PHYSICS STEM F
FIRST QUARTER
UNITS OF MEASUREMENT SI UNIT PREFIXES
WHAT IS PHYSICS?
❑ is simply the study of everyday phenomena
❑ the STUDY of MATTER and ENERGY and their
RELATIONSHIP
PHYSICAL QUANTITY
•A physical quantity is a property of a material or system that
can be quantified by measurement.
• It can be expressed as the combination of a numerical value CONVENTION OF UNITS
and a unit. the conversion between different units of measurement for the
• FUNDAMENTAL QUANTITIES same quantity, typically through multiplicative conversion
• The physical quantities which do not depend on any factors.
other physical quantities for their measurements are
known as fundamental quantities. UNIT CONVERSION
•Examples: Mass, Length, Time and Temperature • a multi-step process that converts units of measurement for
•DERIVED QUANTITIES the same quantity.
• The physical quantities which depend on one or more • includes division or multiplication by a numerical factor or
fundamental quantities for their measurements are rounding off the significant digits
known as derived quantities.
•Examples: Area, Volume, Speed and Force COMMON UNIT CONVERSION
•The standard used for the measurement of a physical quantity • MASS/WEIGHT
is called a unit. 1. 1 kg = 1000 g
Examples: 2. 1 kg = 2.2046 lbs
1. metre, foot, inch --- for length • LENGTH/DISTANCE
2. kilogram, pound --- for mass 1. 1 km = 1000 m
3. second, minute, hour --- for time 2. 1 m = 3.281 ft
4. Fahrenheit, Kelvin, Celsius --- for temperature • VOLUME
•Characteristics of Units 1. 1 L = 1000 Ml
Examples: 2. 1 L = 1.0567 quarts
1.Well – defined 4. Invariable • AREA
2.Suitable size 5. Indestructible 1. 1 sq. inch = 6.4516 sq. centimeters
3.Reproducible 6. Internationally Acceptable 2. 1 sq. foot = 0.0929 sq. meters
SYSTEM OF MEASUREMENT
CGS (centimeter, gram and seconds);
MKS (meter, kilogram and seconds)
FPS (foot, pound and seconds)
CGS (centimeter, gram and seconds)
•This system was first introduced in France.
•It is also known as Gaussian system of units.
•It is based on centimeter, gram and second as the
fundamental units of length, mass and time.
MKS (meter, kilogram and seconds)
•This system was also introduced in France.
•It is also known as French system of units.
•It is based on meter, kilogram and second as the fundamental
units of length, mass and time. DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS
This method of converting units is used in science and
FPS (foot, pound and seconds) engineering. This method is an effective way converting units
•This system was introduced in Britain. using the established conversions.
•It is also known as British system of units.
•It is based on foot, pound and second as the fundamental
units of length, mass and time.
International System of Units
•In 1971, General Conference on Weight and Measures
held its meeting and decided a system of units for international
usage.
•This system is called international system of units and
abbreviated as SI from its French name.
•The SI unit consists of seven fundamental units and two
supplementary units.
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
They are any non-zero digits or trapped zeros. They do not
include leading or trailing zeros.
•The total number of digits (reliable digits + last uncertain
digits) which are directly obtained from a particular
measurement.
• EXAMPLES
1. 12.76 s (4 sf)
2. 1.8 cm (2 sf)
TYPES OF ERRORS
RULES ✓ BLUNDERS
✓ All non – zero digits are significant. ➢ If you spot inconsistencies in data points, then a
Examples: “blunder” may have occurred. The following
16 → 2 sf examples can be considered blunders:
35.6 → 3 sf 1. Typographical errors in the data.
6438 → 4 sf 2. Using wrong data in the analysis.
✓ Zeroes between non-zero digits are significant. 3. Using wrong equations for the analysis
Examples: ✓ RANDOM ERRORS
205 → 3 sf ➢ These errors do not occur in a definite pattern and
3008 → 4 sf can’t be controlled. Possible examples include:
60.005 → 5 sf 1. Electronic fluctuations in the measuring equipment
✓ Terminal Zeroes in a number without decimal are not due to power surges or defective battery.
significant unless specified by a least count. 2. Cosmic ray damage on detectors
Examples: ✓ SYSTEMATIC ERRORS
400 → 1 sf ➢ Systematic errors generally lead to results that are
3050 → 3 sf consistently “off” in some manner.
19,000 → 2 sf 1. Faulty calibration of equipment.
✓ Terminal Zeroes that are also to the right of a decimal point 2. Bias from observer or experimenter.
in a number are significant. 3. A defective technique used by the experimenter.
Examples: 4. A defect in the design of the experiment.
64.00 → 4 sf 5. A defective measuring tool.
3.60 → 3 sf 6. Somebody pulled the plug, or the battery goes dead.
25.060 → 5 sf
✓ If the number is less than 1, all zeroes before the first non- UNCERTAINTY
zero digit are not significant. quantitative measurement of variability in the data refers to the
Examples: idea that all data have a range of expected values as opposed
0.0064 → 2 sf to a precise point value
0.0850 → 3 sf
0.002050 → 4 sf ACCURACY
✓ During the conversion of units use powers of 10 to avoid ✓ It is how close an experiment comes to the “true” value. It is
confusion a measure of the correctness of the result. For an
Examples: experimenter, it is a measure of how skilled the experimenter
2.700 m → 4 sf is.
2.700 x 102 m → 4 sf
2.700 x 105 m → 4 sf EXAMPLE:
True Value = 25.67 kg
SCIENTIFIC NOTATIONS Student A = 25.61 kg Student B = 25.65 kg
expressed as a number between 1 and 10 multiplied by a “measurement of Student B is more accurate”
power of 10 allows one to write only the significant figures
multiplied to 10 with the appropriate power PRECISION
✓ Express the following in scientific notation. ✓ An experiment is a measure of how exactly the result is
The speed of light is approximately determined without reference to what the results means. It is a
300 000 000 m/s measure of the precision of the instruments being used in the
✓ Solution: experiment.
300 000 000 m/s = 3 x 10^8 / 3 x 108 m/s
✓ Express the following in scientific notation. EXAMPLE:
Student A = 6.9 s
The mass of a strand of hair is approximately Student B = 6.97 s Student C = 6.976 kg
0.000 000 62 kg “measurement of Student C is most precise”
✓ Solution:
0.000 000 62 kg = 6.2 x 10^(−7)/6.2 x 10-7 kg
✓ In performing mathematical operations, the rules to be
followed can be deduced from the given examples.
1. To add or subtract numbers in scientific notation, the
second factor must be the same power of 10. Following,
the distributive property the operation is performed only
on the first factors.
✓ EXAMPLE:
7 x 104 + 2 x 104
5 x 106 – 3 x 106
12 x 104 – 3 x 105
3.6 x 105 + 2.7 x 104
2. In multiplication and division, the operation is
performed on the first factors to obtain the first factor of
the product and quotient, respectively. The second
factors of the given numbers, applying the laws of
exponents.
ERRORS
Precision and Accuracy of Measurements; Uncertainty
✓ signifies a deviation of the result from some
“true” value
✓ difference between two measurements is called the
discrepancy between the results
✓ discrepancy arises due to the fact that we can only
determine the results to a certain
