) v3 2ax 2 F = force
d ) F mvx m = mass
1kg 1000 g
1 1
1000 g 1kg
Solution:
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
Significant figures: digits that are meaningful to the accuracy of a number.
Example:
4.68 cm 3 s.f.
0.002cm 1 s.f.
0.000122300 6 s.f.
For addition and subtraction operation, the number of s.f. is based on the less
precise quantity.
Example 1.7:
There are three measurements with different precision instrument
and the results obtained are 3.76 cm, 46.855 cm and 0.2 cm.
What are the total measurement?
Solution:
3.76
46.855
0.2
*0.2 cm is the least precise number.
50.815 Therefore the answer is 50.8 cm.
Example 1.8:
The measurement of the length of two different sticks are recorded as 2.32
cm and 4.562 cm. How much is the difference between both sticks?
Ans: 2.24 cm
Example 1.9:
Find the volume of a box which sides has the length of 31.3 cm, 28 cm and
51.58 cm.
Ans: 45205 cm3
EXERCISE:
1. A paint sprayer can paint a surface at the rate of 6.00 gal/h. Express
this rate in liter per minute (L/min). Given 7.48 gal = 0.0283 m3 and 1
L = 1 x 10-3 m3.
2. An acre is defined such that 640 acre = 1 miles2. How many square
meters (m2) are there in an acre? Given 1 mile = 1609 m.
3. A geologist finds that a rock sample has a volume of 2.4 in3. Express this
volume in cubic centimeters (cm3) and cubic meters (m3). Given 1 in =
2.54 cm.
SUMMARY
Seven base physical quantities in physics: time, length, mass, temperature,
amount of substance, electric current and light intensity
Derived quantities: obtained from a combination of two or more of the base
quantities
Scalar quantity: has only magnitude
Vector quantity: has both magnitude and direction
Dimensional analysis: to determine appropriate unit
Unit conversion: to define any mks system unit to any system unit e.g. cgs or
Imperial unit
Significant figures: to determine the accuracy of physical measurement