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Homework # 2

The document discusses different types of measurement units and standards. It describes the International System of Units (SI) which defines the basic units of length, mass and time. The document provides details on how the meter, kilogram and second are defined and standardized. It also gives examples of measured lengths, masses and time intervals.

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Alejandro Quispe
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11 views

Homework # 2

The document discusses different types of measurement units and standards. It describes the International System of Units (SI) which defines the basic units of length, mass and time. The document provides details on how the meter, kilogram and second are defined and standardized. It also gives examples of measured lengths, masses and time intervals.

Uploaded by

Alejandro Quispe
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Unit 2 MEASUREMENT UNITS

2.1 Different types of measurements.

Measure: This is how you find the size or weight of something. When you measure something you
are taking a measurement.

Question: How do we measure things?

Answer: Using an appropriate tool and then comparing the measurement with a standard.
Standards are special objects that are used to make measurements in terms of fixed units of
measurement.

Question: What can be measured? Answer: There are lots of things that can be measured, for
example, height, length, temperature, weight, pressure, voltage, intensity, frecuency, time.

2.2 Standard system

Standards of length, mass and time

The laws of physics are expressed in terms of basic quantities that require a clear definition. In
mechanics, the three basic quantities are length (L), mass (M), and time (T). All other quantities in
mechanics can be expressed in terms of these three.

If we are to report the results of a measurement to someone who wishes to reproduce this
measurement, a standard must be defined.

If we are told that a person has a mass of 75 kilograms and our unit of mass is defined to be 1
kilogram, then that person is 75 times as massive as our basic unit. In 1960, an international
committee established a set of standards for length, mass, and other basic quantities.

The system established is an adaptation of the metric system, and it is called the SI system of units.
(The abbreviation SI comes from the system’s French name “Système International.”) In this
system, the units of length, mass, and time are the meter, kilogram, and second, respectively.

Other SI standards established by the committee are those for temperature (the kelvin), electric
current (the ampere), luminous intensity (the candela), and the amount of substance (the mole). In
our study of mechanics we shall be concerned only with the units of length, mass, and time.

Length

As recently as 1960, the length of the meter was defined as the distance between two lines on a
specific platinum– iridium bar stored under controlled conditions in France.

This standard was abandoned for several reasons. In the 1960s and 1970s, the meter was defined
as 1 650 763.73 wavelengths of orange-red light emitted from a krypton-86 lamp.

However, in October 1983, the meter (m) was redefined as the distance traveled by light in vacuum
during a time of 1/299 792 458 second. In effect, this latest definition establishes that the speed of
light in vacuum is precisely 299 792 458 m per second.

The next table lists approximate values of some measured lengths.


Mass

The basic SI unit of mass, the kilogram (kg), is defined as the mass of a specific platinum–iridium
alloy cylinder kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures at Sèvres, France.

This mass standard was established in 1887 and has not been changed since that time because
platinum–iridium is an unusually stable alloy.

This table lists approximate values of the masses of various objects.


Time

In 1967 the SI unit of time, the second, was redefined using the characteristic frequency of a
particular kind of cesium atom as the “reference clock.”

The basic SI unit of time, the second (s), is defined as 9 192 631 770 times the period of vibration
of radiation from the cesium-133 atom. Approximate values of time intervals are presented in
Table.

Laser Measurers
Laser distance measuring devices work by sending out a laser beam of light and tracking how long
it takes for the beam to return to the device. It uses this information to instantly calculate the
distance from the laser measuring tool to the object you selected with the beam. Not only does it
display distances instantly and accurately, it can track measurements, and make simple
calculations (like adding measurements, subtracting measurements, calculating indirect heights and
automatically calculating area).
You can set the laser measuring device to measure from the front of the device or the back to allow
you the most accurate measurements. Why take a chance with errors when you can have the
perfect measurement at the click of a button? Laser measurers are used by many different
professionals including: painters, realtors, estimators, contractors, and more. For more detailed
information see our guide: All About Laser Measuring Tools.
Laser measuring tools are ideal for: Measurements you have to take without any help; interior room
measurements; finding areas of walls (ie: when deciding how much paint or drywall is needed to
purchase for a job); measuring the height of a building; measuring the height of an object on a
window on high story of a building when you cannot reach the object to hold up a measuring device;
and more.
The device can be used outside but you will not be able to see precisely where the laser beam is
pointed. Picture turning on a flashlight on a sunny day... the light will be on, but you won't be able to
see the beam. To make up for this, some laser measuring devices add a viewfinder for you to look
through and aim the beam to wherever you want to measure

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