CHM 420

Prepared by:Hamizah Md Rasid

After the class, students will be able to:

To identify the SI units

To identify the significant figures in

calculation

To use scientific notation to express very

small and very large numbers
To use Factor label method to solve problems
in a particular situation

Matter = anything that has mass

and occupies space
ATOMS smallest distinctive unit in a sample
of matter
MOLECULES larger
units of 2 or more
atoms.
EOS

Physical property: characteristic displayed

by a sample of matter without undergoing
any change in its composition
e.g., color
Chemical property:
characteristics
displayed as a result of
change in composition
e.g., flammability

EOS

Physical Change: changes in appearance

but not in composition (same substance
before and after)
e.g., melting of ice in the winter
ice (solid) water (liquid)
Chemical Change: changes resulting in
altered composition and/or molecular
structure (different substance before
and after)
e.g., electric current pass through water
Water H2 gas + O2 gas

Scientists worldwide use common

measurement units called the
International System of Units (SI)

Physical
quantity

Name of units

Symbol of unit

distance x distance

m2

Volume

distance3

m3

Velocity

distance/time

m/s or ms-1

Acceleration

distance/time2

m/s2 or ms-2

mass x acceleration

kg.m.s.-2
(1 Newton)

Area

Force

Examples:
Gigahertz (GHz)
Megabytes (MB)
Terawatts (TW)

Volume units typically use the Liters

base unit
Very convenient for
measuring the
volume of
irregularly shaped
containers

Regularly shaped
objects can use a
variant of the
volume unit
cubic distance
units
Some volume
equivalents:
1 m3
I dm3

=
=
=
1 cm3 =
=
1 mm3 =

1000 dm3
1000 cm3
1 L = 1000 mL
1000 mm3
1 mL = 1000 L
1 L

The base unit for measuring mass is the

kilogram (kg)

However, gram (g) is a more convenient

unit for laboratory measurements
1 kilogram = 1000 gram

Temperature is a measure
of the intensity of heat

The SI unit of temperature

is the kelvin (K)

The conversion of kelvin to

degree Celcius and Celcius
to Fahrenheit are given by
K = C + 273.15
these mathematical
equations
F = (1.8 x C) + 32

 Precision refers to how closely

individual scientific measurements agree
with one another.
Accuracy refers to the closeness of the
average of a set of scientific
measurements to the correct or most
probable value.
Sampling errors occur when a group of
scientific measurements do not represent
the entire population of the variable being
studied.

 All digits in a number that are known

with certainty plus the first uncertain
digit
The more significant digits obtained, the
better the precision of a measurement
The concept of significant figures
applies only to measurements
Exact values have an unlimited number
of significant figures

1) Any digit that is not zero is significant

845 three significant figures
1.234 four significant figures

2) Zeroes between non-zero digits are significant

606 three significant figures
40,005 five significant figures

3) Zeroes to the left of the first non-zero digits

are not significant
0.08 L one significant figure
0.00039 two significant figures

4) If a number is greater than 1, then all

zeroes written to the right of the decimal
point is count as significant figures
2.0 mg two significant figures
3.040 dm3 four significant figures

5) If a number is less than 1, then only the

zeroes that are at the end of the number
and zeroes that are between non-zero digits
are significant
0.090 kg two significant figures
0.3005 L four significant figures

6) For numbers that do not contain decimal

points, zeroes after the last non-zero digits
may not be significant

400 cm may have one significant figure (the digit 4)

Two significant figures (40)
Three significant figures (400)
By using scientific notation, we can express the
number 400 as
4 x 102 one significant figure
4.0 x 102 two significant figures
4.00 x 102 three significant figures

Multiplication and
Division: the reported
results should have no
more significant figures
than the factor with the
fewest significant
figures
1.827 m 0.762 m = ?
0.762 has 3 sigfigs so
the reported answer is
1.39 m2

EOS

Addition and Subtraction: the reported

results should have the same number of
decimal places as the number with the
fewest decimal places
NOTE - Be cautious of
round-off errors in
multi-step problems.
Wait until calculating
the final answer
before rounding.
EOS

Often used to
express very
large or very
small
numbers

Also used to
maintain correct
number of
significant figures

0.0 0 0 0 2 2 0 5

2.205 x 10-5

In scientific notation, a number is separated into

two parts.
The first part is a number between 1 and 10.
The second part is a power of ten.

Measurement

Number of significant
figures it contains

25 g

0.030 kg

1.240560 x 106 mg 7
6 x 104 sec

246.31 g

20.06 cm

1.050 m

Measurement

Number of significant
figures it contains

0.12 kg

1240560. cm

6000000 kg

6.00 x 106 kg

409 cm

29.200 cm

0.02500 g

A conversion
factor is the
fractional
expression of
the equivalents
1inch
2.54 cm
or
2.54 cm
1inch

EOS

How many cm are in 26 inches?

2.54 cm
26 in
= 66 cm
1 in

EOS

For example:
Calculate the height of a 5 foot 10 inch man
in cm and m. Answer to 3 significant figures.
(known: 1ft = 12 in, 1 in = 2.54 cm)
1)Convert

data into inches (1 ft = 12 in)

5 ft = 5 ft x

12 in
= 60 in (cancel out ft)
1 ft

5 ft 10 in = 60 in + 10 in = 70 in

2) Convert data into cm (1 in = 2.54 cm)

70 in 70 in x

2.54 cm
177.8 cm (cancel out in)
1 in

Ans = 178 cm (to 3 sig fig)

3) Convert cm into m (100 cm = 1 m)
1m
177.8 cm 177.8 cm x
1.778 m (cancel out cm)
100 cm

or simplified version:

2.54 cm
1m
70 in 70 in x
x
1.78 m
1 in
100 cm