General Physics 1 Quarter 1 Module 1 Units Physical Quantities Measurement Version 1
General Physics 1 Quarter 1 Module 1 Units Physical Quantities Measurement Version 1
General Physics 1 Quarter 1 Module 1 Units Physical Quantities Measurement Version 1
General Physics 1
Quarter 1 - Module 1
Units, Physical Quantities and
Measurements
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General Physics 1
Quarter 1 - Module 1:
Units, Physical Quantities and Measurements
Table of Contents
First Quarter
Lesson 1: Unit Conversion and Scientific Notation
What I Need to Know 1
What‟s In: Check It Out! 2
What‟s New: Pass the Message 3
What Is It: Learning Concept: Scientific Notation 4
Significant Figures 5
What‟s More: Exercises 6
What‟s In 15
What I Need to Know 15
What‟s New 16
Assessment: (Post-Test) 21
Key to Answers 22
Appendices A &B 23
References 24
Module 1
Units, Physical Quantities and
Measurements
This module will help you explore the basic concepts on topics that will help you
solve measurement problems in the succeeding topics in Physics.
To achieve the learning competencies cited above, you are to do the following:
• Take your time reading the lessons carefully.
• Follow the directions and/or instructions in the activities and exercises diligently.
• Answer all the given tests and exercises.
What I Know
MULTIPLE CHOICE:
Directions: Read and understand each item and choose the letter of the correct answer. Write
your answers on a separate sheet of paper.
9. MOR radio station in Cagayan de Oro city operates at a frequency of 91.9 Mega Hertz.
What is written in standard form?
A. C.
B. D.
Lesson
Unit Conversion and
1 Scientific Notation
What’s In
You have learned in your Grade 11 Chemistry the rules of significant figures. Recall that
when we say significant figures these are the digits in a number that indicates reliability of a
measurement.
Check It Out!
1. 0.0025 ___________
2. 12. 00030 ___________
3. 3.1416 ___________
4. 20.20 ___________
5. 0. 4 ___________
This concept which you learned in your previous science subject will be used in our
entire topic involving measurement. Thus, it is important to remember and apply these rules.
What’s New
A. Situation:
You received a text message from your service “You are nearing the
provider as shown in the screen of your cellular phone. end of your payment
period and you only
You need to send the message below but the have one text message
message is too long to send as one text message. left before you go over
Shorten this to create the shortest text message possible. the limit!”
Write you message in the space provide in the screen of your cellular phone below.
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
What Is It
If we shorten a message, we should do it in a way that the message will be useful and
easy to understand. Physical quantities vary from very large numbers (e.g. the speed of light in
a vacuum = ) to very small numbers (length of a certain wavelength of visible
light of ). For scientists and students like you writing large or very small numbers in
its standard form can be a waste of time, energy and even your resources like ink and paper.
Scientific Notation
Scientific notation also called exponential notation is a convenient way of writing values
using the power of ten notation wherein we can determine the number of significant digits as
well as the place value of the digit. Place values are denoted by prefixes. (See appendix A for
the SI prefixes found in the last page of this lesson)
Format:
1. When the decimal point is moved from right to left, the result is positive exponent.
Example: = =
2. When the decimal point is moved left to right, the result is negative exponent.
Example:
Rules converting scientific notation back to standard notation are shown below.
1. Move the current decimal point according to the number of places based on the
exponent
(+) positive exponent – move to the RIGHT
Example:
1. When two or more quantities are added or subtracted, make sure the exponents are the
same.
[ ]
Example:
(a)
(b)
Significant Figures
1. In adding or subtracting quantities, the least number of decimal places in any of the
numbers being added or subtracted should also be the number of the decimal places in
the answer.
Example:
(two decimal places)
+ (one decimal place) LEAST
(four decimal places)
2. In multiplying or dividing quantities, the least number of significant figures in the input
number should also be the number of significant figures in the answer.
Example:
(four significant figures)
What’s More
1. Apply the rules in identifying the number of significant figures in each of the following:
(a) 0. 00054 (d) 0. 016500
(b) 830 (e) 32.0040
(c) 356, 000 (f)
2. Express the following numbers in scientific notation: (Answers should include three
significant figures)
(a) 65, 000 (c) 2, 450, 000
(b) 0. 001327 (d) 0. 00001997
3. Perform the indicated operations: (All answers should be expressed in scientific notation.
Apply the rules for significant figures in your final answer.)
(a)
(b) (
( )
(c)
(d)
(e)
4. Convert the given standard notation below to scientific notation. Then, perform the
indicated operation. Apply the rules for significant figures in your final answer.
What Is It
There are two major systems of units in the world namely; SI (derived from French
Syteme International) units also known as Metric system and the English system. Although the
system of units used by engineers and scientists is the metric system since 1960, some
countries continue to use the English system of units like for example the United States of
America. However, the conversions between the SI unit and English system of units have been
well-defined. (See appendix B found in the last page of this lesson for conversion factors)
Multiplying and/or dividing units just like ordinary algebraic expressions give an easy
way to convert a quantity from one unit to another to be dimensionally consistent.
Example:
(a) To convert to
Conversion factor to be used:
(c) To convert to
[ ]
(d) Converting units with different prefixes (See appendix A for the SI prefixes found in
the last page of this lesson)
(iii.) Example: to
kilo means so,
3 subtract -2 =5
or
(iv.) Example: to
milli means so, =
conversion factor (See appendix A for the SI prefixes found in the last page of this
lesson)
-1 -3 =2
deci milli
Step 2: move decimal places according to difference of exponents to the direction of
wanted unit.
What’s More
(a) into
(b) into
(c) into
(d) into
(e) into
(f) to
(g) to
2. Indicate which is greater (>) or lesser (<) by writing the correct symbol. If the quantities
are equal write (=). Show your solution.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
1. Joeff, who is an exchange student from Germany, is studying in the United States. He
wishes to buy a new pair of jeans, but the sizes are all in inches. If his waist size is
, what is its waist size in ?
2. The total area of the alveoli in the human lung is about .What is the area in
(a)
(b)
4. The Spirochetes, contain very thin bacteria with some species having cell diameters of
about .What is its diameter in ?
5. A government owned land will be set converted as a new wildlife refuge. Its dimensions
are by . Find the area of the land in .
What I Can Do
Objectives:
Measure the height and mass of your family member using appropriate
measuring tool.
Gather the data and write it on the space provided for the data and
results.
Refer to Appendix A for the SI prefixes found in the last page of this lesson. Fill-in the
blanks with the correct values to justify the relationship of the quantities given. Write your
answer on a separate sheet of paper.
6.
7.
8. 100 L = ________ mL
9.
10.
Name: ______________________________
Objective(s):
Documentation: (Pictures)
Lesson
Accuracy and Precision
2
What’s In
In lesson 1, you have learned how to express very large and small physical quantities
into scientific notation applying the number of significant figures. You also learned solving
measurement problems involving conversion of units.
In this next topic, you will learn the definition of two important terms when we talk about
measurements; accuracy and precision as well as its importance. You will also familiarize
measuring instruments of varying precision and its advantage.
Often times, accuracy and precision are used interchangeably. However, these two
terms mean different things. As what you have learned in the previous topic, physicists perform
experiments and these experiments involve measurements. It is important to be both accurate
and precise in taking scientific measurements.
Why do you think it is important to be both accurate and precise in measurement? Can
you think of situations encountered in daily life that need to be accurate and precise? What do
you think will happen if measurements are in accurate and less precise?
What’s New
I. Study the image below. The bull‟s-eye represents the accepted true value. Each
cross represents a repeated measurement of the same quantity. Describe each of
the figures by choosing its description inside the box.
Figure 1 Figure 2
Figure 3 Figure 4
II. What is your basis for your choices in describing the figures above?
What Is It
Accuracy and precision in measurements are important in many aspects of the world;
may it be in the field of research, medicine, electronics/technology, manufacturing, and among
others. Take for example, inaccurate dose of medicine may harm patient. In the same way,
inaccurate measurements used in appliances for example may cause it to explode, even might
spark fire that will cause harm to humans and properties. Even a difference of 0.01 might lead to
undesirable results.
Accuracy refers to the closeness of the measurement to the true value or accepted
value. On the other hand, precision refers to the closeness among several measurements that
have been obtained in the same way. Let us differentiate accuracy and precision in the context
of a basketball player making a basket. We can say that a basketball player has a high degree
of accuracy if the player always makes a basket even though he strikes in different positions of
the rim. However, if he does not make many baskets but always strikes in the same position of
the rim, then he has high degree of precision but not accurate. This concept is also the same
with the figures shown in the previous activity showing targets on a dart board.
Example:
You, a student as part of your activity, weigh the new golf ball five times or five trials.
The results are as follows: , , , , . The accepted value
for the mass of a new golf ball is .
Observe that the average of the five values from five trials is close to the accepted value.
Therefore, we can say that the measurement has high accuracy. If we consider the individual
measurements, observed that they agree among the five measurements. Therefore, we can say
that the measurements are precise.
Let us familiarize three measuring instruments (as shown below), its advantages and its
precision.
General Instruction: Analyze the measurement data set provided and describe the date set
in terms of accuracy and precision.
Coin diameter
Two students are asked to measure the diameter of four gold coins. Student A uses a simple
plastic ruler. Student B uses a precision measuring tool called a micrometer.
2. Compare the average value for each set with the accepted value:
Check your understanding! Answer the following questions. Write you explanation on
a separate sheet of paper.
Why?
4. The smallest unit on a ruler is 1mm. Two students measured the width of a
wooden block and recorded them as 5.25 cm and 5.27 cm.
5. Can measurements be accurate but not precise? Justify your answer by citing a
specific example.
6. Two students, John and Jay are given a small cylinder of aluminium of known
mass and asked to determine its density. (The „accepted‟ density of aluminium is
2.702 g/cm3.) Since density is mass/volume, the students need to calculate the
volume of the cylinder. The height and diameter of the cylinder need to be
measured in order to calculate its volume
John is told to use a simple plastic ruler and to make four independent
measurements for each dimension. Jay is told to use a precision measuring tool
called a micrometer.
a. Which student‟s data is more accurate? Cite factor(s) that might affect the
measurement‟s accuracy.
b. Which student‟s data is more precise? Cite factor(s) that might affect
the measurement‟s precision.
Assessment: (Post-Test)
Direction: Select the letter of your choice. Write it in CAPITAL form. Your answers should be
written on a separate sheet of paper.
2. You are using an electronic stop watch in one of your experiments in Physics. The digital
reading displays along with accuracy to how may second?
A. C.
B. D.
6. A foreigner is driving his car along North Luzon Express way (NLEX) at a speed of
. Can he be charged off over speeding considering the maximum speed along
this express way is .
A. Yes, because is beyond the maximum speed of .
B. No, because is less than the maximum speed of
C. No, because is jus equal to the maximum speed of
D. Not enough data is given to determine if he is over speeding or not.
Assessment:
Key to Answers
A. Pre-test
1. B
2. C
3. C
4. D
5. A
6. B
7. C
8. C
9. B
10. C
B. Post test
1. A
2. A
3. B
4. C
5. C
6. B
7. D
8. C
9. A
10. C
APPENDICES
Length Mass
References
Manuals/Modules
Websites: