Chapter1-Section2

Measurements in experiments
 Focus Question

How is math helpful to physicists?

 New Vocabulary

dimensional analysis
significant figures
 Review Vocabulary

SI: an adaptation of the metric system used by

the worldwide scientific community; short for
Système International (d’unités)
 Mathematics in Physics

• Physicists often use the language of mathematics.

• Physicists rely on theories and experiments with
numerical results to support their conclusions.
 SI Units

• The worldwide SI Base Units

scientific community Base Quantity Base Unit Symbol
uses an adaptation Length meter m
of the metric system
Mass kilogram kg
called Système
Time second s
International
Temperature kelvin K
(d’unités)
Amount of substance mole mol
Electric current ampere A
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 SI Units

• The SI system of SI Base Units

measurement uses Base Quantity Base Unit Symbol
seven base Length meter m
quantities.
Mass kilogram kg
• Other units, called
Time second s
derived units, are
Temperature kelvin K
created by
Amount of substance mole mol
combining the base
Electric current ampere A
units in various ways.
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 SI Units
Prefixes used with SI units
• Prefixes are Prefix Symbol Multiplier Example
used to femto– f 10−15 femtosecond (fs)
change SI pico– p 10−12 picometer (pm)
base units nano– n 10−9 nanometer (nm)
to powers micro– μ 10−6 microgram (g)
of 10. milli– m 10−3 milliamps (mA)
centi– c 10−2 centimeter (cm)
deci– d 10−1 deciliter (dL)
kilo– k 103 kilometer (km)
mega– M 106 megagram (Mg)
giga– G 109 Gigameter (Gm)
tera– T 1012 terahertz (THz)
 Dimensional Analysis

• Dimensional analysis is a method of treating units as

algebraic quantities that can be cancelled.
• Dimensional analysis can be used to check that you
have set up a problem correctly, check that your answer
has the correct units, and choose conversion factors.
Example:
 Dimensional Analysis

Practice Problems
• Convert 32 cm/s to km/h.

 32 cm  60 s  60 min  1 m  1 km 
       1.2 km h
 s  1 min  1 h  100 cm  1000 m 
• Determine the units for energy using the formula for kinetic energy:
Kinetic energy = mass × (velocity)2. Recall that the unit of mass is kilograms and that
velocity is measured in meters per second.

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Education Mathematics and Physics
 How wide is our universe?

210,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles
(22 zeros)
This number is written in decimal notation. When numbers
get this large, it is easier to write them in scientific
notation.
What is scientific Notation?

• Scientific notation is a way of expressing really

big numbers or really small numbers.
• It is most often used in “scientific” calculations
where the analysis must be very precise.
 Scientific notation

• A number is expressed in scientific notation

when it is in the form
a x 10n
• where a is between 1 and 10
• and n is an integer
Write the width of the universe in
scientific notation.

210,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles
Where is the decimal point now?
After the last zero.
Where would you put the decimal to make
this number be between 1 and 10?
Between the 2 and the 1
 2.10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

How many decimal places did you move the

decimal?
23
When the original number is more than 1, the
exponent is positive.
The answer in scientific notation is
2.1 x 1023
 Express 0.0000000902 in
scientific notation.
Where would the decimal go to make the
number be between 1 and 10?
9.02
The decimal was moved how many places?
8
When the original number is less than 1, the
exponent is negative.
9.02 x 10-8
 Example
• The distance from the sun to the earth is 93 ,000, 000 miles

Answer : 9.3 miles

 Practice
Convert to scientific notation

• 5400000

• 0.0001976
 Focus Question

Why is it important to make careful

measurements?
 New Vocabulary

measurement
precision
accuracy
 What is measurement?

• A measurement is a comparison between an

unknown quantity and a standard.
• Measurements quantify observations.
• Careful measurements enable you to derive
the relationship between any two quantities.

What are some quantities you might

measure during your study of physics?
 Precision Versus Accuracy

• Precision is the
degree of exactness
of a measurement.
• Accuracy describes
how well the results
of a measurement
agree with the
accepted value.
 Techniques of Good Measurement

• To assure precision and accuracy,

instruments used to make measurements
must be used correctly.
• Scales should be read with one’s eye straight
in front of the measure.
• If a person reads a scale from an angle, he or
she will get a different, and less accurate,
value. This effect is called parallax.
 Significant Figures

• All measurements are approximate and have

significant figures. The last digit given for any
measurement is the uncertain digit.
• Significant figures are the valid digit in a
measurement.
• The number of significant figures depends on the
precision of the measuring device.
 Significant Figures

Using the upper ruler: Using the lower ruler:

• The length is between • The length is between
9.50 cm and 9.60 cm. 9.0 cm and 10 cm.
• The measurement • The measurement would
would be estimated to be estimated to the
the nearest hundredth nearest tenth of a
of a centimeter. centimeter.
 Significant Figures

Rules of Significant Figures

1. Nonzero digits are significant.
2. Final zeros after a decimal point are significant.
3. Zeros between two significant figures are significant.
4. Zeros used only as placeholders are not significant.

Exact Numbers
5. Counting numbers have an infinite number of
significant figures.
6. Conversion factors have an infinite number of
significant figures.
 Significant Figures

Practice Problems
• State the number of significant figures in each measurement.
o 5.0 mL o 2 significant figures
o 2.9979 ×108 m/s o 5 significant figures
o 2.50 km o 3 significant figures
o 10,500 pF o 3 significant figures

• Complete the following calculations using the correct number of significant figures.
o 5.012 m + 3.4 m + 2.33 m
o 3.40 m ÷ 6.5 s o 10.7 m

o 807 m/s2 × 5.5 s o 0.52 m/s

o 610 mA − 500 mA o 4,440 m/s

o 100 mA
Solving Problems

Problem THE PROBLEM

• Read the problem carefully.
When a car travels at a speed of
• Be sure you understand what is
110 km/h for 4.0 h, how far did the car travel?
being asked.

Response
ANALYZE AND SKETCH THE PROBLEM
KNOWN UNKNOWN ANALYZE AND SKETCH THE
speed = 110 km/h distance = ? km PROBLEM
time = 4.0 h • Read the problem again.
• Identify what you are given, and
list the known data.
• Identify and list the unknowns.
• Plan the steps you will follow to
find the answer.
Solving Problems
EVALUATE THE ANSWER
• 440 km is about 270 miles, which is
Problem reasonable for a car going 110 km/h
When a car travels at a speed of (about 65 mph).
110 km/h for 4.0 h, how far did the car travel? • The answer is in km, which is correct for
distance.
• Each of the known values has two
Response significant figures, as does the answer.
ANALYZE AND SKETCH THE PROBLEM
KNOWN UNKNOWN
speed = 110 km/h distance = ? km
time = 4.0 h EVALUATE THE ANSWER
• Check your math.
SOLVE FOR THE UNKNOWN
• Reread the problem. Is the
• Use the relationship among speed, distance, and
question answered?
time to solve for the car’s speed.
• Is the answer reasonable?
speed = distance / time
• Are the units and the significant
distance = speed × time
figures correct?
= 110 km/h × 4.0 h
= 440 km
Solving Problems

Problem
When a car travels at a speed of
110 km/h for 4.0 h, how far did the car travel?

Response
ANALYZE AND SKETCH THE PROBLEM
KNOWN UNKNOWN
speed = 110 km/h distance = ? km
time = 4.0 h SOLVE FOR THE UNKNOWN
• If the solution is mathematical,
SOLVE FOR THE UNKNOWN write the equation and isolate the
• Use the relationship among speed, distance, and unknown factor.
time to solve for the car’s speed. • Substitute the known quantities
speed = distance / time into the equation.
distance = speed × time • Solve the equation.
= 110 km/h × 4.0 h
= 440 km
 Quiz
1. Which of these is an SI base unit?

A gram C meter CORRECT

B hour D Celsius degree

 Quiz
2. Which is the prefix used to signify a multiplier of
0.001 for SI units?

A kilo– C centi–

B micro– D milli– CORRECT

 Quiz
3. A length is measured to be 19.57 cm. Which is the
uncertain digit in this measurement?

A 1 C 5

B 9 D 7 CORRECT
 Quiz
4. A researcher counts 156 offspring in a colony of birds.
How many significant digits does 156 have?

A 2

B 3

C infinite CORRECT

D none
 Quiz
5. A car travels at a speed of 100.0 km/h for 0.022 h. How
far does the car travel, to the correct number of
significant digits?

A 2.2 km CORRECT C 2 km

B 2.200 km D 2.20 km
 Quiz
1. A measurement is a comparison between an unknown
quantity and

A another unknown C a standard CORRECT

quantity

B a prediction D a estimate
 Quiz
2. Which describes how close a measurement is to
the true value?

A significance C precision

B reproducibility D accuracy
CORRECT
 Quiz
3. Which describes a measurement that is repeatable and
consistent?

A high accuracy and C high precision

precision CORRECT

B low precision D high accuracy

 Quiz
4. Which is the term for the effect that occurs when
a measurement is taken from an angle?

A parallax C scattering
CORRECT

B diffusion D refraction