Introduction to Physics

and
Measurement Accuracy
A PowerPoint Presentation by
Paul E. Tippens, Professor of
Physics
Southern Polytechnic State
2015
University

Objectives: After completing

this module, you should be
able
Nameto:
and give the SI units of the seven
fundamental quantities.
Write the base units for mass, length, and
time in SI and USCU units.
Convert one unit to another for the same
quantity when given necessary definitions.
Discuss and apply conventions for
significant digits and precision of
measurements.

What is Physics?
Physics
Physics is
is the
the science
science that
that investigates
investigates
the
the fundamental
fundamental concepts
concepts of
of matter,
matter,
energy,
energy, and
and space,
space, and
and the
the
relationships
relationships among
among them.
them.

Physics is the most basic

of the sciences,
underpinning all other
disciplines of science,
medicine,
and problem
Physicists are
engineering.
solvers, often meeting new

NASA

challenges and developing

new theories.

Why
we
need
to
be
able
To
makedo
sense,
all
measurements
Suppose we wantedneed
to
to measure
things?
both . .a
. 2 x 4 for
measure
building a house.

Units by themselves
Numbers
by themselves
dont make sense.

A
and a
ANumber
board is 350
longlong
.Unit!
......
meters

Any Ideas?

Estimation
Estimation is using your knowledge of
something similar in size or amount to
determine the size of the new object.
o Helps to make a rough
measurement of an
object.
o Usefully when you are in
a hurry and exact
numbers are not
required.

Precision and Accuracy

Precision is a
description of how
close measurements
are to each other.
Accuracy is
comparing your
measurement to the
actual or accepted
value.

Physical Quantities
A physical quantity is a quantifiable
or assignable property ascribed to
a parti- cular phenomenon, body,
or substance.

Lengt
h

Electri
c
Charg
e

Time

Units of Measure
A unit is a particular physical quantity
with which other quantities of the same
kind are compared in order to express
their value.
A meter is an
established unit for
measuring length.
Measuring
Based on definition, we
diameter of
say the diameter is 0.12
disk.
m or 12 centimeters.

SI Unit of Measure for

Length
One meter is the length of path
traveled by a light wave in a vacuum
in a time interval of 1/299,792,458
seconds.

1m
1
t
second
299, 792, 458

SI Unit of Measure for

Mass
The kilogram is the unit of mass - it is
equal to the mass of the international
prototype of the kilogram.
This standard is the only
one that requires
comparison to an artifact
for its validity. A copy of
the standard is kept by
the International Bureau
of Weights and Measures.

SI Unit of Measure for

Time
The second is the duration of 9 192 631
770 periods of the radiation
corresponding to the transition between
the two hyperfine levels of the ground
state of the cesium 133 atom.
Cesium Fountain
Atomic Clock: The
primary time and
frequency
standard for the
USA (NIST)

SI Unit of Measure for Temperature

Temperature: The measure of how
hot or cold an object is.
SI Unit: Kelvin (K)
Common Units: Celsius (C) or Fahrenheit (F)

Converting between K and C:

K=C+273
C=K-273
Examples:
0 C = 273 K
25 C = 298 K
200 K = -73 C

Seven Fundamental Units

Website:
http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/index.html

Quantity
Unit
Length
Meter
Mass
Kilogram
Time
Second
Electric Current
Ampere
Temperature
Kelvin
Luminous Intensity Candela
Amount of
Mole
Substance

Symbol
m
kg
S
A
K
cd
mol

Units for Mechanics

In mechanics we use only three
fundamental quantities: mass, length, and
time. An additional quantity, force, is
derived from these three.
Quantity

SI unit

USCS unit

Mass

slug (slug)

Length

kilogram
(kg)
meter (m)

Time

second (s)

second (s)

Force

newton (N)

pound (lb)

foot (ft)

Volume: Amount of space occupied by

a body.
SI Unit: cubic meter (m3)
Common Units: Liter (L) or milliliter (mL) or cubic centimeter
(cm3)

15

Density: Amount of mass per unit volume of

a substance.
SI Units: kg/m3
Common Units: g/cm3 or g/mL

Problem: Drunken Donny steals an unknown alcohol from the chemistry lab at
work. He does not know that there are numerous different types of alcohols.
Methyl alcohol has a density of 0.792 g/mL and is poisonous if consumed. Ethyl
alcohol has a density of 0.772 g/mL and is the common alcohol which Drunken
Donny loves to drink. If the stolen unknown alcohol has a measured mass of
71.28 g and a measured volume of 90.0 mL, which alcohol did Drunken Donny
steal to drink?

Systems of Units
SI System: The international system of
units established by the International
Committee on Weights and Measures.
Such units are based on strict
definitions and are the only official
units for physical quantities.
US Customary Units (USCU): Older units
still in common use by the United
States, but definitions must be based
on SI units.

Why use the SI System?

In the U.S. we use the
English
or use
Standard
Scientists
the SI
System,
most of the rest
System worldwide
of
the world uses the
because:
Metric or SI System.
Measurements are easily understood by all
The
SI (International System of Units)
scientists

system is the form of measurement

Measurements are easier to convert than the
typically
used by scientists.
English system

Basic Types of Measurement

Length:

measures distance between objects

Volume: measures the amount of space

something takes up
Mass:
measures the amount of
matter
in an object

Other Types of measurement include:

time
temperature
density
PH

Measurement System Comparisons

MEASUREMENT

ENGLISH

SI SYSTEM

LENGTH

Yard / Inch

Meter / Centimeter

Ounce /
Pound

Gram / Kilogram

Quart

Liter

Fahrenheit

Celsius / Kelvin

Second

Second

MASS
VOLUME
TEMPERATURE
TIME

All Measurement systems have standards.

Standards are exact quantities that
everyone agrees to use as a basis of
comparison.

In the English system you have

to remember so many
12 inches in
numbers
. .a .foot
3 feet in a yard
5,280 feet in a mile

16 ounces in a pound
4 quarts to a gallon

In the SI System you only have to

remember one number.
The SI System is based on the number 10.

The SI System uses the following prefixes:

Kilo

1000

Hecto
Deca

100
10

UNIT

Deci

1/10

Centi
Milli

1/100
1/1000

This system works with

any
SI measurement.
The UNIT becomes
whichever type of
measurement you are
making. (mass,
volume, or length)
It is the same system
regardless if you are
measuring length,
mass, or volume.

It works for all types of

measurement.
If your measuring . . .
Mass then
Length
thenititisisthe
the
Volume then it is
gram (kilo
(centi
gram, ,
meter
meter
the liter (deciliter,
millimeter
gram,, etc.)
deca
etc.)
hectoliter, etc.)

cent gra
The first part of
i the termmindicates the amount,
the second part indicates the type of
measurement.

How does converting units

work?
Unlike the English system converting in
the SI System is very easy.

For Example in the English system if you

wanted to know how many inches in 2
miles what would you do?
1. Take the number of miles (2).

2. Multiply it by the number of feet in a mile (5,280).

3. Multiply that by the number of inches in a foot
(12).

ANSWER: 126,720 inches in 2 miles

The SI system is much easier.

For example in the metric system if you
wanted to know how many centimeters were
in 3 meters, what would you do?
1. Find the unit you have (meters).
2. Find the unit you are changing to
(centimeters).
3. Count the number of units in-between
(2).
4. Move the decimal point that many
spaces, in the same direction you
3 meters
counted
(right).300 centimeters

Kilo
Milli

=
Hecto

Deca

UNIT

Deci

Centi

More Conversions . . .
2,321.0 millimeters to
= 2.321
meters
meters
521.0 grams to
= 5.21
hectograms
hectograms
= 8,500,000
8.5 kiloliters to
centiliters
centiliters
NOTE:
The digits arent changing,
the
position of the decimal
is. In the
English system the
whole number
changes.
Kilo Hecto
Centi Milli

Deca

UNIT

Deci

Unit Conversion
Accidents

There have been many serious incidents that have resulted

from errors in converting between systems of units.

Air Canada Flight 143

(Google it for more details)

Unit Conversion
Accidents
$125 million Mars Climate Orbiter.
Lost in Space.

Do you think there is the potential to make errors in the

conversion of units for health care providers?

Procedure for Converting

Units

1. Write down quantity to be

converted.

2. Define each unit in terms of

desired unit.
3. For each definition, form two
conversion factors, one being the
reciprocal of the other.
4. Multiply the quantity to be
converted by those factors that will
cancel all but the desired units.

Example 1: Convert 12 in. to

centimeters given that 1 in. = 2.54
cm.

Step 1: Write down

quantity to be
converted.
Step 2. Define each
unit in terms of
desired
Step 3. unit.
For each

definition, form two

conversion factors, one
being the reciprocal of
the other.

12 in.
1 in. = 2.54
cm
1 in.
2.54 cm

2.54 cm
1 in

Example 1 (Cont.): Convert 12 in.

to centimeters given that 1 in. =
2.54 cm.
1 in.
From Step 3.

2.54 cm

2.54 cm
or
1 in

Step 4. Multiply by those factors that

will cancel all but the desired units.
Treat unit symbols algebraically.

12 in.

1 in.
in.2
4.72
2.54 cm
cm

2.54 cm
12 in.

1 in.

Wrong
Choice
!
Correct
30.5 cm
Answer!

Example 2: Convert 60 mi/h to units of

ft/s given 1 mi. = 5280 ft and 1 h =
3600 s.
mi
Step 1: Write down
60
quantity to be
h
converted.

Note: Write units so that numerators

and denominators of fractions are
clear.

Step 2. Define each unit in terms of desired

units.

1 mi. = 5280 ft
1 h = 3600 s

Ex. 2 (Cont): Convert 60 mi/h to units of

ft/s given that 1 mi. = 5280 ft and 1 h =
3600 s.

Step 3. For each definition, form 2

conversion factors, one being the
reciprocal of the other.
1 mi
5280 ft
or
1 mi = 5280 ft
5280 ft
1 mi
1 h = 3600
s

1h
3600 s
or
3600 s
1h

Step 3, shown here for clarity, can really

be done mentally and need not be
written down.

Ex. 2 (Cont): Convert 60 mi/h to units of

ft/s given that 1 mi. = 5280 ft and 1 h =
3600 s.

Step 4. Choose Factors to cancel nondesired units.

mi 5280 ft
1 h
60

88.0 m/s
h 1 mi 3600 s
Treating unit conversions
algebraically helps to see if a
definition is to be used as a
multiplier or as a divider.

Uncertainty of
Measurement
All measurements are assumed to be
approximate with the last digit
estimated.
The length in
cm here is
0
1
2
written as:
1.43 cm
The last digit 3 is estimated as
0.3 of the interval between 4 and
5.

Estimated Measurements
(Cont.)
Length = 1.43
cm

The last digit is estimated, but is

significant. It tells us the actual length is
between 1.40 cm and 1.50. It would not
be possible to estimate yet another digit,
such as 1.436.
This measurement of length can be
given in three significant digitsthe last
is estimated.

Significant Digits and

Numbers

When writing numbers, zeros used

ONLY to help in locating the decimal
point are NOT significantothers are.
See examples.
0.0062 cm
2 significant
figures
4.0500 cm
5 significant
0.1061 cmfigures
4 significant
50.0 cm figures
3 significant
figures
50,600 cm
3 significant
figures

Rule
Rule 1.
1. When
When approximate
approximate numbers
numbers
are
are multiplied
multiplied or
or divided,
divided, the
the number
number
of
of significant
significant digits
digits in
in the
the final
final answer
answer
is
is the
the same
same as
as the
the number
number of
of
significant
significant digits
digits in
in the
the least
least accurate
accurate
of
of the
the factors.
factors.
45 N
6.97015 N/m 2
Exampl P
(3.22 m)(2.005 m)
e:
Least significant factor (45) has only
two (2) digits so only two are justified in
the answer.
The appropriate
22
PP =
7.0
N/m
=
7.0
N/m
way to write the
answer is:

Rule
Rule 2.
2. When
When approximate
approximate numbers
numbers are
are
added
added or
or subtracted,
subtracted, the
the number
number of
of
significant
significant digits
digits should
should equal
equal the
the
smallest
smallest number
number of
of decimal
decimal places
places of
of any
any
term
term in
in the
the sum
sum or
or difference.
difference.
Ex: 9.65 cm + 8.4 cm 2.89 cm =
15.16 cm
Note that the least precise measure is
8.4 cm. Thus, answer must be to
nearest tenth of cm even though it
requires 3 significant digits.
The appropriate
15.2
15.2 cm
cm
way to write the
answer is:

Example 3. Find the area of a metal

plate that is 8.71 cm by 3.2 cm.

A = LW = (8.71 cm)(3.2 cm) = 27.872

cm2
22
AA =
28
cm
Only 2 digits
= 28 cm
justified:
Example 4. Find the perimeter of the
plate that is 8.71 cm long and 3.2 cm
wide.

p = 8.71 cm + 3.2 cm + 8.71 cm +

3.2 cm
Ans. to tenth of cm:
pp =
= 24
24 cm
cm

Rounding Numbers
Remember that significant figures
apply to your reported result.
Rounding off your numbers in the
process can lead to errors.
Rule:
Rule: Always
Always retain
retain at
at least
least
one
one more
more significant
significant figure
figure in
in
your
your calculations
calculations than
than the
the
number
number you
you are
are entitled
entitled to
to
report
report in
in the
the result.
result.
With calculators, it is usually easier
to just keep all digits until you report
the result.

Rules for Rounding

Numbers
Rule 1. If the remainder beyond the last
digit to be reported is less than 5, drop
the last digit.
Rule 2. If the remainder is greater than
5, increase the final digit by 1.
Rule 3. To prevent rounding bias, if the
remainder is exactly 5, then round the
last digit to the closest even number.

Examples
Rule 1. If the remainder beyond the last
digit to be reported is less than 5, drop
the last digit.
Round the following to 3 significant
4.99
4.99499 becomes
figures:
0.0940
becomes
3
0.0940
95,600
95,632 becomes
0.0203
2

becomes
0.0203

Examples
Rule 2. If the remainder is greater
than 5, increase the final digit by 1.
Round the following to 3 significant
figures:
becomes
2.3452
2.35
becomes
0.0875
0.0876
7
becomes
23,650.0
23,700
1
5.00
4.99502 becomes

Examples

Rule 3. To prevent rounding bias, if the

remainder is exactly 5, then round the last
digit to the closest even number.
Round the following to 3 significant
figures:
becomes
3.78
3.7750
0
0.02445 becomes
0.0244
0
becomes
96,600
96,650
0
becomes
5.0950
5.10
0

Working with Numbers

Classroom work and
laboratory work
should be treated
differently.
In class, the
Uncertainties
in quantities
are not
usually
known. Round
to 3
significant

In lab, we know
the limitations of
the
measurements.
We must not
keep digits that
are not justified.

Classroom Example: A car traveling

initially at 46 m/s undergoes
constant acceleration of 2 m/s2 for a
time of 4.3 s. 2Find total
1
x

v
t

displacement,
0
2 at given formula.
(46 m/s)(4.3 s) 12 (2 m/s 2 )(4.3 s) 2
197.8 m + 18.48 m 216.29 m
For class work, we assume all given info
is accurate to 3 significant figures.
XX =
= 216
216
m
m

Laboratory Example: The length of a

sheet of metal is measured as 233.3
mm and the width is 9.3 mm. Find
area.
Note that the precision of each
measure is to the nearest tenth of a
millimeter. However, the length has
four significant digits and the width
has only two.
How many significant digits are in the
product of length and width (area)?
Two (9.3 has least significant
digits).

Lab Example (Cont.): The length of a

sheet of metal is measured as 233.3
mm and the width is 9.3 mm. Find
area.

Area = LW = (233.3 mm)(9.3

mm)
Area = 2169.69
W = 9.3
mm2
mm
But we are entitled
to only two
L = 233.3 mm
significant digits.
Therefore, the
answer becomes:
Area
Area =
= 2200
2200
22
mm
mm

Lab Example (Cont.): Find perimeter

of sheet of metal measured L =
233.3 mm and W = 9.3 mm.
(Addition
p = 233.3Rule)
mm + 9.3 mm + 233.3 mm +
p = 485.2 mm

9.3 mm

W = 9.3
mm

Note:
Note: The
The answer
result is
determined
has more by the
L = 233.3 mm
least
precise
significant digits
measure.
(the tenth
than the width
of
a mm)
factor
in this case.
Perimeter
Perimeter =
= 485.2
485.2
mm
mm

Scientific Notation
Scientific notation provides a short-hand method for expressing
very small and very large numbers.
9

0.000000001 10

Examples:

0.000001 10

93,000,000 mi = 9.30 x 107 mi

0.001 10

0.00457 m = 4.57 x 10-3 m

1 100
1000 103
1,000,000 106
1,000,000,000 109

876 m
8.76 x 102 m
v

0.00370 s 3.70 x 10-3s

55
vv 3.24
x
10
3.24 x 10 m/s
m/s

Scientific Notation and

Significant Figures
With Scientific notation one can easily keep track of
significant digits by using only those digits that are
necessary in the mantissa and letting the power of ten
locate the decimal.

Example. Express the number

0.0006798 m, accurate to three
significant digits.
-4
6.80
x
10
Mantissa x 10-4
6.80 x 10-4m
m
m
The 0 is significantthe last digit in
doubt.

SUMMARY

Seven Fundamental Units

Quantity
Unit
Length
Meter
Mass
Kilogram
Time
Second
Electric Current
Ampere
Temperature
Kelvin
Luminous Intensity Candela
Amount of
Mole
Substance

Symbol
m
kg
S
A
K
cd
mol

Summary: Procedure for

Converting Units
1. Write down quantity to be
converted.
2. Define each unit in terms of
desired unit.
3. For each definition, form two
conversion factors, one the
reciprocal of the other.
4. Multiply the quantity to be
converted by those factors that will

Summary Significant
Digits

Rule 1. When approximate numbers

are multiplied or divided, the number
of significant digits in the final answer
is the same as the number of
significant digits in the least accurate
of the factors.
Rule 2. When approximate numbers are
added or subtracted, the number of
significant digits should equal the
smallest number of decimal places of any
term in the sum or difference.

Rules for Rounding

Numbers
Rule 1. If the remainder beyond the last
digit to be reported is less than 5, drop
the last digit
Rule 2. If the remainder is greater than
5, increase the final digit by 1.
Rule 3. To prevent rounding bias, if the
remainder is exactly 5, then round the
last digit to the closest even number.

Working with Numbers

Classroom work and lab work should
be treated differently unless told
otherwise.

In the classroom,
we assume all
given info is
accurate to 3 significant figures.

In lab, the number

of significant figures
will depend on
limitations of the
instruments.

Conclusion of Measurement
Significant Digits Module

UNIT CONVERSION:
A person who is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 173 pound
force (lbf ) is driving a car at a speed of 62 miles per hour
over a distance of 25 miles. The outside temperature is 80
and the air has a density of .0735 pounds per cubic foot
(lbm/ft3). Convert all of the values given in this example from
U.S. Customary to SI units.
A) Height:

in meters

1 ft
H 5 ft (9 in)

12 in

Height:
in centimeters

0.3048 m

1
ft

100 cm
(1.753 m) 1 m

1.7526 m

=175.3cm

Weight in
Newtons:

4.448 N
W (173 lb f )
1 lb

769.50N

mile 5280 ft 0.3048 m

67
Speed of car:

h mile

1
ft

107826 m/h

How do we convert to km/h?

m
Or S 107,826
h

1 km

107.826 km
1000 m
h

Distance traveled:
D 25 miles 5280 ft

1 mile

0.3048 m 1 km

1
ft
1000
m

40.233 km

Density of air , :
1 ft
lbm 0.453 kg
0.0735 3

ft
1
lb
0.3048
m

1.176 kg / m

How Many Significant Figures ?

I. How many significant figures in the following numbers:
a) 20.60 ml
b) 1036.48 g
c) 4.00 m
d) 20.8C
e) 60 800 000 g
f) 5.0 x 103 L

II. Perform the following calculations and round off to correct significant
figures:
a) 56.8 x 0.37 =

c) 71.4 =
11

b) 2.075 x 0.585 =
8.42 x 0.0045
d) 25.0 =
5.0

III. Round off to four significant figures:

a) 35.7853 m =
b) 0.00262706 L =
c) 38,268 g =
d) 1.2836 kg =

Assignment: English/Metric
Conversion Problems
1. Convert 708 pounds to kilograms.
2. Convert 50.0 liters to gallons.
3. Convert the density of water to pounds per
gallon.
4. How many cubic meters are contained in 33
liters?
5. The density of aluminum is 2.70 g/mL. Find
the thickness of aluminum foil that
measures 2.0 cm by 5.66 cm that has a
mass of 1.23 g.