01 Units And

Measurements

chaliye suru kerte hai

ab main Chapters se

Physical quantities:
A physical quantity is a measurable property of a physical system that can be expressed
quantitatively, typically with a number and a unit.
Physical quantities can be classified into two types:
scalars
vectors
Scalars are quantities that have only magnitude, such as mass, temperature, and energy.
Vectors are quantities that have both magnitude and direction, such as velocity, force, and
acceleration.

Unit
A unit is a standard quantity or measure that is used to represent or describe a particular
physical quantity or property.
Units are used to specify the magnitude or size of something.

Let’s understands this with an EXAMPLE:

Units of length could be meters or feet.
Units of time could be seconds or minutes.
Units of weight could be kilograms or pounds.
Units of temperature could be Celsius or Fahrenheit.

fundamental units:
Fundamental units, also known as base units, are the basic units of measurement for
fundamental physical quantities.
They are defined in terms of physical standards, and all other units are derived from them.

Units And Measurements 13

 derived Units:
Derived units are units of measurement that are derived from fundamental units using
mathematical equations.

Let’s understands this with an EXAMPLE:

Unit of speed is meters per second (m/s, derived from the fundamental units of length and
time.

Unit of force is Newton (N), derived from the fundamental units of mass, length, and time.

Remember:
There are many other derived units, such as joules (J) for energy, watts (W) for power, and
pascals (Pa) for pressure.

Astronomical unit (AU):

kuch or important units ke bare
It is a unit of measurement equal to the average mai
jante hai.......let’s go guys!
distance between the Earth and the Sun.
11
Standard unit: 1 AU = 1.5x10 m

Light year :
A light year is a unit of distance used in astronomy that represents the distance that light travels
in one year.
15
Standard unit: 1LY = 9.46x10 m

Arc Length:
Arc Length is given by:-
d𝑠=d𝜃(𝑟)

Fig: 0.08

Units And Measurements 14

 parsec (pc):
A parsec (pc) is a unit of measurement used in astronomy to express distances to objects outside
our solar system.
It is defined as the distance at which an object would have a parallax angle of one arcsecond.
Standard unit: 1 Parsec = 3.6x1016m

Angstrom:
The angstrom, also spelled Ångström, is a unit of length commonly used in the field of atomic
physics and nanotechnology.
It is denoted by Å
Standard unit: -10
1Å = 10 m

Fermi:
The fermi is a unit of length used in nuclear and particle physics.
It is denoted by fm
1FM = 10 m

Calculate angle of 1 degree in radian

Ans:
To convert degrees to radians, we use the formula:
radians = (π / 180) x degrees
= (π / 180) x 1 degree
= 1.746x10 rad

Units And Measurements 15

 Significant Figures:

Significant figures, also known as significant digits, are a way of indicating the precision of a
number or measurement.
In scientific notation, significant figures are the digits that are not zero, and are either measured
or estimated with some degree of confidence or precision.

The rules for significant figures (also called significant digits) are:

Non-zero digits are always significant.

For example, the number 243 has three significant figures.

Zeros between non-zero digits are significant. For example, the number 506 has three significant
figures.

Leading zeros to the left of the first non-zero digit are not significant.
For example, the number 0.005 has one significant figure.

Trailing zeros to the right of the last non-zero digit are significant only if the number contains a
decimal point.
For example, the number 500. has three significant figures.

Trailing zeros in a number without a decimal point are ambiguous and should be avoided by using
scientific notation.
For example, the number 500 may be written as 5.00 × 10² to indicate that it has three significant
figures.

Exact numbers (such as integers and defined constants) have an infinite number of significant
figures.
For example, there are exactly 12 inches in a foot, and the number 12 is an exact number.

Ye saare rules ache se padh lena

(VVI) very very important......

Itne Lengthy rules important kaise ho

sakte hai

Units And Measurements 16

 Remember:
These rules are used to determine the number of significant figures in a given measurement or
calculation, which is important for maintaining accuracy and precision in scientific and engineering
work.

Dimension of a Physical Quantity:

Dimension of a physical quantity is the power to which the fundamental units must be raised to,
in order to represent it.
Mass, length, time, temperature, electric current, luminous intensity and amount of substance are
the fundamental quantities.
Physical quantities can be expressed in terms of these fundamental quantities.
These seven quantities are the seven dimensions of the physical world.

Remember:
The dimension of mass is denoted by [M]
The dimension of length is denoted by [L]
The dimension of time is denoted by [T]
The dimension of temperature is denoted by [K]
The dimension of electric current is denoted by [I]
The dimension of luminous intensity is denoted by [cd]
The amount of substance is denoted by [mol]

Note:
The dimension of a physical quantity will be the same as that of the dimension of its unit.
There are some cases where some quantities are dimensionless even when they have a unit.
For example, angle is a dimensionless quantity.

The dimensions of some common physical quantities are:

Units And Measurements 17

 Application of Dimensional analysis :
Checking the dimensional consistency of equations.
Deriving relationships between physical quantities
Designing experiments
Developing models
Simplifying calculations

limitations of Dimensional analysis:

It cannot provide information about dimensionless constants.
It assumes linear relationships
It may not account for all relevant variables
It does not consider the direction of causality
It may not apply to complex systems

Units And Measurements 18

 conversion of one unit system to another :

The method of dimensional analysis can be used to obtain the value of the physical quantity in
some other system when its value in one system is given.
As discussed earlier, the measurement of a physical quantity is given by:
Q = nu
If the unit of a physical quantity in a system is u , and the numerical value is n ​, then:
Q=n 1 u1 ................(1)
Similar in the other system if the unit is u ​and magnitude is n then:
Q=n 1 ​u1 .......(2)
From Eqs. (1) and (2)
n 1 ​u 1 =n2 u2 ​.................(3)

If a,b,c are the dimensions of a physical quantity in mass, length and time, then:

c
n1 ​[Ma1 ​Lb1 ​T1 ]=n2[M a2Lb2 T2c ]

Here M1 ​,L1 ​,T1 and M2 ​,L2 ​,T2 ​are the units of mass, length and time in the two systems, then

m1 a L1 b
n1 = n2 [ m2 ] [ L2 ][ T1
T2 ]
C

The equation can be used to find out the value of a physical quantity in the second or the new
system, when its value in first system is known.

To check the correctness of physical equation:

We can check the correctness of the physical equation using the principle of homogeneity.
By the principle of homogeneity of dimensions, the dimensions of all the terms on the two sides
of an equation must be the same.

Let’s understands this with an EXAMPLE:

To check the correctness of an equation of force using dimensional analysis, we need to analyze
the dimensions of each term in the equation and ensure that they are consistent with the
dimensions of force.
-2
The dimension of force is [M L T ]
equation of force, F = ma, where F represents force, m represents mass, and a represents
acceleration.

F=ma
-2
= [M][LT ]
-2
[F] =[MLT ]

Units And Measurements 19

 Hence by principle of homogeneity the given equation is dimensionally correct.

Let’s practice some important question:

A new unit of length is chosen such that the speed of light in vacuum is
unity. What is the distance between the Sun and the Earth in terms of the new
unit if light takes 8 min and 20 s to cover this distance?

Ans:
Speed of light in vacuum = unity
Distance between sun and earth = (speed of light in vacuum) x (time)
= (3*10 8 m/s) * 500s
Therefore new unit of length = speed of light in vacuum
8
= (3*10 m/s) ms -1
Therefore distance between sun and earth in terms of new unit

8
= (3*10 m/s)*500
(3*10 8m/s)

=500 units according to new unit.

What is a unit? Give a Example.

Ans:
If a separate unit is used for measuring other physical quantities, then it will
become very difficult to remember all of them because they will be very
much unrelated to each other.

The farthest objects in our universe are known as quasars (quasi-stellar radio
source). Much is not known about these objects. Electromagnetic wave emitted by
quasars take billions of years to reach earth. Calculate distance of a quasar from
which electromagnetic wave take three billion years to reach earth.

Ans: Given:
9
Time taken, t = 3*10 Years
= 3*10 9 * 365.25 * 24 * 60 * 60 s
Velocity of electromagnetic waves, c = 3 * 10 5 kms -1
therefore, Distance of quasar from earth
= 3*10 5 * 3* 10 9 * 365.25 * 24*60*60 km
16
= 2840184*10 km = 2.84*10 22 km.

Units And Measurements 20

 ^ )
The position of a particle is given by: ( 3.0t ^i + 2.0t 2 ^j + 5.0k

Ans:
^ )
v(t) = dr = d( 3.0t i^ + 2.0t2 j^ + 5.0k
dt dt

v(t) = 3.0i + 4.0t j^

a(t) = dv = +4.0 j^
dt

Explain the following statement.

“To call a dimensional quantity ‘large’ or ‘small’ is meaningless without
specifying a standard for comparison”.

Ans:

The given8 statement is true because a dimensionless quantity can be large or

small, but it must be compared to some standard. The coefficient of friction,
for example, is dimensionless, but we can say that the coefficient of sliding
friction is greater than the coefficient of rolling friction but less than the
coefficient of static friction.

A new length unit is chosen so that the speed of light in vacuum is unity.
What is the new unit distance between the Sun and the Earth if light takes 8
minutes and 20 seconds to cover this distance?
Ans:

The distance
8
between the sun and the earth is given by:

x = speed of light/time required for light to travel the distance

We are given, in the new unit,

the speed of light, c=1 unit

Time taken, t=8 min 20 s=500 s

∴ Distance between9 the Sun and the Earth x′=c×t′=1×500=500 units
9
5 -1

The Number of Strands of Hair on Your Head.

5 9

Ans: Estimation of the number

16
of strands
22 of hair on your head:

Units And Measurements 21

 Let the area of the head surface carrying hair be A

The radius of a hair can be determined with the help of a screw gauge and
let it be r

∴ Area of one hair strand =πr2

Number of strands of hair ≈ Total surface areaArea of one hair = ar2

Units And Measurements 22