PHYSICS FOR

ENGINEERS
1A-UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS
Physics
Physics is involved with the study of energy and its different forms.
It therefore serves as a foundation to engineering which is primarily
involved with the design, construction and operation of devices,
machines, structures and systems, which in various ways utilize this
different forms of energy.

1A-UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

Physical Quantities
Any number used to describe a physical phenomenon quantitatively
is called a physical quantity.
In mechanics, we have the basic quantities like mass, length, and
time. All others are considered as derived quantities because they
are obtained or defined by simple relations between the basic ones.

1A-UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

Physical Quantities
Examples:
1. Speed – ratio of length to time
2. Acceleration – ratio of length to time2
3. Force – combination of (mass)(length)/time2
The basic quantities combined to form the derived quantity are
sometimes called the dimensions of the derived quantity.

1A-UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

Physical Quantities
The proper expression of physical quantities should at least have a
number (to indicate how large or small the quantity is) and a unit
(to indicate the measure and type of the quantity).
An expression that does not have any one of these two is
meaningless. The following are examples of improper expressions
that lead to a meaningless thought:
1. The length of the book is 13.
2. I bought 5 rice.
3. She weighed pounds.

1A-UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

Standards and Units
A standard is that quantity (usually in physical form that is an
object) to which other quantities being measured are compared.
The measured quantity is then expressed in terms of the standard,
which now becomes the unit of the quantity.

1A-UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

Systems of Units
1. English system/British System
- fps(foot-lb-second) as the base units
- Derived Quantities: slugs, BTU, °F, knots, horsepower(hp)
2. Metric system/International System (SI)
- mks(meter-kg-second) as the popular base unit
- cgs(cm-gram-second) is sometimes used describing smaller quantities
- Derived quantities: Newton, Dyne, Joules, Watts, °C

1A-UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

Unit Consistency and Conversion
Unit consistency means that in a physical equation, each side of the
equation should have the same units. Otherwise, the equation is
erroneous.
Unit conversion is the process of changing the unit to another one
within the same system or into another system. In physical
quantities, this is usually done to attain unit consistency.

1A-UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

Unit Conversion
Example:
1. Convert 2.0 m/s2 to km/min2
2
m 1 km 60 s
2.00 2 × × = 7.2 km/min2
s 1000 m 1 min

2. Convert 500 miles/min2 to (a) in/s2 and (b) m/h2.

1A-UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

Precision and Accuracy
Precision refers to the degree of refinement and consistency of the
measurements with which any physical measurement is made.
Accuracy indicates the degree of closeness of a given measurement
to the absolute/true/theoretical value of the quantity measured.
The less error, the more accurate.
actual − theoretical
%error = × 100%
theoretical

1A-UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

Precision
In physical measurements, some amount of uncertainty is
unavoidable. We can express the precision of a number in the
following ways:
1. Absolute uncertainty
- ex: The steel ball weighs 2.3 ± 0.1 kg. The absolute uncertainty is 0.1 kg.
2. Percent uncertainty
- Divide the absolute uncertainty with the measurement to get the percentage
0.1
- ex: The steel ball weighs 2.3 ± kg = 2.3 ± 4% kg. The percent uncertainty is 4%.
2.3
3. Significant figures (recall)
- The more significant figures are, the more precise.
- ex: A time interval of 81.63s is more precise than 81.6s.

1A-UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

Significant Figures
When doing calculations, avoid keeping more digits in the final than
the significant ones. As a general rule, the final result of a
multiplication or division should have only as many digits as the
number with the least number of significant figures used in the
calculation.
Example:
The radius of a cylinder is 3.25 cm and its height is 8.262 cm. Compute for
the volume of the cylinder.
𝑉 = 𝜋𝑟 2 ℎ
𝑉 = 𝜋 3.25 cm 2 8.262 cm
𝑉 = 274.1585442 cm3 (wrong significant figures)
𝑉 = 274 cm3 (with proper number of significant figures)

1A-UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS