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Intro:: SCI 403 J. Marinay Physics I

The document discusses key concepts in physics measurement and the metric system. It introduces (1) the metric system which standardized measurement units, (2) the seven base SI units including meters, kilograms, and seconds, and (3) significant figures which quantify measurement precision. The document also covers (2) converting between measurement systems and scientific notation, and (3) calculating with measurements using rules for significant figures.

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KRISTELLE GEM CABANIG
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84 views

Intro:: SCI 403 J. Marinay Physics I

The document discusses key concepts in physics measurement and the metric system. It introduces (1) the metric system which standardized measurement units, (2) the seven base SI units including meters, kilograms, and seconds, and (3) significant figures which quantify measurement precision. The document also covers (2) converting between measurement systems and scientific notation, and (3) calculating with measurements using rules for significant figures.

Uploaded by

KRISTELLE GEM CABANIG
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SCI 403 J.

Marinay
Physics I

Intro:
- physics is a way of thinking based on experiments with numerical results that can be reproduced
by others
- mathematics is the language of science

Measures of Science:
- a measurement is a comparison between an unknown quantity and a standard
- to be considered valid, the measuring device must be compared against a widely held standard
- the standard must be readily available, reproducible and constant over time
- the French developed our current system of measurement in 1795; it is called the metric system
- until this time, communication among scientists was difficult because the units of measurement
were not standardized
- the metric system uses standards of measurement that are divisible by powers of ten
- the Systeme Internationale d'Unites (SI) keeps the standards of length, time, and mass to which
instruments are calibrated

SI & The United States:


- although the US still uses the English system of measurement, Congress officially committed the
country to the metric system many years ago
- in 1875 Congress signed the Treaty of the Meter which bound the US as well as sixteen other
countries to the metric system
- today, the US is one of only three countries to not use the metric system (Liberia and Myanmar
are the other two)
- the inherent ease of use and the economic benefits of switching to the metric system should
eventually help sway the US population to move to the metric system

Units:
- there are seven base units which serve as the foundation of the SI
- there are many derived units which are combinations of the seven base units
- the seven base units are the meter (length), kilogram (mass), second (time), kelvin (temperature),
mole (amt. of substance), ampere (electric current), and candela (luminous
intensity)
SCI 403 J. Marinay
Physics I

- the base units have been measured in different ways over the years; some of those changes are
listed below:
A) Length:
- the meter was first defined as 1/10,000,000 of the distance from the north pole to the equator
- the meter was then defined as the distance between two lines engraved on a platinum/iridium bar
- today, the meter is defined as the distance traveled by light in a vacuum during a time interval of
1/299,792,458s
B) Time:
- the second is defined today as the frequency of one type of radiation emitted by a cesium-133
atom
- a leap second is added every few years as the Earth's rotation slows
C) Mass:
- the standard is a small platinum/iridium metal cylinder kept at a very controlled temperature and
humidity
- the last base unit measured by a physical standard; scientists are trying to find new ways to
measure this base unit

Scientific Notation:
- many of the numerical values of the multipliers are very small or very large; it becomes
cumbersome to write out so many zeros, so we abbreviate them using scientific notation
- to convert a number to scientific notation, change the numerical part of a quantity to a number
between one and ten; this number is then multiplied by a whole number power of ten
- Ex. the number 198,000,000,000 becomes 1.98 1011
- Ex. the number 0.00000000082 becomes 8.2 10 10
SCI 403 J. Marinay
Physics I

Accuracy and Precision:


- experimental results may be classified by:
A) Accuracy - how well the results of an experiment agree with the standard value
B) Precision - degree of exactness of a measurement
- it is possible to make precise measurements with an instrument that are not accurate and vice
versa

Measurement Techniques:
- to assure accuracy and precision, one must correctly read the measuring instrument
- a common problem is parallax; parallax is the apparent shift in the position of an object when it
is viewed from different angles
- Ex. if you read a meter stick from the side, you may incorrectly read the length of an object;
therefore, you need to read it directly above the stick

Significant Digits:
- significant digits are the valid digits in a measurement; the more precise an instrument, the more
significant digits can be measured
- Ex. a meter stick with only decimeters marked will give you a less precise reading than one with
both decimeters, centimeters, and millimeters marked
- to properly read significant digits on an analog (non-digital) instrument, you read it to the smallest
marking and then estimate the last digit to the nearest tenth (0.1) of the smallest marking

Which Digits Are Significant:


- follow these rules for determining which digits are significant
A) Non-zero digits are always significant
Ex. 26.38 mm = 4 sig. digits
Ex. 7.94 mL = 3 sig. digits
B) Any zeros between two significant digits are significant
Ex. 406 g = 3 sig. digits
Ex. 28.09 nm = 4 sig. digits
C) A final zero or trailing zeros in the decimal portion only
are significant
Ex. 0.00500 K = 3 sig. digits
Ex. 0.03040 m/s = 4 sig. digits
- these zeros are not significant
A) Space holding zeros on numbers less than one
Ex. 0.00500 N = 3 sig. digits (red zeros are not sig.)
B) Trailing zeros in a whole number
Ex. 200 km = one sig. digits
Ex. 25,000 A = two sig. digits
SCI 403 J. Marinay
Physics I

Addition/Subtraction with Sig. Digits:


- in any calculation with significant digits, your answer cannot be more precise than the least
precise measurement
- to add or subtract measurements, first perform the operation, then round off the result to
correspond to the least precise value involved
Ex. 24.686 m + 2.343 m + 3.21 m = 30.239 m

3.21 m is the least precise value (accurate to the hundredths of a meter, the other two terms are
accurate to the thousandths); the above answer should be reported with the same amount of
precision; this requires you to round-off the value, 30.239 m, to 30.24 m; you will report the correct
calculated answer as 30.24 m

Multiplication/Division:
- a different method is used to find the correct number of significant digits when multiplying or
dividing measurements; after performing the calculation, note the factor that has the least number
of significant digits; round the product or quotient to this number of digits
Ex. 3.22 cm x 2.1 cm = 6.762 cm2 corrected to 6.8 cm2

Uncertainty When Counting:


- sig. digits are only used in measurements and not with counting
Ex. if you count four pencils, this number has no uncertainty
SCI 403 J. Marinay
Physics I
SCI 403 J. Marinay
Physics I
SCI 403 J. Marinay
Physics I
SCI 403 J. Marinay
Physics I
SCI 403 J. Marinay
Physics I

What is the density of mercury (13.6 g/cm3) in units of kg/m3?

How many atoms of hydrogen can be found in 45 g of ammonia, NH3?


SCI 403 J. Marinay
Physics I
SCI 403 J. Marinay
Physics I

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