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Physics and Measurement

1. This document provides an overview of key physics concepts including standards of length, mass, and time. The meter, kilogram, and second are defined as the SI base units for these quantities. Tables list example values in meters, kilograms, and seconds for distances and intervals across various scales. Density is defined as mass per unit volume, and atomic mass is related to the numbers of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus. Rules for significant figures in calculations are also outlined.

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Hisham Abou Halima
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93 views14 pages

Physics and Measurement

1. This document provides an overview of key physics concepts including standards of length, mass, and time. The meter, kilogram, and second are defined as the SI base units for these quantities. Tables list example values in meters, kilograms, and seconds for distances and intervals across various scales. Density is defined as mass per unit volume, and atomic mass is related to the numbers of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus. Rules for significant figures in calculations are also outlined.

Uploaded by

Hisham Abou Halima
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter.

Physics and Measurement

Physics 151: Lecture 1, Pg 1


1.1. Standards of length, mass, and Time :

1.1.1. Length :
The meter (m) was redefined as the distance traveled
by light in vacuum during a time of 1/ 299792458
second. (Table 1-1) lists approximate values of some
measured lengths.

Physics 151: Lecture 1, Pg 3


Length:
Distance Length (m)
Radius of Visible Universe 1 x 1026
To Andromeda Galaxy 2 x 1022
To nearest star 4 x 1016
Earth to Sun 1.5 x 1011
Radius of Earth 6.4 x 106
Sears Tower 4.5 x 102
Football Field 1.0 x 102
Tall person 2 x 100
Thickness of paper 1 x 10-4
Wavelength of blue light 4 x 10-7
Diameter of hydrogen atom 1 x 10-10
Diameter of proton 1 x 10-15

Physics 151: Lecture 1, Pg 4


1.1. Standards of length, mass, and Time :

 1.1.2. Mass :
The SI unit of mass, the kilogram (kg), defined as the mass
of a specific platinum-iridium alloy cylinder kept at the
international Bureau of Weights and Measures at Sevres,
France. This mass standard was established and has not
been changed ,(Table 1-2) lists approximate values of the
masses of various objects.

Physics 151: Lecture 1, Pg 5


Mass:

Object Mass (kg)


visible universe ~ 1052
Milky Way galaxy 7 x 1041
Sun 2 x 1030
Earth 6 x 1024
Boeing 747 4 x 105
Car 1 x 103
Student 7 x 101
Dust particle 1 x 10-9
Bacterium 1 x 10-15
Proton 2 x 10-27
Electron 9 x 10-31

Physics 151: Lecture 1, Pg 6


1.1. Standards of length, mass, and Time :

 1.1.3. Time :
The second (s) is now defined as 9192631770 times the
period of vibration of radiation from the cesium atom.
(Table 1-3) approximate values of time intervals.

Physics 151: Lecture 1, Pg 7


Time:

Interval Time (s)


Age of Universe 5 x 1017
Age of Grand Canyon 3 x 1014
Avg age of college student 6.3 x 108
One year 3.2 x 107
One hour 3.6 x 103
Light travel from Earth to Moon 1.3 x 100
One cycle of guitar A string 2 x 10-3
One cycle of FM radio wave 6 x 10-8
One cycle of visible light 1 x 10-15
Time for light to cross a proton 1 x 10-24

Physics 151: Lecture 1, Pg 8


1.2. Density and Atomic Mass :

The density ρ of any substance is the mass per unit


volume:
ρ=m/V
The numbers of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an
atom of an element are related to the atomic mass of the
element, which is defined as the mass of a single of the
element measured in atomic mass units (u) where 1 u =
1.6605387 × 10-27 kg.

Physics 151: Lecture 1, Pg 9


1.3. Conversion of units :

Sometimes it is necessary to convert units from one


measurement system to another, or to convert within a
system.
For example, from kilometers to meters. Equalities between
SI and U.S. customary units of length are as follows:
1 mile = 1609m = 1.609 km 1ft = 0.3048 m =
30.48 cm
1 m = 39.37 in. = 3.281 ft 1 in. = 0.0254 m =
2.54 cm
Units can be treated as algebraic quantities that can cancel
each other. For example, suppose we wish to convert 15.0
in. to centimeters. Because 1 in. is defined as exactly 2.54
cm, we find that :
15.0 in. = (15.0 in.) ( 2.54 cm/1 in. ) = 38.1 cm

Physics 151: Lecture 1, Pg 10


Text : 1-5

Converting between different systems of units

 Useful Conversion factors:


 1 inch = 2.54 cm
 1m = 3.28 ft
 1 mile = 5280 ft
 1 mile = 1.61 km

 Example: convert miles per hour to meters per second:

mi 1mi 5280 ft 1m 1hr m 1m


1      0.447 
hr hr mi 3.28 ft 3600s s 2s

Physics 151: Lecture 1, Pg 11


See text : 1-3

Density

 Every substance has a density, designated  = M/V

M
• Dimensions of density are,  units (kg/m3)
L3

• Some examples,
Substance  (103 kg/m3)
Gold 19.3
Lead 11.3
Aluminum 2.70
Water 1.00

Physics 151: Lecture 1, Pg 12


See text : 1-3

Atomic Density
 In dealing with macroscopic numbers of atoms (and similar
small particles) we often use a convenient quantity called
Avogadro’s Number, NA = 6.02 x 1023.

 Molar Mass and Atomic Mass are nearly equal


1. Molar Mass = mass in grams of one mole of the
substance.
2. Atomic Mass = mass in u (a.m.u.) of one atom of a
substance, is approximately the number of protons and
neutrons in one atom of that substance.
• Molar Mass and Atomic Mass are other units for density.
What is the mass of a single carbon atom ?
12g /mol
M carbon  = 2 x 10-23 g/atom
6 10 atoms/mol
23

Physics 151: Lecture 1, Pg 13


See text : 1-7

Significant Figures
 The number of digits that matter in a measurement or calculation.
 When writing a number, all non-zero digits are significant.
 Zeros may or may not be significant.
 those used to position the decimal point are not significant.
 those used to position powers of ten ordinals may or may not be
significant.
 in scientific notation all digits are significant
 Examples:
 2 1 sig fig
 40 ambiguous, could be 1 or 2 sig figs
 4.0 x 101 2 sig figs
 0.0031 2 sig figs
 3.03 3 sig figs

Physics 151: Lecture 1, Pg 14


See text : 1-7

Significant Figures

 When multiplying or dividing, the answer should have the


same number of significant figures as the least accurate of
the quantities in the calculation.
 When adding or subtracting, the number of digits to the
right of the decimal point should equal that of the term in
the sum or difference that has the smallest number of digits
to the right of the decimal point.
 Examples:
 2 x 3.1 = 6
 3.1 + 0.004 = 3.1
 4.0 x 101  2.04 x 102 = 1.6 X 10-1

Physics 151: Lecture 1, Pg 15

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