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PHYSICAL QUANTITIES

Physics: Study of matter in relation to energy.

Physical Quantity: A property of matter than can be quantified with measurement and
can also be expressed as a number.

There are two types of physical quantities. These are

1. Basic Physical quantities
2. Derived Physical quantities

Basic Physical Quantities.

These are the fundamental physical quantities.
Quantity Symbol SI Units Symbol of SI Units.
Length s,l metre n
Mass m kilogram kg
Time t seconds s
absolute temperature T Kelvin K
electric current I Amperes A
luminar intensity L Candela Ca
molecular quantity n mol mol

Derived Physical Quantities

These are derived from one or more basic quantities.
Quantity Symbol SI Units Symbol of SI Units.
Area A metres squared m2
Volume V Cubic metres m3
Velocity u,v metres per second m/s or ms-1
Acceleration a metres per second squared m/s2 or ms21
Pressure P Pascals Pa
Energy E, U, Q, W Joules J
Density  kilograms per cubic metre kg/m or kgm-3
3

Frequency f Hertz Hz
Voltage V Volts V
Charge Q Coulombs C
Force F Newtons N
Resistance R Ohms 

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Multiples And Submultiples Of Si Units

Power Prefix Abbreviation

10-18 atto- A
10-15 femto- F
10-12 pico- P
10-9 nano- N
10-6 micro- 
10-3 milli- M
10-2 centi- C
10-1 deci- D
101 deka- Da
102 hecto- H
103 kilo- K
106 Mega- M
109 Giga- G
1012 Tera- T
1015 Peta- P
1018 Exa- E

Unit Conversions
Sometimes it may be necessary to convert from one unit to another unit for the same physical
quantity.

 To convert from a base unit to a multiple/submultiple, divide by the power of ten for
the prefix.

E.g. Change 200 metres to millimetres.

= 200 x 103 millimetres.

 To convert from a base unit to a multiple/submultiple, multiply by the power of ten

for the prefix.

E.g. Change 300 Megavolts to volts.

300 x 106 volts.

Classwork
Perform the following unit conversions
1 10 mm to m
2. 300 GHz to Hz
3. 0.01 A to A
4. 20 km to mm
5. 480 mJ to MJ
6. 1 mm2 to m2

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7. 1 m3 to cm3.
Measurement of Time
Time: - Period between events
- Duration of an event.

Instruments used to measure time include watch/clock, pendulum, sundial, hourglass.

Time measuring instruments depend on events which can repeat themselves regularly.
Examples include
-vibration of quartz crystals
-appearance of the moon/stars/sun in the sky.
-croacking of the cock.

SI units of time are seconds (s). Other units include Minutes, Hours, Days, Week, Fortnight,
Months, Years, Decades, Centuries & Millennium.

Using a stopwatch to measure time.

A stopwatch is used in labs to measure the duration of an event and in some cases the period
between events.

Start/stop button: Used to initiate and end the timing process

Lap/reset button: Used to reset the watch and also to momentarily stop the watch to take
a reading.

What time is shown by the stopwatch above?

Time shown =............................

Accuracy of the stopwatch

Accuracy of any measuring instrument is the smallest measurement that can be made with the
instrument, or the smallest division in the instrument.

Thus the accuracy of the stopwatch is 0.01 seconds.

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Errors associated with the use of a stopwatch

1. Human reaction time: People do not react in a similar manner in similar situations. i.e
reaction times are not always the same. This can lead to errors
of time measurement. These errors can be minimized by taking
multiple readings and then calculating the average
2. Zero Error: This is where the instrument does not commence readings at zero. It is
more prevalent in analogue clocks.

Period of a Simple Pendulum

This consists of a mass attached to a string which is then allowed to swing freely. The time
taken to make one complete swing is called the Period (T) of the pendulum.

Experiment to find period of a pendulum.

Apparatus: Pendulum bob + string
Metre ruler
Stopwatch
Retort stand + clamp.
Procedure:
1. Setup the apparatus as shown below.

2. Measure and record l, the length of the pendulum.

3. Using the stopwatch, measure and record the time taken to make 20 complete
oscillations. A complete oscillation is movement from Q to R and back to Q.
4. Calculate the period, T.
5. Repeat steps 2 and 4 for two more values of l.
6. Record your results in the table below.

Length (cm) Time for 20 oscillations (s) Period, T (s)

Factors affecting the period of a pendulum.

i) Length

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ii) Acceleration due to gravity

Measurement of Length
Length is a measurement of how long something is. SI units are metres (m). Instruments used
to measure length include;
- ruler
- measuring tape
- clickwheel
- vernier alipers
- micrometer screwgauge

Measurement of length using a ruler.

When using a ruler, one must try to avoid parallax error and zero error.

Measurement of length using a Vernier Calipers.

A vernier callipers is used to measure internal and external diameters, thickness of metal
sheets, small depths, etc. The vernier callipers has two scales; the main scale and the vernier
scales. The vernier scale slides over the main scale.

The final reading from the instrument is the sum of the Main Scale Reading and the Vernier
Scale Reading.

The main scale reading is the mark on the main scale which is to the left of the zero of the
vernier scale.
The vernier scale reading is any mark on the vernier scale which coincides with any other
mark on the main scale. The smallest division on the vernier scale is 0.01 cm.

Errors associated with the use of a vernier callipers include zero error and parallax error.

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Accuracy of the vernier callipers is 0.1 mm.

Measurement of length using a Micrometer Screw gauge.

A measuring cylinder is used to measure small lengths accurately. It is able to give more
accurate readings of length up to 25 mm.

The micrometer screw gauge has two scales; the main scale and the drum scales. The drum
scale slides over the main scale.

The final reading from the instrument is the sum of the Main Scale Reading and the Drum
Scale Reading.

The Main Scale Reading is the last mark on the main scale which is on the edge of the
drum/thimble. The main scale is calibrated/graduated in millimetres.

The Drum Scale Reading is any mark on the drum scale which coincides with the horizontal
line passing through the main scale. The smallest division on the drum scale is 0.01 mm.

Errors associated with the use of a micrometer screw gauge include parallax error and zero
error. There are two types of zero errors associated with the screw gauge. This are negative
zero error and positive error.

Diagram (b) shows a positive zero error of 0.02 mm.

Diagram (c) shows a negative zero error of -0.04.

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Accuracy of the micrometer screw gauge is 0.01 mm.

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