Chapter 1 : Making Measurements

Objectives-
⦿ To understand the need for measurement.
⦿ To study the measurement of length with
proper units.
⦿ To study the measurement of volume with
proper units.
⦿ Use of vernier callipers.
⦿ Use of micrometer screw gauge.
⦿ Concept and measurement of density
⦿ Measurement of time
 Need for measurement
⦿ Knowing physical quantities such as mass, weight,
length, volume etc without proper measurement
techniques and standards (units) is useless.
⦿ Measuring units are essential part of proper
communication.
For example: If you ask for 5 litre of milk, the milkman
would know that you require milk in an amount which
is 5 times of a standard unit known as litre. Then he
might use a can of 1 litre and fill it up 5 times. Or use a
500 ml can and fill it up 10 times to make it 5 litre.
⦿ Thus, measurement is a technique in which properties
of an object are determined by comparing it to a
standard.
Continued….
⦿ The word “measurement’’ comes from the Greek
work “metron’’ which means “limited proportion’’.
⦿ Anything which can be measured is called Physical
Quantity.
Example : mass, length, area, density
⦿ Emotions, happiness, anger etc cannot be measured
and thus do not classify as physical quantity.
⦿ For measurement we require tools and need to follow
a particular system of units.
⦿ Système International d’Unites (International System
of Units) or SI system is used more commonly in
every country for measurement.
Measuring length

⦿ In everyday life, we use a ruler to measure

length.
⦿ Here in the figure is a ruler marked (calibrated)
in mm.
⦿ Hence this ruler can give precise
measurement up to 1 millimetre.
Continued…
⦿ Certain other lengths such as the
diameter of a sphere (ball) or the radius
of wire can be measured using tools like
vernier calliper or micrometre screw
gauge.
⦿ The length of curved lines or the
circumference of a cylinder can be
measured by laying a thread on it and
the using a ruler to measure the length
of thread.
Units of length

⦿ The most common units of length

measurement are :
a. metre (m)
b. centimetre (cm) …… [1cm=10-2 m]
c. millimetre (mm) …… [1 mm=10-3 m]
d. micrometre (μm)….. [1 μm=10-6 m]
e. kilometre (km) …... [1km=103 m]
 Vernier callipers
⦿ It is an instrument used to measure length
(distances) such as diameter of sphere/cylinder
and depth.
⦿ It can give precise measurement of length up to
0.01 cm (0.1 mm)
⦿ It was invented in 1631 by French mathematician
Pierre Vernier.
⦿ This instrument has two sets of callipers (jaws).
One is used to measure outer diameter while the
upper jaws are used to measure inner diameter
of hollow objects.
⦿ It also has a needle at the other end which can
be used to measure the depth.
Vernier calliper with labelling
 Measurement using Vernier Calliper
⦿ Vernier calliper has two scales : Main scale and
Vernier scale.
⦿ Total distance between the jaws
= Main scale reading + Vernier scale reading
⦿ Main scale reading is the reading pointed by the
zero of vernier scale on the main scale. This is
measured in mm.
⦿ Vernier scale reading
= (0.1 × Vernier scale division) mm
⦿ Vernier scale division is the marking on vernier
scale which is exactly coinciding (aligned) with
one of the marking of the main scale.
Example :
⦿ Here the zero of vernier scale
is pointing to 4.3 cm as it has
not crossed 4.4 cm marking.
Hence MSR = 4.3 cm

⦿ Also the 5th division of vernier

scale is exactly aligned with
one of the marking on main
scale.
Hence VSD = 5

⦿ Therefore, VSR = 0.01×5 =

0.05 cm

⦿ Total reading
= MSR + VSR
= 4.3 + 0.05
= 4.35 cm
 Micrometre Screw Gauge
⦿ The first hand-held micrometre screw
gauge was build by Jean Laurent Palmer
in 1848.
⦿ This instrument is mostly used to
measure the diameter of thin wires up to
a precision of 0.01 mm (0.001 cm).
⦿ It has a shaft (rod) and a rotating barrel.
The object whose length is to be
measured is placed between the jaws.
Micrometre screw gauge with
labelling

Jaws

Rotating barrel with

circular scale of 50
Main scale in
divisions
mm
 Measurement using Micrometre
Screw Gauge
⦿ This instrument has two scales : Main scale and the
fractional (circular) scale.
⦿ The main scale is located on the shaft while the
fractional scale is on the rotating barrel.
⦿ Total reading
= Main scale + Fractional scale
⦿ Main scale reading is pointed by the edge of the
rotating barrel.
⦿ Fractional scale reading = (0.01 × CSD) mm
⦿ CSD stands for circular scale division. This is
pointed by the main scale line on the fractional
scale. Thus the main scale line serves as a
reference line to find the coinciding division on
fractional scale.
Example :
⦿ Here the edge of rotating
barrel has crossed 7.5 mm
mark on main scale but
not the 8.0 mm mark.
Hence MSR = 7.5 mm
⦿ The main scale is pointing
to the 24th division on
circular scale.
Hence CSD = 24
⦿ Fractional reading, CSR
= 0.01 × 24 = 0.24 mm
⦿ Total reading
= MSR + CSR
= 7.5 + 0.24 = 7.74 mm
= 0.774 cm
One more example :
What is the reading shown in
the vernier calliper?
a. 3.14 cm
b. 2.78 cm
c. 2.88 cm
d. 3.62 cm

Answer : 2.78 cm
Another example :
What is the reading shown in the following
picture of micrometre screw gauge?
a. 2.88 mm
b. 2.38 mm
c. 2.38 cm
d. 3.34 mm

Answer : 2.88 mm
Measuring volume
⦿ Volume is the amount of space
occupied by an object
(solid/liquid/gas).
⦿ In case of a solid, the object can be
a regular object (cube, cuboidal) or
an irregularly shaped object such as
a stone.
⦿ Liquids and gases have volume equal
to the volume of container.
How do you calculate the volume of
a solid rectangular object?
⦿ The volumes of solid objects are
usually expressed in cm3 or m3.
⦿ If you want to know the volume
of a rectangular object, such as
a brick, you need to measure the
object’s length, width, and
height, then, you multiply these
values
 Volume of a regular object
⦿ Volume = Length x
Width x Height
⦿ Measurements always Height
have units, so when
you multiply the 3
measurements, you Width
must multiply the units Length
as well as the numbers
Units = cm x cm x cm
= cm3
How can you measure the volume
of an irregularly shaped object?
⦿ The most commonly used way to measure
the volume of an irregularly shaped object,
such as a rock, is to use the water
displacement method.
⦿ First you fill up a graduated cylinder with a
level of water that will cover the object
⦿ Then you drop the irregularly shaped object
into the graduated cylinder of water and
observe how much higher the water level
becomes.
 Continued…….
⦿ The volume of the object
(V) would be the
difference between the
volume of the water with
object (V2)from the
volume of the water
without object (V1).
⦿ Subtracting these two
volumes will give you the
volume of an irregularly
shaped object.
Volume of liquids
Units of volume
⦿ Certain common units for measuring volume are :
a. cubic metre (m3)
b. cubic centimetre (cm3)….[1 cm3 = 10-6 m3]
c. cubic decimetre (dm3)….[1 dm3 = 10-3 m3]

⦿ Volume of liquids are generally measured in :

a. litre (l) ……[ 1 litre = 10-3 m3]
b. millilitre (ml)….[1 ml = 10-3 litre]
c. 1 ml = 1 cm3
 What is density?
⦿ Samples of 2 different materials may have the same
volume but they might not have the same mass

⦿ For example, 1 kg of sand takes up much less space than

1 kg of feathers

⦿ The volumes differ because sand and feathers have

different densities

⦿ Density relates the mass of a material in a given volume

 How is density expressed?
1. Density is expressed as the number of grams in
one cubic centimeter
2. For example, the density of water at room
temperature is stated as “one gram per cubic
centimeter (1g/cm3)
3. You can determine the density of a sample of
matter by dividing its mass by its volume
4. SI unit of density can be written as kg/m3
Mass
Density =
Volume
How do we use density?
⦿ Whether an object sinks
or floats in a given liquid
depends on the density of
object as compared to
density of the liquid.
⦿ For example, if we drop a
solid block of wood and a
solid block of iron into a
tub of water, we would
see that the wood would
float while the iron would
sink.
Reason : Density of wood
is less than density of
water hence it floats.
Density
applications
Density calculations
Example 1 :
A cube of side 4 cm
is placed on a mass
balance. What is the
density of the cube?
a. 8.88 g/cm3
b. 0.11 g/cm3
c. 1.11 g/cm3
d. 88.8 g/cm3
Answer :

Mass = 7.2 g

Volume = 4 cm × 4 cm × 4 cm

= 64 cm3

Density =

= 0.11 g/cm3 ……(option b)

Example 2 :
Some data about the density of
materials is given in the table.
a. Identify which
Material State Density materials will float
g/cm3
on material B and
A Liquid 0.920 which materials
would sink into it?
B Liquid 1.000
Explain why.
C Solid 7.900 b. Calculate the mass
D Solid 2.700 of a sphere of
radius 6 cm made
from material C.
Express your
answer in kg.
 Answers :
a. Material A will float on material B since A has less dense as
compared to B.
Materials C and D would sink as they both are denser as
compared to B.

b. Density of C = 7.900 g/cm3

Volume of sphere =

= 904.90 cm 3
Mass = Density × Volume
= 7.900 × 904.90
= 7148.71 g
= 7.148 kg
Example 3 :
A measuring cylinder contains 30 cm3 of a liquid. Some
more of the liquid is added until the liquid level reaches 40
cm3 mark. The reading on the balance increases by 20 g.
What is the density of the liquid?

a. 2 g/cm3

b. 0.5 g/cm3

c. 2.2 g/cm3

d. 50 g/cm3

Answer : 2 g/cm3
 Measuring Time
⦿ Time is measured using an analogue or
a digital stopwatch.
⦿ The SI unit for measuring time is second
(s).
⦿ The precision of the watch differs from
one watch to another.
⦿ Analogue watch generally has a
precision of 1 second, whereas a digital
stopwatch may have precision of 0.1 s
or even 0.01 s.
 Continued…
⦿ In some applications, a pendulum is used to maintain the
time.
⦿ Time period of the pendulum is the time required by it for
one complete swing.
⦿ For wall clocks which have pendulum, the time period is 1
second. So it takes 1 second for the pendulum to complete
one swing.
⦿ Time interval is defined as the time taken to complete an
event.
For example : time to complete a race
Time interval = tfinal – tinitial
⦿ Very short time intervals can be measured electronically
using sensors such as light gates.
Time period of a pendulum
⦿ Sometimes it is difficult to measure the time
period of pendulum using a single swing.
⦿ So we measure the time required for N
number of swings. N can be 10, 20, 30 or
even 100.
⦿ Then the time period for one swing is found
by taking the average.

Time period =
Example 1 :
A pendulum is set in motion and timed.
The time measured for 20 complete
swings is 2.2 minutes.
What is the time for one complete swing
of the pendulum?
a. 0.66 s
b. 0.11 s
c. 1.16 s
d. 6.6 s

Answer : 6.6 s
Example 2 :
A stopwatch is used to time an athlete
running 100 m. The timekeeper forgets
to reset the watch to zero before using it
to time another athlete running 100 m.
How long does second athlete take to
run 100 m?
a. 15 s
b. 17 s
c. 15.5 s
d. 18 s

Answer : 15 s
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