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Physical Quantities
1) Physical Quantities are measurable and have physical (feel, see…) meaning.
2) A physical quantity is a quantity that can be measured.
5) Example - Length:
Units: metres, centimetres, kilometres, feet, inches, miles, nautical miles,
light year
Length Metre m
Mass kilogram kg
Time second s
Temperature Kelvin K
Electric Ampere A
Current
Quantites Unit
speed m/s
area m2
volume m3
density kg/m 3
8) Only quantities that have the same units can be added or subtracted.
Example:
400 cm3 of water is added to 1 litre of water. How much water is there?
Incorrect: 400 + 1 = 401cm3
Correct: 1 litre = 1000cm3
400 + 1000 = 1400 cm3
Base Quantities
1) A base quantity is a physical quantity that cannot be derived from other physical
quantities. Example: length, mass, time.
2) The base quantities and their respective units as well as the symbols used to represent
them are shown in Table 1.
Length, l meter m
Mass, m kilogram kg
Time, t second s
Temperature, T kelvin K
Table 1
UNIT SAINS JMSK PUO Page 2
PHYSICAL QUANTITIES AND MEASUREMENT DBS10012- ENGINEERING SCIENCE
Derived Quantities
Derived quantities are physical quantities that are derived from the combinations of base
quantities through multiplication or division or both these operations.
Example:
Example:
Derived Unit
The derived unit is a combination of base units through multiplying and/or dividing them.
Example:
Find the derived unit of density.
Answer
Scalars Vectors
distance displacement
speed velocity
mass weight
time acceleration
pressure force
energy momentum
Prefixes
1) Prefixes are used to deal with very large or very small numbers.
Example: 2 000 000 000 Byte = 2 GByte
0.000045 m = 45 m
2) Prefixes are the preceding factor used to represent very small and very large physical
quantities in SI units.
Tera T x 1012
Giga G x 109
Mega M x 106
kilo k x 103
deci d x 10-1
centi c x 10-2
milli m x 10-3
micro µ x 10-6
nano n x 10-9
piko p x 10-12
Consistency
1) The consistency of a measuring instrument is its ability to register the same reading
when a measurement is repeated.
2) A set of measurements are consistent if all the values are close to the mean value.
3) The consistency of a measuring instrument can be improved by
a) eliminating parallax errors during measurement.
b) exercising greater care and effort when taking readings.
c) using an instrument which is not defective.
Accuracy
1) Accuracy is the ability of an instrument to give values of measurement that are close
to the actual value.
2) An accurate instrument is able to give readings close to or almost equal to the actual
value of a quantity. An instrument with 100% accuracy does not exist.
3) Ways to improve the accuracy of a measurement:
a) Repeated readings are taken and the average value is calculated.
b) Avoid parallax errors.
c) Avoid zero errors.
d) Use measuring instruments with a higher accuracy.
Sensitivity
Error
Systematic Error
1) Systematic errors are errors associated with a flaw in the equipment or in the design of the
experiment.
2) Systematic errors are cumulative errors that can be corrected, if the errors are known.
3) Systematic errors in measurement result from
a) an incorrect position of the zero point, known as zero error
b) an incorrect calibration of the measuring instrument.
4) Systematic errors always occur (with the same value) if we continue to use the instrument in
the same way.
5) A zero error arises when the measuring instrument does not start from exactly zero.
6) Zero errors can be corrected or eliminated
➢ For measurements of length (using vernier calipers and micrometer screw gauge)
Correct reading = Reading obtained – Zero error
Random Error
UNIT CONVERSION
Example 1
Convert the unit of length, area and volume below to the units given.
a) 7.2 m = ____________cm
b) 0.32 m2 = ____________cm2
c) 0.0012 m3 = ____________cm3
d) 5.6 cm = ____________m
e) 350 cm2 = ____________m2
f) 45000 cm3 = ____________m3
Answer
Example 2
Convert all the following units to units shown:
a) 5 inch = ……… cm
b) 36 inch = ……..foot
c) 60.96 cm = …… inch
d) 4.2 mile = …… yard
e) 3 in2 = ……… cm2
f) 1.4 m2 = ………ft2
g) 1920 acres = ……mile2
h) 5 ounce (oz) = ….. g
i) 907.18 g = ……pound (lb)
j) 4 gallons (gal) = …..L
Answer
a) 5 inch = ……..cm = 5 x 2.54 = 12.7 cm
36
b) 36 inch = ……..foot = = 3 foots
12
60.96
c) 60.96 cm = …… inch = 30.48 × 12 = 2 inch
1.4
f) 1.4 m2 = ………ft2 = = 15.56 ft2
0.09
1920
g) 1920 acres = ……mile2 = = 3 mile2
640
Example 3
Change the following quantities to the units shown:
a) 1 cm3 = ……… m3
b) 13.6 g cm-3 = …….kg m-3
c) 72 km h-1 = ….m s-1
d) 15 ms-1 = …….kmh-1
e) 5.23 mm = …….km
f) 123 m3 = ………cm3
Answer
a) 1 cm3 = 1 cm x 1 cm x 1cm = 10-2 m x 10-2 m x 10-2 m = 10-6 m3
b) 13.6 gcm-3 = 13.6g/1cm3 = (13.6 g x 10-3 kg)/( 10-6m3 ) =13.6 x 103 kg m-3
= 1.36 x 104 kg m-3
Answer
a) 200 kg = 𝟐𝟎𝟎 × 𝟏𝟎𝟑 𝒈
b) 0.3mA = 𝟎. 𝟑 × 𝟏𝟎−𝟑 𝑨
= 5 × 10−2 × 10−6 𝑠
c) 5 x 10-2 µs
= 𝟓 × 𝟏𝟎−𝟖 𝒔
d) 5 × 10−5 𝑀𝑚 = 5 × 10−5 × 106 m
= 𝟓𝟎𝐦
Example 5
➢ 41℉ to ℃
5
= (41 − 32) ×
9
5
=9×
9
=5℃
9
(b) ℃ to ℉ = C × + 32
5
➢ 19℃ to℉
9
= 19 × + 32
5
= 34.2 + 32
= 66.2℉
9
(c) K to ℉ = (K − 273.15) × 5 + 32
➢ 150K to ℉
9
= (150 − 273.15) × + 32
5
= −189.67℃
(d) K to ℃ = K − 273.15
➢ 368K to ℃
=368 − 273.15
= 94.85℃
(e) ℃ to K = C + 273.15
➢ 81℃ to K
= 81 + 273.15
= 354.15K
MEASUREMENT TOOLS
Meter rule
1) The smallest division on a meter rule is 0.1 cm. A meter rule can therefore measure
length accurately up to 0.1 cm only.
Example 6
Figure 1 shows the measurement of the length of a wooden block with rule.
a) State the accuracy of the rule.
b) Why the zero mark on the rule not used as the origin of the measurement?
c) State the category of error that must be avoided when reading the scale.
d) What is the length of the wooden block?
Figure 1
Answer:
Vernier Callipers
◼ This instrument may be used to measure outer dimensions of objects (using the main
jaws), inside dimensions (using the smaller jaws at the top), and depths (using the stem).
◼ Vernier Callipers can measure length with an accuracy of up to 0.01 cm.
0cm 1.2cm
cm
0 1 1 2
0 5 10 0 5 10 1.23cm as no zero error
0cm correction required.
0.03cm
0cm 1.2cm
0 1 1 2
cm
0 5 10 0 5 10
0.03cm
0.06cm
Reading = +0.03cm
(count from 0)
0cm 1.2cm
0 1 1 2
cm
0 5 10 0 5 10
-0.03cm
0cm
Reading = -0.03cm
(count from 10)
Example:
What is the reading of the given instrument?
In figure above, the first significant figures are taken as the main scale reading to the left
of the vernier zero, i.e. 3.4 cm. The remaining digit is taken from the vernier scale
reading that lines up with any main scale reading, (i.e. 0.60 mm or 0.06 cm) on the
vernier scale. Therefore the reading is 3.46 cm.
EXERCISE:
Answer: 3.09 cm
Answer: 0.81 cm
1) A micrometer allows a measurement of the size of a body. It is one of the most accurate
mechanical devices in common use.
2) The micrometer screw gauge can be used to measure very small lengths such as the
diameter of a wire or the thickness of a piece of paper as it can measure length accurately
up to 0.01 mm.
10 35
2.0
0 5 0 30
0 0.00 25 0.25
45 20
40 15
2.25cm as no zero error
correction required.
Zero mark on thimble scale Reading = 2.0 + 0.25
coincides with datum line on = 2.25mm
the main scale and reading
on main scale is zero
Reading = +0.07mm
(count from 0)
2.0
5 30
0 0
0 25
-0.02 0.23
45 20
40 15
Reading = -0.02mm
(count from 0)
Example:
7.5+0.00 = 7.50 mm
EXERCISE:
What is the reading of the given instrument?
Answer: 7.88 mm
Answer: 3.09 mm
Answer: 5.80 mm