ST.

JOHN OF THE CROSS R/C JHS

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT.

SCIENCE TIDBITS
PHYSICAL QUANTITY: Is any quantity that can be measured, either by an instrument or by
calculation.
Examples are: mass, weight, volume, distance, velocity, displacement, acceleration, speed,
length, density, etc.
NB: physical quantities can be classified into two namely:
1. Fundamental quantity: Is a quantity which is independent of any other quantity, which
means it is a quantity in which all other quantities can be derived. It is also called Basic
quantity. NB: There are seven basic or fundamental quantities namely; Mass, Time,
length (separation between points), Electric Current, Amount of substance, luminous
intensity, Temperature.
2. Derived quantity: Is the combination of two or more fundamental quantities. OR. It is a
quantity that consists of two or more of the basic quantities. Examples are: Area,
Volume, Weight, Density, Velocity, Acceleration, Pressure, Kinetic energy, Work,
Frequency, Power, Surface tension, Moment, Speed, Momentum, Heat energy.
DERIVATIONS OF UNITS FROM QUANTITIES.
1. Area is a two - dimensional space occupied by matter.
Mathematically, Area = length x Breadth
The unit of length is meter, and the unit of breadth is meter.
Area = m x m
Area = m2.
Therefore, the unit of Area is squared meter or meter square (m2).
2. Volume is a three-dimensional space occupied by matter.
Mathematically, Volume = length x Breadth x Height
The unit of Length is meter, Breadth is meter, and Height is also meter.
Hence, the unit of Volume = meter x meter x meter
=mxmxm
= m3. (Cubic metre or metre cubed)
3. Weight is the gravitational pull exerted on an object.
Mathematically, Weight = Mass x Acceleration due to gravity.
The unit of mass is Kilogram (kg), Acceleration is metre per second square (m/s2)
Hence, the unit of weight = Kilogram x metre per second square
= kg x m/s2.
= kgm/s2.
1Kgm/s2 is equal to 1Newton (N).
This means that the S.I unit of Weight is Newton or Kilogram metre per second square.
4. Force is the pull or push of an object. It can still be defined as the product of mass and
acceleration.

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ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS R/C JHS
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT.

Mathematically, Force = Mass x Acceleration

Force = kilogram x meter per second square.
Force = kg x m/s2
Force = kgm/s2.
This means that the S.I unit of Force is Kilogram meter per second square or Newton (N).
NB: Force and Weight have the same S.I unit that is, Newton or Kilogram meter
per second square. It means that 1Kgm/s2 is equal to Newton.
5. Velocity is the rate of change of displacement with time.
Displacement
Mathematically, Velocity =
time
The S.I unit of Displacement is meter and that of time is seconds.
meter
Therefore, Velocity =
second
m
Velocity =
s
Velocity = m/s
The S.I unit of velocity is meter per second (m/s)
6. Speed is the rate of change distance with time.
Dis tance
Mathematically, Speed =
time
The S.I unit of Distance is metre and that of time is seconds.
meter
Therefore, Speed =
second
m
Speed =
s
Speed = m/s (meter per second)
7. Density is the mass per unit volume of a substance.
Mass
Mathematically, Density =
Volume
Mass is measured in Kilogram (kg) whereas Volume is measured in Cubic meter (m3).
Kilogram (Kg)
Therefore, Density =
Cubic metre (m3)
Therefore, the S.I unit for measuring Density is Kilogram per Cubic metre or
Kilogram per metre cube (Kg/m3)
8. Work is said to be done when a force moves an object through a distance. OR. Work is
the product of force and distance.
Mathematically, Work = force x Distance
Force is measured in Newton whereas Distance is measured in metre.
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ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS R/C JHS
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT.

Therefore, the Unit for measuring Work = Newton x Metre

Work = N x m
Work = Nm (Newton meter)
Work is measured in Joules (J) or Newton meter (Nm)
9. Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with time.
change∈ velocity
Mathematically, Acceleration =
time
Velocity is measured in meter per second (m/s) whereas time is measured in seconds (s).
m/s
Therefore, the unit for measuring Acceleration =
s
Acceleration = m/s2 (meter per second square)
10. Pressure is defined as the force per unit area of a body or an object. The ‘Per’ in the
definition means that there is a division.
Force
So Mathematically, Pressure =
Area
Force is measured in Newton whereas Area is measured in square meter or meter square.
Newton
Therefore, the S.I unit for measuring Pressure =
square meter
N
Pressure = 2
m
Pressure = N/m2 (Newton per square meter).
Pascal (Pa) is also another unit for measuring Pressure.
11. Momentum: Is the product of mass and velocity. It is represented by the symbol ‘P’.
Mathematically, Momentum, P = mass x velocity
Mass is measured in kilogram (Kg) whereas Velocity is measured in meter per second
(m/s). Therefore, the unit for measuring Momentum = kilogram x meter per second
Momentum = kgm/s (kilogram meter per second).
12. Power: Is the rate of doing work.
workdone
Mathematically, Power =
time
Work is measured in Joules whereas Time is measured in seconds.
Joules
Therefore, the S.I unit for measuring Power = .
second
J
Power =
s
Power = J/s (Joules per second)
The unit for measuring Power is Watt (W) or Joules per second (J/s)
13. If Impulse is the product of force and time, determine the S.I unit for measuring impulse.

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2024
ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS R/C JHS
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT.

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2024
ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS R/C JHS
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT.

QUANTITY S.I UNIT SYMBOL INSTRUMENT

Mass Kilogram Kg Beam balance
Length Meter M Meter rule
Time Second S Stop clock
Temperature Kelvin K Thermometer
Electric current Ampere or Amps A Ammeter
Luminous intensity Candela Cd -----------------------------------
Amount of substance Mole mol -----------------------------------
Area Square meter m2 ------------------------------------
Volume Cubic meter m3 Pipette
Density Kilogram per cubic meter Kg/m3 Hydrometer
Pressure Pascal Pa or N/m2 ------------------------------------
Velocity Meter per second m/s ------------------------------------
Speed Meter per second m/s ------------------------------------
Power Watt or Joule per second W or J/s ------------------------------------
sWork or energy Joule J ------------------------------------
Force Newton N Spring balance or force meter
Weight Newton N Spring balance
Electric resistance Ohm Ω Ohmmeter
Potential difference Volt V Voltmeter
Quantity of electricity Coulomb C ------------------------------------
Momentum Kilogram meter per second Kgm/s ------------------------------------
Acceleration Meter per second square m/s2 ------------------------------------

QUESTIONS.
1. An object whose length, breadth, and height are 30cm, 10cm, and 0.05cm respectively
has a volume of what?
2. A metal has a mass of 200g and a volume of 50cm3. Calculate its density.
3. Calculate the weight of an object of mass 10kg on earth. [Take g = 10m/s2]
4. The weight of an object is 15N. Calculate the mass of the object if acceleration due to
gravity is 10m/s2.
5. Mention four examples of derived units.
6. A rectangular box has a length of 4m and a width of 5m. Calculate the area of the box.
7. A particle of mass 4kg starts from rest and accelerates uniformly to a velocity of 15m/s in
a time of 3 seconds.
Calculate the;
i. Initial momentum
ii. Final momentum
iii. Acceleration.

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2024