Units and
Measurement
Physical Science
Math and Units
Math- the language of Physics
SI Units – International System
MKS
Length m
Mass kg
Time s
National Bureau of Standards
Prefixes
Base SI Units
Quantity Unit Symbol
Length meter m
Mass kilogram kg
Temperature kelvin K
Time second s
Amount of Substance mole mol
Luminous Intensity candela cd
Electric Current ampere a
Derived SI Units (examples)
Quantity unit Symbol
Volume cubic meter m3
Density kilograms per cubic meter kg/m3
Speed meter per second m/s
Newton kg m/ s2 N
Energy Joule (kg m2/s2) J
Pressure Pascal (kg/(ms2) Pa
Limits of Measurement
Accuracy and Precision
Example: Evaluate whether the
following are precise, accurate or
both.
Accurate Not Accurate Accurate
Not Precise Precise Precise
Accuracy - a measure of how
close a measurement is to the true
value of whatever is being
measured.
Example: Accuracy
Who is more accurate when measuring
a book that has a true length of
17.0cm?
Susan:
17.0cm, 16.0cm, 18.0cm, 15.0cm
Amy:
15.5cm, 15.0cm, 15.2cm, 15.3cm
Precision – a measure of how close a
series of measurements are to one
another. A measure of how exact a
measurement is.
Example: Precision
Who is more precise when measuring the
same 17.0cm book?
Susan:
17.0cm, 16.0cm, 18.0cm, 15.0cm
Amy:
15.5cm, 15.0cm, 15.2cm, 15.3cm
Significant Figures
The significant figures in a
measurement include all of the digits
that are known, plus one last digit
that is estimated.
Centimeters and Millimeters
SI Unit Prefixes
Name Symbol Analogy
giga- G 109
mega- M 106
kilo- k 103
deci- d 10-1
centi- c 10-2
milli- m 10-3
micro- μ 10-6
nano- n 10-9
pico- p 10-12
SI Unit Prefixes for Length
Name Symbol Analogy
gigameter Gm 109
megameter Mm 106
kilometer km 103
decimeter dm 10-1
centimeter cm 10-2
millimeter mm 10-3
micrometer μm 10-6
nanometer nm 10-9
picometer pm 10-12
Scientific Notation
M x 10 n
M is the coefficient 1<M<10
10 is the base
n is the exponent or power of 10
To write a number to scientific notation:
1)Put the decimal after the first non-
zero digit.
Example: To convert 5,668,000 first
write 5.668000
2) To find the exponent count the
number of places from the decimal to
the end of the original number.
In 5.668000 there are 6 places after
the decimal.
So the exponent is 6 or 106
3) Drop the ending (or beginning)
zeros (if any).
So 5,668,000 is written as:
5.668x106
Scientific Notation
Exponents are often expressed using
other notations.
5.668E+6 or
5.668 x 10^6
Numbers less than 1 will have a
negative exponent.
A millionth of a second is:
0.000001 sec 1x10-6
1.0E-6 1.0^-6
Speed of Light
300,000,000 m/sec
Example 1
Express the following in scientific
notation:
73,822 m =
0.001234 g =
34,532.666 s =
0.447600 m =
Example 2
Express the following in standard
numerical form:
4.75 x 10-3 m =
8.99 x 107 g =
1.44 x 101 s =
3.334 x 10-6 m =
Factor-Label Method of Unit
Conversion
Example: Convert 5km to m:
NEW UNIT
5km x 1,000m =5,000m
km
OLD UNIT
Factor-Label Method of Unit
Conversion: Example
Example: Convert 7,000m to km
7,000m x 1 km =0.007m = 7x10-3km
1,000m
Problem Solving Method
1) Make a list of: knowns
unknowns
2) a) If applicable, make a diagram.
b) Write the related formula.
c) Substitute the numbers with
units and check that the units are
uniform.
3) Write the answer with the units.
Multiplication in Scientific Notation
New coefficient= product of coefficients
New exponent= sum of exponents
Perform the following calculations:
(9 x 105)m· ( 7 x 10-6)m=
(3 x 103)m· ( 2. x 103)m=
Division in Scientific Notation
New coefficient= quotient of coefficients
New exponent= exponent of numerator
-exponent of denominator
Perform the following calculations:
12 x 102 kg / 8 x 102 m3=
24 x 104 kg/ 6 x 102 m3=
Addition and Subtraction in Scientific Notation
A. First express each number with the same
exponent as the other
B. New coefficient=sum of coefficients
Perform the following calculations:
3 x 104 + 2 x 104=
5 x 1023 - 1. x 1022=
1.5 x 106 + 2.7 x 103=
