PHYSICAL QUANTITIES AND UNITS

SCALAR & VECTORS

BASE QUANTITIES & SI UNITS

Scalar and vector quantities

Vector algebra
Vector components

Base quantities and units

SI Units
Derived quantities & Units

ERRORS

DIMENSIONS
Dimensions of base quantities
Dimensional analysis

Error or uncertainties
Systematic and random errors
Significant figures

PHYSICAL QUANTITIES AND

UNITS
1. Physical Quantity is a quantity that can be measured.
2. It can be expressed in numerical magnitude together with a unit.

Mass of a book = 340.25 g

Physical quantity

Unit

Numerical magnitude

3. Physical Quantities can be classified as Base Quantities or Derive Quantities

1. Base Quantities - are stand alone quantities that cannot be derived

from other quantities.
2. Derived Quantities- are quantities that can be derived from other
quantities. They can be expressed as products or quotients of
base quantities

Unit- Standard size for a physical quantity

Base Quantities

Derive units are the units that are created from

combination of two or more base units .

Next

Next

CHECKING EQUATION BY COMPARING UNITS

DIMENSIONS OF
PHYSICAL QUANTITIES

DIMENSIONS- A physical quantities which are not give any idea about the magnitude

Example 1 :
The basic quantity of
displacement is length [ L ]

Example 2 :
The basic quantity of
period [ T ]

Answer:

1
2

vE
Then, dimension of E,

1
2

E v 2

m 2 kg
1 2
3
1
v

ms

ML
LT

V
m
ML3 L2T 2 ML1T 2

kmh 1

DIMENTIONAL
ANALYSIS

Activity 1

Activity 2
The Youngs modulus of a solid of density can be determined by propagating
a wave of wavelength in the solid. Using dimensional analysis, derive a formula
for Youngs modulus.
Dimension of Youngs modulus is Y = ML 1T 2
Solution: Let say Youngs modulus,
Constants.
Then,

Y kx v y z , where k, x, y and z are

non-dimensional

[Y ] [ k x v y z ]
[ M 1 L1T 2 ] [ Lx ][( LT 1 ) y ][( ML3 ) z ]
[ Lx y 3 zT y M z ]

T :

z 1
y2

L :

x y 3z 1, x 0

Equating indices of M :

Hence,

Y kv 2

ERRORS IN
MEASUREMENT,RANDOM
AND SYSTEMATIC ERRORS

SIMPLE RULER
ERROR READING UP
TO
0.05 cm

MEASUREMENT BY A SIMPLE RULE

VERNIER SCALE
ERROR READING UP
TO
0.01 cm

1.40

0.02

Vernier scale 0.1 10 = 0.01

1.40
+ 0.02
= ( 1.42 0.01 ) cm

Answer: 3

Compare

Compare

MICROMETER SCREW
ERROR READING UP TO
0.001 cm

VECTOR

RUN THE CD

RUN THE CD

VECTOR ADDITION

EXAMPLE

ANSWER

ACTIVITY

ANSWER

ACTIVITY

ANSWER

RESOLVING VECTORS

Look on cd for detail explanation

EXAMPLE

ANSWER

ACTIVITY

ANSWER

RESULTANT VECTORS

ACTIVITY

ANSWER

ACTIVITY

ANSWER

EXAMPLE

= 640
Sin 64 0 = 0.8987

ANSWER

ACTIVITY

ANSWER

ACTIVITY

ANSWER

UNCERTAINTIES ( ERRORS)
IN MEASUREMENTS

All measured values have errors.The

accuracy of a measured value depends
on the sensitivity of the instruments.
The possible sources of errors are:
1.The instruments
2.The physical conditions of the
surroundings
3.Physical limitation of the observer.

RULER
Example: The length of a wire measured by using a ruler = 34.2 cm.
It is correct to record the measurement
= 34.20 cm.
This is because the ruler is not reliable enough to measure to the nearest 0.05 cm.
It is not appropriate to record the value as = 34 cm. Because the ruler has the degree of
accuracy until 0.1 cm.
VERNIAR CALIPERS
This instrument has more accurate than a ruler. This is because it can measure with accuracy of
0.01 cm. But a ruler has degree of accuracy up to 0.1 cm.
MICROMETER SCREW GAUGE
This instrument has more accurate compare verniar calipers. This is because the degree of accuracy
of this instrument can reach to 0.001 cm.

TYPE OF ERRORS
SYSTEMATIC ERRORS

RANDOM ERRORS

Magnitude of the error is

constant.
Error is always positive
( measurement is always greater
than actual value) or negative
( measurement is always smaller
than actual value)
Example- Micrometer screw
gauge.
Value of these errors cant be
reduced or eliminated by taking
several readings use the same
method or instrument or the
same observer.

Magnitude of the error is not

constant.
The error can be positive or
negative. Mean, measurement may
be greater or smaller than the
actual value.
Example- 1. Read wrongly the scale
of an instrument ( simple ruler /
miniscus of water or mercury level
in a tube. 2. Wrong count the
number of oscillations of a simple
pendulum.
To eliminate the error, taking more
reading for the measurement.

METHOD OF ERROR
ANALYSIS

Precision:
Meaning the degree of a measuring instrument used to record consistent
readings for each measurement by the same way. It refers to the repeatability
of a measurement. It does not require us to know the correct or true value.

Accuracy:
Refers to how to close a measured value is to the actual value or its refers to
the degree of agreement between the experimental result and its true value.

High Precision : A measurement with relatively small random error.

High Accuracy : A measurement with small random error and small
Systematic error

SIGNIFICANT FIGURES: CHARACTERISTICS

1.The number of digits known with certainty for a measured value is called the number of
significant figures.
2. A greater number of significant figures of a measured value shows a greater accuracy
compared with another value of fewer numbers of significant figures.
3.Whenever you make a measurement, the number of meaningful digits that you write down
implies the error in the measurement.
Example: 1. If the length of an object is 0.528m, you imply uncertainty is about
0.001m.
2. If the reading is 0.5 m, the uncertainty is 0.1 m.
3. If the reading is 0.52819667 m, the uncertainty is 0.00000001 m.
4. The quantity of 0.528 m is said to have 3 significant figures. The same measurement in
centimetres would be 52.8 cm is still be 3 significant figures.
5. The accepted convection is that only one digit uncertainty is to be reported in a
measurement, then for error of 0.01 m, the result must be written as ( 0.53 0.01 ) m, not
( 0.53 0.001 )m

6. The position of 0 digit to be accounted as a significant figures .

a. If 0 has a non-zero digit anywhere on its left, then the 0 is significant. Otherwise, it is
not.
Examples: 6.00 has 3 significant figures.
0.0006 has 1 significant figure.
b. If 0 in between non-zero digits, then the 0 is significant.
Example : 20.0005 has 6 significant figures.
7. The number of significant figures for 400 is not well define. If we write 4 x 10 2 , one significant
figure. If we write 4.00 x 10 2 , It be 3 significant figures.

8. The number of significant figures that should be retained after multiplication or division of
a number of quantities should follow the significant number of the least accurately known
quantity.
Example: The lengths of an rectangular are 35.44 cm and 23.5 cm. The area of the
object is calculated as:
35.44 cm x 23. 5 cm = 832. 84 cm 2
= 833 cm 2 . ( Follow the fewer number of
significant figures of 23.5 cm. )

9. For addiction and subtraction of two ore more values, the calculated answer should follow
the least number of decimal places of the primary data.
Example: 28.366 cm + 1.5 cm = 29.866 cm.
The final value be written as = 29.9 cm ( follow the fewer number of decimal
( places of 1.5 cm )

UNCERTAINTIES IN
MEASUREMENT
1. Uncertainty of a measured value is an interval around that value such that any repetition
of the measurement will produce a new result that lies within this interval.
2. Let say the length measured by a ruler normally be recorded as ( 34.2 0.1 ) cm. This means
that the uncertainty of the length measured by the ruler is 0. 1 cm. Then any repetition of
this measurement falls between 34.1 cm and 34. 3 cm.
3. Similarly a length measured by a vernier calipers normally recorded as 4.20 0.01 cm.
A recorded value of 4.20 0.01 cm gives us the confidence that the measured value
lies between 4.19 cm and 4.21 cm.