Chapter 1: Measurement

 Quantities
 Units, Standards & SI System
 Prefixes
 Dimensions & Dimensional Analysis
 Errors & Accuracy

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 1

 Lesson Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
1. state the meaning & give examples of physical quantities
2. distinguish between base quantities & derived quantities
3. state what the standards are measured against
4. write values in prefix or standard forms
5. apply dimensional analysis to solve equations
6. state the different types of errors
7. define the terms ‘precision’ and ‘accuracy’
8. determine the uncertainty or error of a measurement.

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 2

 Physical Quantities
Physics is a quantitative science based
on measurement.
A physical quantity is quantity with a
numerical value and units.

Physical quantities are assigned to

measurements taken.

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 3

 Base and Derived Quantities
There are so many physical quantities and they
can be categorised as base and derived
quantities.

Base quantities are the ones that you can measure

directly by using suitable instruments.
Mass, length and time are examples of base
quantities.

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 4

 The International System of Units or SI (Système
International), is a name adopted by the Eleventh
General Conference on Weights and Measures,
held in Paris in 1960, for a universal, unified, self-
consistent system of measurement units based on
the mks (meter-kilogram-second) system *.

* Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2003. © 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation.

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 5

 Table 1. Base Quantities

QUANTITY NAME OF BASE SI UNIT SYMBOL

Length meter m
Mass kilogram kg
Time second s
Electric current ampere A
Temperature Kelvin K
Amount of substance mole mol
Luminous intensity candela cd

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 6

Any physical quantity will comprise of certain
base quantities.
If you combine two or more base quantities
accordingly, you will get a derived quantity.
For example, if you combine length and time
accordingly, you might find the speed, which is
a derived quantity.
Other derived quantities include area, acceleration,
density, energy and power .

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 7

 Table 2 : Derived Quantities

QUANTITY NAME OF DERIVED Sl UNIT SYMBOL

Area square metre m2

Volume cubic metre m3

Velocity metres per second m/s

Acceleration metres per second squared m/s2

Density kilograms per cubic metres kg/m3

Current density amperes per square metre A/m2

Magnetic field strength amperes per metre A/m

Specific volume cubic metres per kilogram m3/kg

Luminance candelas per square metre cd/m2

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 8

 Vector and Scalar Quantities
A physical quantity is categorized either as a
vector or scalar quantity.
A scalar quantity is a quantity with magnitude
only. Examples are distance, mass and energy.
A vector quantity is a quantity with both
magnitude and direction. Examples include
displacement, velocity and force.

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 9

 Vector and Scalar Quantities

Arrows are used to represent vectors. The

direction of the arrow gives the direction of
the vector.

By convention, the length of a vector

arrow is proportional to the magnitude
of the vector.

8 lb
4 lb
 Standards
Every unit used as measurement of a certain quantity
has a standard which is accepted by international
agreement.
For example, the standard of length...
1 meter = 1650763.73 times the wavelength of
light emitted by krypton-86 (1960).
1 meter = path travelled by light in vacuum in
1/299792458 second (1983).

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 11

Similarly, the standard of mass and time...
1 kilogram = mass of 1 cubic decimetre of pure
water at the temperature of its maximum density
(4.0° C/39.2° F)

1 second = 1/86,400 of a mean solar day or one

complete rotation of the Earth on its axis in relation
to the Sun. (redefined in 1967 in terms of the
resonant frequency of the caesium atom, that is, the
frequency at which this atom absorbs energy).

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 12

 Prefix

When dealing with very large or very small

quantities, a prefix to the unit name is used
that has the effect of multiplying the unit by
some power of ten. An example is the
milli-second (103 s)

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 13

 Table 3 : Prefixes

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 14

Dimension and Dimension Analysis
Every quantity has a dimension expressed in
terms of the basic units.
The symbols for the dimensions of the basic
units mass, length and time are M, L and T
respectively.
The dimension of any derived quantity can be
expressed in terms of M, L and T.

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 15

 Quantity Symbol Units Dimension

Mass m kg M

Distance x m L

Time t s T

Velocity v m s-1 LT-1

Momentum p kg ms-1 MLT-1

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 16

1.3 The Role of Units in Problem Solving

Is the following equation dimensionally correct?

x  vt

L
 L    T    L
T 
 Examples:

1-A table is 41.5 inches wide, express this in centimeters and

also feet?

2-Convert 1342 meter to feet?

3-A silicon chip has an area of 8.42 square inches. Express

this in square centimeters?

4-What is the speed 100 (mi/h)

a)in meter per second(m/s) b) in kilometers per hour(km/h)

EPF0014 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 18

Dimensional analysis:
One useful technique is the use of diminutions to check if a
relation is incorrect.

Example: By using dimensional analysis check below’s equation is

correct or incorrect.

Dimension of speed: [L/T]

Dimension of acceleration: [L/T2]

Dimension of left side must be equaled Dimension of right side

Dimension of left side=[L/T]

Dimension of right side=[L/T] + [L/T2] [ T2]= [L/T] + [L]

EPF0014 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 19

Example:

Three students derive the following equations in which x refer to

distance traveled, v the speed and a acceleration, and t refer to time.
which of these could possibly be correct according to the dimensional
check.

EPF0014 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 20

Example: Use dimensional analysis to determine how the
period, T, of a simple pendulum depends on the length & mass
of pendulum, and gravity (l, m, and/or g)

T = k l wm xg z
[ T ] = [ k l w m x g z ] = Lw M x (L/T2) z
T = Lw+z Mx T2z
w + z = 0, x = 0, 2z = 1
z=½,w=½,x=0
l
T = k l ½g ½ T k
g
FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 21
 Errors
The usual meaning of the word error is mistake.

However the term error is used in experimental

physics to describe the quantity by which result
obtained by observation differs from an accurate
determination (‘actual value’).

Error is also called uncertainty.

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 22

 So in every practical measurement there is
some degree of error or uncertainty.

In assessing errors, whether human or

instrumental, there are two types of
error:- random and systematic errors.

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 23

 Random errors

Random error results from unknown and

unpredictable variations in experimental
situations.
Random errors can be also referred to as
accidental errors and are at times beyond the
control of the observer.

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 24

Random errors will cause the measured value to
be sometimes higher or lower than the actual
value.
Taking a large number of readings and then
finding the mean value can reduce the effect of
random errors.
Source of random errors can be mechanical
vibrations of the experimental setup or
unpredictable fluctuations in temperature, etc.

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 25

 Systematic errors

A reading consistently shifted in one direction

is called a systematic error.
Systematic errors are usually associated with
particular measurement instruments or
techniques such as an improperly calibrated
instrument.

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 26

 Other examples include zero error and
parallax error.
Human reaction time can also be classified
under this category.
Systematic errors are more serious form of error
since they cannot be reduced by taking
repeated readings or by any other form of
averaging.

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 27

 Accuracy and Precision
The accuracy of a measurement signifies how
close it comes to the true value.
Precision refers to the agreement among
repeated measurements, the measure of how
close together they are.
The more precise the measurements, the closer
together they are.

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 28

 Good precision but poor accuracy

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 29

 Poor precision and poor accuracy.
(average reading has good accuracy)

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 30

 Good precision and good accuracy

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 31

 Example: What, roughly, is the percent uncertainty in the volume of a
spherical beach ball whose radius is
r = 2.86 ± 0.09m?
Answer: To find the approximate uncertainty in the volume, calculate the volume
for the specified radius, the minimum radius, and the maximum radius. Subtract
the extreme volumes. The uncertainty in the volume is then half this variation in
volume.
Example: Express the following sum with the correct number of significant
figures: 1.80 m+142.5 cm+ 5.34×105 μm..

Answer: To add values with significant figures, adjust all values so

that their units are all the same.

EPF0014 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 32

 If both types of error are small, then the
measurement is accurate and precise.
One point to note is that the degree of accuracy or
uncertainty of a measurement largely depend on
the quality of the instrument and the skills of the
person carrying out the experiment.
The degree of accuracy or uncertainty of a
measurement can usually be indicated by the
number of significant figures used.

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 33

Examples:
A visitor to a Museum was admiring a Tyrannosaurus fossil,
and asked a nearby museum employee how old it was.
"That skeleton's sixty-five million and three years, two
months and eighteen days old," the employee replied.
"How can you know it that well?" she asked.
"Well, when I started working here, I asked a scientist the
exact same question, and he said it was sixty-five million
years old – and that was three years, two months and
eighteen days ago."
In the above example, the humor is that the employee fails to
understand the scientist's implication of the uncertainty in the
age of the fossil.

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 34

Exercise
For each of these measurement, determine the uncertainty.
1. The length of the table is 12.52 m.

2. The girl’s weight is 45 kg.

3. The diameter of the wire is 5.25 mm.

4. The fossils are 3  106 years old.

5. The period of oscillation of the pendulum is 1.2 s.

6. The population of Malaysia is 24.5 million.

7. What is the percent uncertainty in the measurement 3.76 0.25 m

8. What is the area, and its approximate uncertainty of circle of radius

3.8  104 cm.

FAP0015 PHYSICS I 09/12/21 05:32 35