Chapter1

Physics &
Measurements

Figures in this presentation are taken from: University Physics by Young and Freedman, 11th Ed, Physics for Scientists and
Engineers by Serway, 5th Ed, Physics for Scientists and engineers by Giancoli 3rd Ed, and many websites like
physicsclassroom.com and HyperPhysics.com
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
Measurements

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

 SI UNITS
International System of Units

Seven Base Quantities

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
 SI UNITS: The Fundamental
Quantities

QUANTITY, NAME, SYMBOL

Length: metre [meter] (m)
Mass: kilogram (kg)
Time: second (s)
Electric current: ampere (A)
Thermodynamic temperature: kelvin (K)
Amount of substance : mole (mol)
Luminous intensity: candela (cd)

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

 Quantities Used In Mechanics
•Three base quantities are used:
–Length
–Mass
–Time

• Will also use derived quantities

– These are other quantities can be
expressed in terms of these

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

Derived Quantities In Mechanics

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

 SI Unit of Measure for Length
In 1799  1 meter = 1/ 10,000,000

In 1983  1 meter is the

length of path traveled by
a light wave in a vacuum
in a time interval of
1/299,792,458 of a seconds.

1m

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

 SI Unit of Measure for Time
The second is the duration of 9 192 631 770 periods of the
radiation corresponding to the transition between the two
hyperfine levels of the ground state of the cesium 133 atom.

Cesium Fountain Atomic

Clock: The primary time
and frequency standard
for the USA (NIST)
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
 SI Unit of Measure for Mass
In 1887  The kilogram is the unit of mass - it is equal to
the mass of the international prototype of the kilogram.

The international
1 kg standard of
mass, a
platinum–iridium
cylinder 3.9 cm
in height and in
diameter.

This standard is the only one that requires

comparison to an artifact for its validity. A
copy of the standard is kept by the
International Bureau of Weights and
Measures.
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
 Mass vs. Weight
• Mass: Amount of
Matter (grams,
measured with a Can you hear me

BALANCE) now?

• Weight: Force
exerted by the mass,
only present with
gravity (Newton,
measured with a
SCALE)

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
Converting SI Units

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

 Example
How many minutes are in 2.5 hours?
Conversion factor

2.5 hr x 60 min = 150 min

1 hr

Canceled
By using dimensional analysis / factor-label method, the UNITS ensure
that you have the conversion right side up, and the UNITS are
calculated as well as the numbers!
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
 Quiz
• Convert 75.00 km to m.

• Convert 867000 cm to km

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

 Quiz
Converts the following speeds from the given unit to the required one.

• 125.3 m/s = ______ km/hr

• 100 km/hr = ______ m/s

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

 Measurement & Significant Figures
• Every experimental
measurement has a
degree of uncertainty.

• The 1’s digit is certain,

17 mL < V < 18mL

• A best guess is needed

for the tenths place.

Significant figures in a
measurement include the known
digits plus one estimated digit.
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
 Measurement & Significant Figures

Significant figures in a
measurement include the
known digits plus one
estimated digit.

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

 Significant Figures
Significant figures are the reliable digits in a number or
measurement.

Significant figures show the accuracy in measurements.

? 8.00 cm

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

 What is the Length?

1 2 3 4 cm

• We can see the markings between 1.6-1.7cm

• We can’t see the markings between the 0.6 - 0.7
• We must guess between 0.6 & 0.7
• We record 1.67 cm as our measurement
• The last digit an 7 was our guess...stop there!
• Length = 1.67 cm
• Guessed figure
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
 Learning Check

What is the length of the wooden stick?

1) 4.5 cm
2) 4.54 cm
3) 4.547 cm
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
 Significant Figures: RULES
• 1) All nonzero digits are significant
• e.g. (34  2 sig fig), (11.257  5 sig fig)

• 2) Zeros between nonzero digits are significant

• e.g. (3004  4 sig fig), (6.0205  5 sig fig)

• 3) In order for zeros at the end of a measurement

to be significant, there must be a decimal point.
• e.g. (34.000  5 sig fig)

• 4) Zeros to the left of the first nonzero digit are

NOT significant. They are indicating the
placement of the decimal point.
• e.g. (0.00304  3 sig fig), (058.000  5 sig fig)
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
 Quiz
Measurement # of Significant Figures

1) 1400.0
2) 3.010-8
3) 0.005
4) 6001.30
5) 11232.0
6) 5.08
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
 Significant Figures: RULES
RULE 5: In carrying out a multiplication or
division, the answer cannot have more significant
figures than the one with least number of
significant figures.

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

 Significant Figures: RULES
RULE 6. In carrying out an addition or subtraction,
the answer cannot have more digits after the decimal
point than the one with the least decimal numbers.

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

 Rounding Calculations
Rounding: If the left-most digit to be removed is less than 5, do not
round up. If the left-most digit to be removed is greater than or
equal to 5, round up.
Examples:
(6.221 cm)(5.2 cm) = 32.3492 cm2 = 32 cm2

(6.221 cm)(5.200 cm) = 32.3492 cm2 = 32.35 cm2

NOTE: Do not round until the last calculation has been performed.
Rounding at each step introduces
more error.
NOTE: Exact numbers (not measured numbers) are indefinitely precise and have
indefinite sig figs, thus they do not ever determine the number of sig figs in a final
answer! All metric conversions are exact.
NOTE: If a problem requires both addition/subtraction and multiplication or
division then each rule is applied separately.
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
 DENSITY - an important and
useful physical property

Density mass (g)

volume(cm3)
Platinum

Aluminum
Mercury

13.6 g/cm3 21.5 g/cm3

2.7 g/cm3
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
 Quiz
A piece of copper has a mass of 57.54 g. It is 9.36 cm long,
7.23 cm wide, and 0.95 mm thick. Calculate density
(g/cm3).

Density mass (g)

volume(cm3)

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

 Density
m

V

Styrofoam Lead
 Quick Quiz 1.1
In a machine shop, two cams are produced, one of aluminum and one of
iron. Both cams have the same mass. Which cam is larger?
(a) The aluminum cam is larger.
(b) The iron cam is larger.
(c) Both cams have the same size.
 Quick Quiz 1.1
In a machine shop, two cams are produced, one
of aluminum and one of iron. Both cams have
the same mass. Which cam is larger?
(a) The aluminum cam is larger.
(b) The iron cam is larger.
(c) Both cams have the same size.
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
 Scientific Notation
• is used to write very
large or very small
numbers.

• for the width of a

human hair of
0.000008 m is written
8 x 10-6 m.

• of a large number Copyright © 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Publishing as Benjamin Cummings

such as 4 500 000 s

is written 4.5 x 106 s.

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

 Scientific Notation
Scientific notation is a way of
expressing really big numbers or really
small numbers.
Scientific notation consists of two parts:

• A number between 1 and 10

• A power of 10 or more

N10 m
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
 Quiz
Express these numbers in Scientific Notation:

1) 405789

2) 0.003872

3) 3000000000

4) 0.478260
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
 Dimensions

speed:  v   L/T area:  A  L

2
 Dimensional Analysis
1 2 L
x  at L T L
2

2 T2

xa t n m

 a n t m   L  L1T 0

 L/T 
2 n
T m  L1T 0   Ln T m  2 n   L1T 0

x  at 2
 Quick Quiz 1.2

True or False:
Dimensional analysis can give you the numerical
value of constants of proportionality that may
appear in an algebraic expression?
 Example 1.2:
Analysis of an Equation
Show that the expression v = at, where v represents speed, a acceleration, and t an
instant of time, is dimensionally correct.

L
v 
T

L L
 at   T 
T2 T
 Example 1.3:
Analysis of a Power Law
Suppose we are told that the acceleration a of a particle
n moving with uniform speed m v in a circle
of radius r is proportional to some power of r, say r , and some power of v, say v . Determine
the values of n and m and write the simplest form of an equation for the acceleration.

a  kr n v m
m nm
L n L L
2
L    m
T T T
n  m  1 and m  2  n  1
2
v
a  kr 1v 2  k
r
 Units vs. Dimensions
• Dimensions: L, T, M, L/T …
• Units: m, mm, cm, kg, g, mg, s, hr, years …
• When equation is all algebra: Check dimensions
• When numbers are inserted: Check units
• Units and dimensions obey same rules: Never add
terms with different units.
• Angles and number are dimensionless
• In physics sin or cos never occur unless  is
dimensionless

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

 Dimensional Analysis
Are the following equations correct?

    2a x
2
f i
2
t  0  2 a x

In order to find wither a given equation correct

or not we use dimensional analysis

Dimensions (like units) can be treated algebraically.

Variable from Eq. x m t  = x/t a = /t

Dimension L M T L/T L/T2

Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020

 Example
Checking equations with dimensional analysis:

1 2
x f  xi  vi t  at
2

L (L/T2)T2=L
(L/T)T=L
• Each term must have same dimension
• Two variables can not be added if dimensions are different
• Multiplying variables is always fine
• Numbers (e.g. ½ or ) are dimensionless
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
 Quiz
Could the following equations be correct?

1) t  v 0  2ax No !

2) v  v  2ax
2 2
f 0
Yes,
It “could” be.
Dr. Khalil Ebrahim, PHYCS 101, 1st Semester 2020
Two spheres are cut from a certain uniform rock. One has
radius 4.50 cm. The mass of the other is five times greater,
Find its radius.
The position of a particle moving under uniform acceleration is some
function of time and the acceleration. Suppose we write this position
m n
x = k a t where k is a dimensionless constant. Show by dimensional
analysis that this expression is satisfied if m = 1 and n=2, Can this
analysis give the value of k?
(1ft = 0.305 m)