UNITS AND DIMENSIONS 29

Practice Questions
Very Short Answer Questions [1 Mark Qs.] 2. Why time period of radiation from cesium -133 is chosen as
the standard of time is the definition of 'the second'?
1. How many astronomical units make one metre?
3. The density of mercury is 13.6 gm/cc. Convert it into S.I
2. How many light years make one metre? units
3. How many electrons are there in 1 kg if the mass of one 4. Explain briefly how the distance of an aeroplane is measured
electron is 9.1 × 10–31 kg? by a RADAR.
4. How many times is a millisecond larger than a microsecond? 5. Explain briefly how the depth of ocean is measured by the
5. How many times a kilogram is larger than a microgram? SONAR method.
6. How many a.m.u. make 1 kg ? 6. Explain briefly how size of moon is measured by an
7. Name two physical quantities which have units but no astronomical telescope.
dimensions. 7. How do you measure the distance of a far off star by
8. Name some physical quantities having same dimensions. spectroscopic method?
9. Calculate the dimension of kinetic energy from the formula 8. Which of the following time measuring devices is most
precise?
1 2
K.E. = mv (a) A wall clock (b) A stop watch
2
(c) A digital watch (d) An atomic clock.
10. What is the percentage error in the surface area of a sphere,
Give reason for your answer.
when the error in measuring its radius is ± 4%?
9. During a total solar eclipse the moon almost entirely covers
11. What is the percentage error in measuring the density of a
the sphere of the sun. Write the relation between the
cube if the error in measuring its mass is ±1% and in distances and sizes of the sun and moon.
measuring its length is ±2%?
 a 
 V V – b = RT , where the symbols have their
12. Why length, mass and time are chosen as base quantities 10. If P +
in mechanics?
 2 
13. Define parsec and express it in metres.
a
14. Name the unit used to measure size of a nucleus and express usual meanings, then find the dimension of  .
it in metre.  b 
15. How can a systematic error be eliminated? 11. State the principle of homogeneity of dimensions. Test the
dimensional homogeneity of the following equation:
16. Give approximate ratio of 1 AU and 1 light year.
17. What importance is attached to the final zeroes in a number 1
h  h0  v0t  gt 2
without any decimal point? 2
18. What do you understand by absolute error ? 12. Rule out or accept the following formulae for kinetic energy
19. Define one mole. on the basis of dimensional arguments.
20. Give two examples of non-dimensional variables. 1
21. Write the names of three dimensional constants. (i) K = 3/16 mv2 (ii) K = mv2  ma
2
22. Write two examples of non-dimensional constants.
1
23. Write the number of significant figures in each of the
(iii) K  mv2
following measurements : 2
(a) 1.67 10–27 kg; (b) 0.270 cm
24. It is said that common balance compares masses and spring
Long Answer Questions [5 Marks Qs.]
balance measures weight. If a body is 2 kg in common 1. Explain parallax method for measuring distance of a near
balance, it is 2 kg in spring balance, does it mean that mass star.
is equal to weight? 2. Explain how the height of an inaccessible object is measured
25. If g is the acceleration due to gravity and  is wavelength, by triangulation method.
3. Explain how do you measure the radius of an atom by
then which physical quantity does g represent?
Avogadro's method.
Short Answer Questions [2 or 3 Marks Qs.] 4. The frequency of vibration (v) of a string may depend upon
length (l) of the string, tension (T) in the string and mass
1. What is the advantage of choosing the wavelength of light per unit length (m) of the string. Use method of dimensions
as a standard of length? for establishing the formula for frequency v.
 EBD_7019
30 Physics
Numerical Questions [3 or 5 Marks Qs.] 7. A capacitor of capacitance C = (2.0  0.1)F is charged to
1. The angular diameter of the sun from earth is 16 minute. If a voltage V = (20  0.5) volt. Calculate the charge Q with
the distance of earth from the sun is 1.49×1011m, then what
error limits.
will be the diameter of sun?
8. The radius of a sphere is measured to be (2.1 0.5) cm.
2. The moon is observed from two diametrically opposite
Calculate its surface area with error limits.
points A and B on earth. The angle  subtended at the
moon by the two directions of observation is 154' . 9. Two resistances r1= (5.0  0.2) and r2= (10.0  0.1)  are
connected in parallel. Find the value of equivalent resistance
Calculate the distance of moon from earth. [Given the
with limits of percentage error.
diameter of earth = 1.276 × 107m]
10. Calculate the focal length of a spherical mirror from the
3. The velocity of sound in air is 332m/s. If the units of length
following data :
is km and unit of time is hour, using dimension calculate
the value of velocity? Object distance u = (50.1 0.5) cm, image distance = v
= (20 ± 0.2) cm.
4. A body has an acceleration of 10 km/h2. Find its value in
c.g.s system. 11. A physical quantity Q is given by
5. Convert a power of one mega watt on a system whose Q  A2.B3 2
fundamental units are 10 kg, 1 dm and 1 minute.
C4 D1error
The percentage
2
in A,B, C, D are 1%, 2%, 4%, 2%
6. The resistance R is the ratio of potential difference V and
respectively. Find the percentage error in Q.
current I. What is the % error in R if V = (100 ± 5) volt and
I = (10 ± 0.2)A ?

HOTS/Exemplar Questions
Very Short Answer Questions [1 Mark Qs.] 3. Time for 20 oscillations of a pendulum is measured as
t1 = 39.6s; t2 = 39.9s; t3 = 39.5 s. What is the precision in the
1. What will be the dimensions of (a × b) in the relation measurements? What is the accuracy of the measurement?
2
ax
P where P is pressure, x is distance and t is time. [Exemplar]
bx 4. Give an example of
[HOTS] (a) a physical quantity which has a unit but no
2. Why do we have different units for the same physical dimensions.
quantity? [Exemplar] (b) a physical quantity which has neither unit nor
3. Why length, mass and time are chosen as base quantities dimensions.
in mechanics? [Exemplar] (c) a constant which has a unit.
(d) a constant which has no unit. [Exemplar]
Short Answer Questions [2 or 3 Marks Qs.]
Long Answer Questions [5 Marks Qs.]
1. A function f () is defined as :
1. The nearest star to our solar system is 4.29 light years away.
2 3 4 How much is this distance in terms of parsecs? How much
f    1      ....
2! 3! 4! parallax would this star (named Alpha Centauri) show when
viewed from two locations of the Earth six months apart in
Why is it necessary for q to be a dimensionless quantity?
its orbit around the Sun ? [HOTS]
[HOTS]
2. If velocity of light c, Planck’s constant h and gravitational
2. The liquid drop of density , radius r and surface tension  constant G are taken as fundamental quantities then express
oscillates with time period T. Find T2 in terms of , r and  mass, length and time in terms of dimensions of these
[HOTS] quantities. [Exemplar]