Units and Measurement

Physics: The Basic Science

Physics is about the nature of basic things such
as motion, forces, energy, matter, heat, sound,
light, and the composition of atoms.
You can understand other sciences much better if
you first understand physics.
• Physics is the most basic of all the sciences.
• Chemistry is about how matter is put
together.
• Biology is still more complex and involves
matter that is alive.
Mathematics: The Language of Science
When scientific findings in nature are expressed
mathematically, they are easier to verify or to
disprove by experiment.
• When the ideas of science are expressed in
mathematical terms, they are unambiguous.
• The equations of science provide compact
expressions of relationships between concepts.
• The methods of mathematics and
experimentation have led to enormous successes
in science.
 SI Units
• Unit - a determinate quantity
(as of length, time, heat, or
value) adopted as a standard
of measurement
• SI Units – a system of physical
units based on the meter,
kilogram, second (MKS) and
so on, together with a set of
prefixes to indicate
multiplication or division by
the power of ten.
 Physical Quantities
• Fundamental Quantities – quantities that do
not depend on any other quantities for their
measurement
• Derived Quantities – quantities that depend
upon other quantities; combinations of
fundamental quantities
 Activity 1.1: Physical Quantities
Directions: Identify the following quantities as
FUNDAMENTAL or DERIVED.

1. Length
2. Area
3. Time
4. Mass
5. Speed
 Fundamental Quantities, Units and
Symbols
Quantity Symbol Unit Symbol

Length l meter m

Mass m kilogram kg

Temperature T kelvin K

Time t second s

Amount of Substance mole mol

Luminous Intensity I candela cd

Electric Current I ampere A

Derived Quantities, Units and Symbols
(examples)
Quantity Symbol Unit Symbol

Volume V cubic meter m3

kilograms per cubic

Density D kg/m3
meter

Speed v meter per second m/s

Force F kg m/ s2 N

Energy E Joule (kg m2/s2) J

Pressure P Pascal (kg/(ms2) Pa

SI Prefixes and Symbols
SI Prefixes and Symbols
 Standards of Measurement
•The Meter is the distance
traveled by a beam of light in a
vacuum over a defined time
interval (1/299 792 458 seconds)
•The Kilogram is a particular
platinum-iridium cylinder kept in
Sevres, France
•The Second is the time interval Prototypes of the
platinum-iridium
between the vibrations in the bar and cylinder
made by the
caesium atom (1 sec = time for 9 International
192 631 770 vibrations) Bureau of Weights
and Measure.
 Scientific Notation

•Is a way of expressing values (measurements)

that are too big or too small to be conveniently
written in decimal form

M x 10n
M is the coefficient
10 is the base
n is the exponent or power of 10
 Activity 1.2: Scientific Notation
Directions: Fill in the table.
Standard Form Scientific Notation
0.000031817
31817000000
0.0000074500
934102540
1.89 x 107
2.03 x 10-5
4000400040
 Unit Conversion

Example: Convert 85km to m:

Multiply the original measurement by a
conversion factor.

NEW UNIT
85km x 1,000m = 85,000m = 8.50 x 104 m
1km
OLD UNIT
 Unit Conversion

Example: Convert 789m to km:

789m x 1km = 0.789km = 7.89 x 10-1 km

1000m
 Unit Conversion

Example: Convert 75 km/h to m/s:

75.00 km x 1000 m x _1 h_
h 1 km 3600 s

= 20.83m/s
= 2.08 x 101 m/s
 Limits of Measurement
“It’s better to be roughly right than precisely
wrong” – Allan Greenspan, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman
(retired)

• Accuracy - a measure of how close a

measurement is to the true value of the quantity
being measured.
• Precision – a measure of how close a series of
measurements are to one another.
 Limits of Measurement
Who is more precise when measuring the
same 17.0cm book? Who is more accurate?

Susan:
17.0cm, 16.0cm, 18.0cm, 15.0cm

Amy:
15.5cm, 15.0cm, 15.2cm, 15.3cm
 Activity 1.3: Limits of Measurement
Directions: Evaluate whether the
following are precise, accurate or both.

Accurate Not Accurate Accurate

Not Precise Precise Precise
 Significant Figures
•The significant figures in a measurement include
all of the digits that are known, plus one last digit
that is estimated.
•There are three rules on determining how
many significant figures are in a number:
1. Non-zero digits are always significant.
2. Any zeros between two significant digits
are significant.
3. A final zero or trailing zeros in the
decimal portion ONLY are significant.
 Activity 1.4: Significant Figures
Directions: Identify the number of SigFigs in the
following measurements.

1. 100
2. 10302.00
3. 0.001
4. 10302
5. 1.0302 x 104
 Solving Word Problems
• Analyze
– List knowns and unknowns.
– Draw a diagram.
– Devise a plan.
– Write the math equation to be used.
• Calculate
– If needed, rearrange the equation to solve for the
unknown.
– Substitute the knowns with units in the equation and
express the answer with units.
• Evaluate
– Is the answer reasonable?
 Assignment
A. Write an insight paper on the redefinition of four SI
Units. You may use the following (and more)
articles . Observe proper citations and referencing.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-
46143399
https://physicsworld.com/a/new-definition-of-the-
kilogram-comes-into-force/

B. Describe the following terms:

1. Magnitude
2. Scalar
3. Vector