Arithmetic for Engineers

Estimating and rounding

Fractions, ratios
Percentages
Powers and rules of indices
Standard form, SI units
Substitution and transposition
Transposing engineering formulae
Indices
Dimensional analysis

CE1MAT 1
 Estimating and Rounding

Estimating
Every calculation should at least be checked for reasonableness and this can
be done by estimating the result using rounding.

An integer can be rounded to the nearest 10 as follows:

• If the number is less than halfway to the next multiple of 10 then
the number is rounded down to the previous multiple of 10.
• If the number is more than halfway to the next multiple of 10 then
the number is rounded up to the next multiple of 10.
• If the number is exactly halfway to the next multiple of 10 then the
number is rounded up to the next multiple of 10.

The principle applies when rounding to the nearest 100, 1000, etc.

CE1MAT 2
Rounding decimal numbers

To make the manipulation of decimal numbers more manageable in

calculations it is common practice to round to a given number of
decimal places (d.p.) or to a given number of significant figures (s.f.).

Decimal places are counted to the right of the decimal point.

Significant figures are counted from the first non-zero numeral

encountered starting from the left of the number.

CE1MAT 3
 Rounding to n decimal places

• If the (n+1)th decimal digit (after the decimal point) is less than 5 (this is
called rounding down), we simply chop to n places.
• If the (n+1)th decimal digit is 5 or more (this is called rounding up), we add
1 to the nth decimal place and then chop to n places.

123.4467 rounded to 1 dp is 123.4; to 2 dp is 123.45

CE1MAT 4
 Rounding to significant figures

• If the (n+1)th digit is less than 5 (this is called rounding down), we simply
chop to n places.
• If the (n+1)th digit is 5 or more (this is called rounding up), we add 1 to the
nth decimal place and then chop to n places.

CE1MAT 5
 Example

Write the following number correct to the number of decimal places or

significant figures stated:

2.5029 3 d.p.2.503

3 1 s.f.

2.502 d.p.

2.503 s.f.

5 d.p.
2.50290

CE1MAT 6
Trailing zeros

Sometimes zeros must be inserted within a number to satisfy a

condition for a specified number of either significant figures or
decimal places.

For example, 13.1 to three decimal places is 13.100.

Such zeros are called trailing zeros.

CE1MAT 7
 Ratios

If a whole number is separated into a number of fractional parts where each

fraction has the same denominator, the numerators of the fractions form a
ratio.
Example 1.
If a quantity of brine in a tank contains 1 salt and 2 water then the salt and
water are said to be in the ratio 3 3

Example 2.
A piece of metal of length 0.64m is cut into 3 pieces in the ratio: 2:3:5. Find the
length of each piece.

Solution.
1) Find the total number of parts: 2+3+5=10
2) Find the length of 1 part: 0.64÷10=0.064 (m)
3) Find the length of each piece: 2x0.064=0.128 m;

3x0.064=0.192 m ; 5x0.064=0.32 mCE1MAT 8

Percentages

A percentage is a fraction whose denominator is 100.

Example 1.
If 5 out of 100 people are left-handed then the fraction of left-handers is
which is written as 5%

Example 2.
What is the percentage of defective resistor in a batch of 25 if 12 of them are
defective?

Solution

CE1MAT 9
 Percentage error

he percentage error , % error, for an experiment is defined as

experimental value – exact value

error = x1
exact value

Example 1.
The experimental temperature at which water freezes is 275.16 K; the exact
temperature is 273.15 K.
Find the percentage error in the experimental value.

Solution

CE1MAT 10
 Percentage Summary

Percentage, %, means out of 100

To transform a percentage to a fraction, write the percentage figure over 100

and simplify

To express a fraction or decimal in terms of a percentage, multiply by 100.

experimental value – exact value

% error =
x 100
exact value

CE1MAT 11
 Powers and rules of indices

The use of powers in the first instance (also called indices or exponents)
provides a convenient form of algebraic shorthand for repetitive multiplication.

Three basic rules are:

am  an  am n
am  an  amn
am   amn
n

These lead to:

a0  1
am  1m
a
1
am m a

CE1MAT 12
Standard form

Any decimal number can be written as a decimal number greater than or

equal to 1 and less than 10 (called the mantissa) multiplied by the number 10
raised to an appropriate power (the power being called the exponent).

423.8 = 4.238 × 102 = 4.238e2

0.000485= 4.85 × 10-4 = 4.85e-4

Numbers written in standard form can be multiplied or divided by multiplying

or dividing the respective mantissas and adding or subtracting the respective
exponents.
0.84 × 23000 = (8.4 × 10-1) x (2.3 × 104)
= (8.4 x 2.3) × 10-1 × 104
= 19.32 × 103
=1.932×104

CE1MAT 13
 SI units

In engineering some indices of 10 are more popular than others, particularly the
multiples of 3: 103, 10-3, 106 …

CE1MAT 14
 Conversion of units

Example 1.
The density of mercury is 13.55 g/cm3. Write this in units of kg/m3.

Solution
1 m=100cm, 1kg=1000g or 1 cm = 10-2 m, 1 g = 10-3 kg
g 103 kg 13.55  103 kg 3 6 kg
13.55 3  13.55 2 3  6 3
 13.55  10  10 3
 13 550 kg/m3
cm (10 m) 10 m m
Example 2.
Given that 1 mile = 1.6 km, convert 70 miles per hour to m/s.

Solution
miles 1.6 km 1.6  1000 m 70  1.6  1000 m 112000 m
70  70  70    31.11 m/s (2 d.p.)
hour 60  60 s 3600 s 3600 s 3600 s

CE1MAT 15
Expressions and Equations
Different values of the variables in an algebraic expression (called the independent
variables) produce different values for the expression. We assign these expression
values to another variable (called the dependent variable) and so form an equation.

There are different types of equation:

Conditional equation
A conditional equation, usually just called an equation, is true only for certain values of
the symbols involved. For example: x2  4 with solution x  2 and x  2

Identity
An identity is a statement of the equality of two expressions that is true for all values of the
symbols for which both expressions are defined. 2(5  x)  10  2 x
Formula
A formula is a statement of equality that expresses a mathematical fact where all the
variables, dependent and independent, are well-defined. A  r2

CE1MAT 16
 Evaluating expression

When numerical values are assigned to the variables and constants

in an algebraic expression, the expression itself assumes a numerical
value that is obtained by following the usual precedence rules.

This process is known as evaluating the expression.

Example:
R1 R2 276  145
1. If R  R  R , evaluate R when R1=276 and R2=145. R   95.06
1 2 276  145
b
2. If V 
12
 D 2
 Dd  d 2  evaluate V to 3 s.f. when b=1.46 , D=0.864, d=0.517
3.142  1.46
and π=3.142 V
12
 
0.8642  0.864  0.517  0.517 2  0.558 (to 3 s. f .)

CE1MAT 17
Evaluating independent variables.
Transposition
Sometimes the numerical values assigned to the variables and constants in a
formula include a value of the dependent variable and exclude a value of one of
the independent variables. The exercise is then to find the corresponding value
of that independent variable by transposing the equation.

Example:
The kinetic energy, K, of an object of mass M moving with speed v can be
calculated from the formula,
1
K Mv 2
2
Calculate the speed of the moving object if the amount of the kinetic energy
required to move it was 10 joules, and the mass of the object was 5 kg.

Solution. 1
We substitute all known values into the equation: 10   5v2 then 10 2  5v2
2
K=10; M=5
v  20  5  4
2

CE1MAT v2 18
 Transpositions of formulae

A formula can be transposed even when values for the variables and constants
have not been assigned.
T  2 l
g

This is the formula for the period of oscillations, T seconds, of a pendulum,

where l is the length of pendulum (in meters), g is the gravitation constant
g=9.81m/s2 and π= 3.142 to 4 s.f.
We say that T is the subject of the formula (or T is given in terms of l). If we want l to
be the subject of the formula, we need to change to the form l  

T
First, we divide both sides by 2π:  l
2 g
T2 l
Remove the square root by squaring both sides: 
4 2 g
T 2g gT 2
Multiply both sides by g: l l 2
4 2
4
CE1MAT 19
 Examples of transposing engineering
formulae
Example 2

The lift force, L, on the aircraft is given by ,

where ρ is

density, v is speed, A is area and C is lift coefficient. Make v the subject of

the formula.

Solution
Multiply both sides by 2: 2L   v 2 AC

Divide both sides by ρAC: 2L

 v2
 AC

Take the square root of both sides: 2L 2L

v2  v
 AC  AC
CE1MAT 20
 Evaluating variables with different units

The speed of light in a vacuum is c = 299,792,458 m/s = 2.9979 x108 m/s (to 4 dp)
Any other material will cause the light to slow down and can be calculated from the
material's refractive index. So, for instance, silica has the index of refraction,
n = 1.45. The speed of light in a silica optical fibre will be: v = c/n

Calculate the time required for the light to propagate through the transatlantic
optical fibre cable TAT-14 (connecting Denmark and New Jersey in the USA) with
the length of 15,428 km.
Solution:
c sn
distance=speed x time. s  vt  t  sn  ct  t 
n c
Before substituting the known values, check the units used.
S=15428 km should be converted to meters.
S=1.5428 x 104 km=1.5428 x 104 x 103 m = 1.5428 x 107 m.
sn 1.5428  107  1.45 1.5428  1.45
t    0.0746 s  74.6 ms
c 2.9979  10 2.9979  10
8 CE1MAT 21
Rules of Indices

am  an  am n (ab)m  ambm

am  an  amn (a  0) n
 a  an
   amn  b   bn (b  0)
n
am
 
a0  1
am  1m (a  0)
a Remember:
1
am m a (a  b)m  am  bm

CE1MAT 22
 Examples

x
 
2
3 3
Example 1. Simplify the following: a) b) 8x x
x
x x1
a)  1/2  x11/2  x1/2  x
x x

     
2 2 2
b) 3
8x 3
x  (8 x)1/3 x1/3  81/3 x1/3 x1/3  22 x 2/3 x1/3  4 x 2/31/3  4 x1  4 x

1.45
Example 2. A gas in an engine obeys the law PV
1 1  P2V21.45
, where P represents pressure
and V represents volume. Find V2, if P1 = 2×106 N/m2, V1=0.15 m3 and P2 = 2×105 N/m2

1. Check that all the dimensions are the same: N and m

2. Substitute all the given values into the formula : 2  106  0.151.45  2  105  V21.45
2  106  0.151.45
V21.45   10  0.151.45
2  105
V2  (10  0.151.45 )1/1.45  101/1.45  0.15  0.734 m 3 (3 d.p.)
CE1MAT 23
 Dimensional analysis

Any equation describing a physical situation will only be true if both sides have the
same dimensions. It must be dimensionally homogenous.

Quantity SI Unit . Dimension

We can apply the rules of indices to check velocity m/s ms-1 LT-1
dimensional homogeneity. acceleration m/s2 ms-2 LT-2

There are three fundamental dimensions: force

N
kg m/s2 kg ms-2 M LT-2
Mass, Length and Time (M, L and T)
Joule J
energy (or work) N m,
kg m2/s2 kg m2s-2 ML2T-2

Watt W
power N m/s Nms-1
kg m2/s3 kg m2s-3 ML2T-3

Pascal P,
pressure ( or
N/m2, Nm-2
stress)
kg/m/s2 kg m-1s-2 ML-1T-2

CE1MAT density kg/m3 kg m-3 24ML -3

 Example

l
The period T of a pendulum of length l is given by T  2
where g is the acceleration due to gravity. g

Show that the formula has dimensional homogeneity.

Solution.

2π is dimensionless.

1/2
 L 
L
 
1/2
[T ]      T2 T
LT 2  LT 2 

CE1MAT 25
 Example 2

We can use dimension analysis for finding dimensions of constants.

For example, Bernoulli’s equation in fluid mechanics is given by
1 2
P  v   gz  constant Quantity SI Unit . Dimension
2 velocity m/s ms-1 LT-1
Where P = pressure, ρ = density, v = velocity, acceleration m/s2 ms-2 LT-2
g = acceleration due to gravity, z = length
N
force
kg m/s2 kg ms-2 M LT-2
Find the dimensions of the constant.
Solution. Joule J
energy (or work) N m,
kg m2/s2 kg m2s-2 ML2T-2
1 2 3 1 2 3 2
ML T  ( ML )( LT )  ( ML )( LT )( L)
Watt W
 ML1T 2  ML3 L2T 2  ML311T 2 power N m/s Nms-1
kg m2/s3 kg m2s-3 ML2T-3

 ML1T 2  ML1T 2  ML1T 2

Pascal P,
The constant has the dimensions ML1T 2 pressure ( or
stress)
N/m2, Nm-2
kg/m/s2 kg m-1s-2 ML-1T-2

CE1MAT density kg/m3 kg m-3 26 ML-3