12

Senior
High
School
Quarter 1: Weeks 1 and 2
Compiled by: Cherryl A. Largo, Ed.D.
SST-II

REMINDER: DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING IN THIS LEARNING MATERIAL.

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Module 1: Measurements, Conversion, & Estimation
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Content Standard
The learners demonstrate understanding of...
1. The effect of instruments on measurements
2. Uncertainties and deviations in measurement
3. Sources and types of error

Performance Standard
The learners should be able to...
• Solve, using experimental and theoretical approaches, multi-concept, rich content problems involving
measurement, vectors, motion in 1D and 2D, Newton’s Laws, Work, Energy, Center of Mass, momentum,
impulse, and collisions

Most Essential Learning Competencies

1.Solve measurement problems involving conversion of units, expression of measurements in scientific
notation (STEM_GP12EU-Ia-1);
2. Differentiate accuracy from precision (STEM_GP12EU-Ia-2);
3. Differentiate random errors from systematic errors (STEM_GP12EU-Ia-3).

Specific Learning Objectives:

1.Perform unit conversions both in the SI and English units.
2. Identify random errors from systematic errors.
3. Identify accuracy from precision.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

1.1. Physical Quantities

▪ Physical quantity is any number that is used to describe a physical phenomenon
quantitatively.
➢ Example: two physical quantities that describe you are your weight and your height.

1.2. Measurement
▪ Measurement is a process wherein a property of an object is compared to a standard.
▪ Reliable measurements are an important part of physics, but no measurement is absolutely
precise.
▪ Measurements always have uncertainties
▪ Measurements that are close to the “correct” value are accurate.
▪ Measurements which are close to each other are precise.
▪ Measurements can be accurate and precise; precise but inaccurate; and neither accurate nor
precise.

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1.2.1 Uncertainty
• The uncertainty is also called the error because it indicates the maximum difference there is
likely to be between the measured value and the true value.
• The uncertainty or error of a measured value depends on the measurement technique used

1.2.2 Precision and Accuracy

• The degree of exactness of measurement is called precision.
• Precision depends on the instrument and technique used to make the measurement.
• Generally, the device that has the finest division on its scale produces the most precise
measurement. The precision of a measurement is one-half the smallest division of the instrument.

Example: ➢ The graduated cylinder has divisions of 1 mL. You can measure a volume to within
0.5 mL with this device.

• Accuracy describes how well the results of measurement agree with the “true” value; that is,
the accepted value as measured by competent experimenters.
• A common method for checking the accuracy of an instrument is called the two-point
calibration. First, does the instrument read zero when it should? Second, does it give the correct
reading when it is measuring an accepted standard?
• A numerical value of accuracy is given by:

1.3. Units and Standards

• The measurement of any quantity is made relative to a particular standard or unit.

• This unit must be specified along with the numerical value (magnitude) of the quantity.
➢ Example: 2 centimeters (2 is the magnitude; centimeter is the unit of measurement)

1.3.1 System of Units

• The Système International (French for International System), which is abbreviated as SI is
commonly used.
• In SI units, the standard of length is the meter, the standard for time is the second, and the
standard for mass is the kilogram. This system used to be called the MKS (meter-kilogram-second)
system.
• A second metric system is the cgs system, in which the centimeter, gram, and second are the
standard units of length, mass, and time.
• SI uses seven base quantities; these base quantities were originally defined in terms of direct
measurements.
• Other units, called derived units, are created by combining the base units in various ways

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1.3.2. Fundamental and Derived Units
The seven bases (or fundamental) units of the SI system as shown in Table 1.

Base quantities Unit Symbol

Length Meter m
Mass Kilogram kg
Time Second s
Electric current Ampere A
Temperature Kelvin K
Amount of substance Mole mol
Luminous intensity Candela cd
Table 1: Base units/fundamental units

Derived quantities are formed from basic quantities and are shown in Table 2:

Derived Quantities Unit Symbol

Density kilogram per cubic meter Kg/m3
Velocity(speed) meter per second m/s
Force Newton N (1N= kgm/s2)
Table 2: SI derived units
file:///E:/physics/Grade.11.Physics.Module1.pdf

1.3.3.Prefixes
▪ Prefixes are used to change SI units by powers of 10
▪ Prefixes are used to represent multiples or sub-multiples of a more basic unit as shown in
table 3.
Example: 1 kilometer (km) = 1000 meters (m)

Table 3: Prefixes

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1.3.4. Scientific Notation

Scientific notation is also called the “powers-of-ten notation”. This allows one to write only the
significant figures multiplied to 10 with the appropriate power. As a shorthand notation, therefore, use
only one digit before the decimal point with the rest of the significant figures written after the decimal
point.

Examples:

1. The distance from the earth to the nearest star is about 39 900 000 000 000 000m. In scientific
notation, it is written as 3.99 x 1016m. The exponent tells you how many times to multiply by 10.

2. The mass of a hydrogen atom is 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 001 7 kilograms. In scientific
notation, it is written as 1.7 x 10-27kg. The exponent tells you how many times to divide by 10.
file:///E:/physics/Grade.11.Physics.Module1.pdf

1.4. Conversion of Units: Dimensional Analysis

• Dimensional analysis is the method of treating the units as algebraic quantities, which can be
canceled.
• A conversion factor is a multiplier equal to 1.
• Dimensional analysis also is used in choosing conversion factors.
➢ For example: 1 kg = 1000 g, you can construct the following conversion factors:

EXAMPLE PROBLEMS

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 MORE EXAMPLES

1.5. Experimental Errors and Estimation

1.5.1 Random Errors

• These errors are unpredictable. They are chance variations in the measurements over which
you as an experimenter have little or no control. There is just as great a chance that the
measurement is too big as that it is too small.
• Since the errors are equally likely to be high as low, averaging a sufficiently large number of
results will, in principle, reduce their effect.

1.5.2 Systematic Errors

• These are errors caused by how the experiment was conducted. In other words, they are
caused by the design of the system.
• Systematic errors cannot be eliminated by averaging
• In principle, they can always be eliminated by changing how the experiment was done.

In reporting a measurement value, one often performs several trials and calculates the average of the
measurements to report a representative value. The repeated measurements have a range of values due
to several possible sources. For instance, with the use of a tape measure, a length measurement may vary
because the tape measure is not stretched straight in the same manner in all trials.

• When the length of a table is 1.51 ± 0.02 m, this means that the true value is unlikely to be less
than 1.49 m or more than 1.53 m. This is how the accuracy of a measurement is to be reported.
The maximum and minimum provide upper and lower bounds to the true value. The shorthand
notation is reported as 1.51(2) m. The number enclosed in parentheses indicates the uncertainty
in the final digits of the number.
• The uncertainty can be expressed by the number of meaningful digits included in the reported
measurement.
For instance, in measuring the area of a rectangle, one may proceed by measuring the length of its two
sides and the area is calculated by the product of these measurements.

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 Side 1 = 5.25 cm Side 2 = 3.15 cm

Note that since the meterstick gives you a precision down to a single millimeter, there is
uncertainty in the measurement within a millimeter. The side that is a little above 5.2 cm or a little below
5.3 cm is then reported as 5.25 ± 0.05 cm. However, for this example only use 5.25 cm.

Area = 5.25 cm × 3.15 cm = 16.5375 cm2 or 16.54 cm2

There are two broad classes of observational errors: random error and systematic error

The random error varies unpredictably from one measurement to another, while systematic error
has the same value or proportion for every measurement. Random errors are unavoidable, but cluster
around the true value. Systematic error can often be avoided by calibrating equipment, but if left
uncorrected, can lead to measurements far from the true value. Systematic errors primarily influence a
measurement’s accuracy.

References

Garcia, Carlito C. Jr. (2020). General Physics 1. DepEd Division of Dumaguete City.

Introductory Physics I - Duke University. (n.d.). Retrieved August 6, 2020, from

https://webhome.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/Class/intro_physics_1/intro_physics_1.pdf

OpenStax. (n.d.). Physics. Retrieved August 06, 2020, from

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/physics/chapter/1-2-physical-quantities-and-units/

Please RETURN this module to your teacher/adviser once you are through with it.

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 ACTIVITY SHEETS

NAME: ________________________________ WEEK NO.__________

WRITE YOUR ANSWERS HERE.

ACTIVITY 1-DEPENDENT

1. Perform the following conversions and expressed the final answer in scientific notation. Show
solution. ( 5pts. each)

Scoring Rubric
5 pts. - All parts of the question are answered accurately and completely. All directions are followed.
4pts- Answer all the questions correctly, but something is missing such as units.
3 pts. - Answer deals correctly with most aspects of the question, but something is missing.
2pts.- Gives a partially correct answer, or task is incomplete (i.e., one of two parts answered correctly.
1 pt.- Completely misinterprets the problem

a. A jeepney tried to overtake a car. The jeepney moves at 50 km/hour: convert this to the British
system (feet per second)?

b. Use your weight in pounds (while standing on the surface of the Earth) to calculate your mass in
kilograms and grams. (1 kg weighs approx. 2.205 lb on the surface of the Earth) This is a useful
thing to know since almost every other country in the world uses kilograms!

c. Convert the speed 1.0000 m/s [meter/second] to mi/h [miles/hour], expressing your answer to
5 significant figures. (Useful info: 1 mile = 5280 feet exactly, and 1 inch = 2.54 cm exactly.)

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 d. What is the equivalent of 0.0455mW when changed to MW?

2. Use dimensional analysis to check your equation before multiplying.

a. Radio Station. How many megahertz is 106300 kilohertz?

b. Walking distance. How many kilometers are there in 3,250 meters?

c. Leap Year. How many seconds are in a leap year? (1 leap year = 365 days)

ACTIVITY 2 -INDEPENDENT
Read each statement and identify which of the following are random and which are systematic errors.
________________1. a hygroscopic sample is not dried in the oven prior to weighing
________________2. volumetric reading of 28.43mL is written down as 28.34mL
________________3. forgetting a tare or set zero when weighing on a balance

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________________4. the bottom of the meniscus in a burette is estimated to be at zero-milliliter mark
but in fact is very slightly below this mark
________________5.the rest point of a meter needle, oscillating due to some desktop vibration, is
estimated incorrectly.
________________6. measuring your height is affected by minor posture changes
________________7. when taking a volume in a flask, you read the value different each time

ACTIVITY 3- INDEPENDENT

Use the table to answer the questions. (5pts. each.)

Scoring Rubric
5 pts. - All parts of the question are answered accurately and completely. All directions are followed.
4pts- Answer all the questions correctly, but something is missing such as units.
3 pts. - Answer deals correctly with most aspects of the question, but something is missing.
2pts.- Gives a partially correct answer, or task is incomplete (i.e., one of two parts answered correctly.
1 pt.- Completely misinterprets the problem

Measurements: Actual =2.4cm

Student A Student B
Trial 1 2.5cm 1.8cm
Trial 2 2,4cm 1.7cm
Trial 3 2.3cm 1.8cm
Average 2.4cm 1.76cm

1. Was either of the students accurate? Which one? Why?

2. Was either of the students precise? Which one? Why?

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