PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION

Engineering Physics
1

Lecturer
Dr. Dawit Worku

[email protected]
PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION
Learning outcomes:
At the end of this chapter you should be able to…
State the necessity for, and the process and techniques of
measurement.

List the seven basic SI units of measurement, their

abbreviations and each of the physical quantities (and their
symbols) which they are used to measure.

Distinguish between accuracy and precision.

Perform metric conversions using the several metric

prefixes of the metric system.

Perform basic mathematical calculations, using the laws of

indices where necessary.

Solve triangles, using Pythagoras’ theorem, sine, cosine 3

and tangent ratios.
BSC100A INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT

WHAT IS PHYSICS?
Physics attempts to provide a description of the
fundamental principles of the universe.
Physics is based on experiment and measurement.
Hypotheses proposed to explain phenomena are
repeatedly tested; those which survive become our
current theories which inform our models of reality –
until further testing proves them inadequate or wrong!
I.e. Physics provides transparent and reliable, yet still
tentative, knowledge.
Physics is the most fundamental of the sciences:
it provides a basis for other sciences to build on.

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

SCIENTISTS vs CASUAL OBSERVERS

The casual observer:

…simply observes

The scientist:
…takes measurements,
…records them… and then…
…calculates stuff!!

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 INTRODUCTION
PHYSI MEASURE
CS 1 MEASUREMENT MENT

Measurement is the comparison of a physical quantity

(e.g. length) with a predefined unit, or fixed standard of
measurement (e.g. the metre, or the foot, or the cubit,
or the hand, or the furlong, or…)
Système International d'Unités (SI):

7 base units
Other, derived units

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BSC100A INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT

BASE UNITS
Physical quantity Symbol Base unit Unit abbr
Length s metre m

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BSC100A INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT

BASE UNITS
Physical quantity Symbol Base unit Unit abbr
Length s metre m
Time t second s

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BSC100A INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT

BASE UNITS
Physical quantity Symbol Base unit Unit abbr
Length s metre m
Time t second s
Mass m kilogram kg

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BSC100A INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT

BASE UNITS
Physical quantity Symbol Base unit Unit abbr
Length s metre m
Time t second s
Mass m kilogram kg
Current strength I ampere A

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BSC100A INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT

BASE UNITS
Physical quantity Symbol Base unit Unit abbr
Length s metre m
Time t second s
Mass m kilogram kg
Current strength I ampere A
Temperature T kelvin K

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BSC100A INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT

BASE UNITS
Physical quantity Symbol Base unit Unit abbr
Length s metre m
Time t second s
Mass m kilogram kg
Current strength I ampere A
Temperature T kelvin K
Luminous intensity Iv candela cd

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BSC100A INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT

BASE UNITS
Physical quantity Symbol Base unit Unit abbr
Length s metre m
Time t second s
Mass m kilogram kg
Current strength I ampere A
Temperature T kelvin K
Luminous intensity Iv candela cd
Amount of substance n mole mol

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BSC100A INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT

SOME DERIVED UNITS

Phys qnt’y Symbol Base unit Unit abbr
Area A square metre m2
Volume V cubic metre m3
Speed v metre per second m/s
Acceleration a metre per second squared m/s2
Density  kilograms per cubic metre kg/m3

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BSC100A INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT

MORE DERIVED UNITS

Phys qnt’y Symbol Unit Abbr Base units
Force F newton N kg m/s2
Pressure p pascal Pa N/m2 = kg /(m s2)
Energy E, w, Q joule J N m = kg m2/s2
Power P watt W J/s = kg m2/s3
Charge q coulomb C As
ohm
Resistivity  m kg m3/(A2 s3)
metre

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 INTRODUCTION
PHYSI MEASURE
CS 1 ACCURACY and PRECISION MENT

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 INTRODUCTION
PHYSI MEASURE
CS 1 ACCURACY and PRECISION MENT

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BSC100A INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT

Accuracy and Precision

Reading A B C
1 1,7 1,985 2,001
2 3,2 1,986 1,999
3 1,4 1,984 2,002
4 1,0 1,981 1,998
5 2,6 1,989 2,000
Averages: 2,0 cm 1,985 cm 2,000 cm
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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT

SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
The number of significant figures, or digits, in a
measured value gives an automatic indication of how
precise that value is.

It is therefore important to report the correct number of

significant figures in an answer.

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 INTRODUCTION
PHYSI MEASURE
CS 1 SIGNIFICANT FIGURES MENT

All non-zero numerals in a number are

significant.
1 23 4
112,6 has four significant figures

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 INTRODUCTION
PHYSI MEASURE
CS 1 SIGNIFICANT FIGURES MENT

All non-zero numerals in a number are

significant.
112,6 has four significant figures

Only zeros between non-zero numerals, or following

a non-zero numeral AND CONTINUING TO THE RIGHT
OF THE DECIMAL POINT are significant. Other zeros
are not significant.

1 234
1 006 has four significant figures

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 INTRODUCTION
PHYSI MEASURE
CS 1 SIGNIFICANT FIGURES MENT

All non-zero numerals in a number are

significant.
112,6 has four significant figures

Only zeros between non-zero numerals, or following

a non-zero numeral AND CONTINUING TO THE RIGHT
OF THE DECIMAL POINT are significant. Other zeros
are not significant.
1 006 has four significant figures
12
0,000 060 has two significant figures

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 INTRODUCTION
PHYSI MEASURE
CS 1 SIGNIFICANT FIGURES MENT

All non-zero numerals in a number are

significant.
112,6 has four significant figures

Only zeros between non-zero numerals, or following

a non-zero numeral AND CONTINUING TO THE RIGHT
OF THE DECIMAL POINT are significant. Other zeros
are not significant.
1 006 has four significant figures
0,000 060 has two significant figures
12 34
50,00 has four significant figures
23
 INTRODUCTION
PHYSI MEASURE
CS 1 SIGNIFICANT FIGURES MENT

All non-zero numerals in a number are

significant.
112,6 has four significant figures

Only zeros between non-zero numerals, or following

a non-zero numeral AND CONTINUING TO THE RIGHT
OF THE DECIMAL POINT are significant. Other zeros
are not significant.
1 006 has four significant figures
0,000 060 has two significant figures
50,00 has four significant figures
50 000 has ??
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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT

SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
The number of significant figures in a result depends
on…
(a) the precision of the original measurements, and
(b)

theresult
If the natureis of the calculation:
calculated by multiplying or dividing
measured values, it may contain only as many
significant figures as contained in the least precise
of the readings.

E.g. The average (mean) of 58,85; 60,1; and

61,525
60,2 (not 60,15833333)
is…

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT

SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
The number of significant figures in a result depends
on…
(a) the precision of the original measurements, and
(b)

theresult
If the natureis of the calculation:
calculated by adding or subtracting
measured values, it may contain only as many
decimal places as there are in the value with the
least number of decimal places.

E.g. 24,4 + 3,15 = …27,6 (not 27,55)

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT

SCIENTIFIC NOTATION
The ambiguity about the number of significant figures
in 50 000 can be removed by using scientific notation –
where only the first significant digit of a number
appears before the decimal point.

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5,0 x 104 has two significant figures

1 234 5
5,000 0 x 104 has five significant figures

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT
ConcepTest©

Rank in order, from the most to the least, the number of

significant figures in the following numbers. For example, if
b has more than c, c has the same number as a, and a has
more than d, you could give your answer as b > c = a > d.

(a) 8200 (b) 0,0052 (c) 0,430 (d) 4,321 x 10–10

A d>c>b=a
B a=b=d>c
C b=d>c>a
D d>c>a>b
E b>a=c=d

ConcepTest© material from  Eric Mazur, Peer Instruction, Prentice Hall, Inc, (1997)
 Project Galileo website: http://galileo.harvard.edu/home.html 28
 INTRODUCTION MEASUREMENT

METRIC PREFIXES
The following metric prefixes will be used in this
course and must be well known:

Factor 10–12 10–9 10–6 10–3 10–2 10–1 100

Prefix pico- nano- micro- milli- centi- deci- -
abbr p n  m c d -

Factor 100 103 106 109

Prefix - kilo- mega- giga-
abbr - k M G

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION

5 + 2 × 3 – 11 = …

A –56

B –1

C 0

D 10

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION
0,66
2 =…
3

A 0,44

B 0,99

C 1,00

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION

0,032 = …

A 0,000 9

B 0,009

C 0,09

D 0,9

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION
Which of the following sets of numbers is
correctly arranged in decreasing order of
magnitude (i.e. from biggest to smallest)?

–13,05  10–6; 1,305  10–7;

A
130,5  10–8
130,5  10–8; 1,305  10–7; –
B
13,05  10–6
–13,05  10–6; 130,5  10–8;
C
1,305  10–7
1,305  10–7; 130,5  10–8; –
D
13,05  10–6 37
PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION

(10–3)2 = …

A 0,1

B 10–1

C 10–5
1
D 1000000

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION

3 cm  3 cm = 9 cm2,
which is equivalent to …

A 90 mm2

B 0,9 dm2

C 0,09 m2

D 0,000 9 m2

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION

20% of 300 is …

A 20%

B R60.00

C 60

D 60%

E none of these
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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION

Half of 10–8 equals … A 5–4

B 5–8
C 5–9
D 10–4
E 5  10–4
F 5  10–7
G 5  10–8
H 5  10–9
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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION

2 cm  2 cm  2 cm = 8 cm3,
which is equivalent to …

A 80 mm3

B 0,8 dm3

C 8  10–2 m3

D 8  10–6 m3

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION

72 km/h is equivalent to …

A 20 m/s

B 259 m/s

C 720 m/s

D 1 200 m/s

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION

A speed of 30 m/s is equivalent to…

A 1,8 km/h

B 8,33 km/h

C 108 km/h

D 180 km/h

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION
The mass of a container with sugar was
13 kg. After one third of the sugar had been
used, the mass of the container with the rest
of the sugar was 9 kg.
What was the mass of the empty container?

A 1 kg

B 4 kg

C 10 kg

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION
The diagonals on two adjacent
faces of a cube meet at one
vertex, as shown. What is the
size of the angle between the
diagonals?
A 45°

B 60°

C 90°

D 120°
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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION
A string is wound around a circular rod exactly
four times, creating a helix from one end of the
rod to the other.
What is the length of the string if the rod has a
length of 12 cm and a circumference of 4 cm?

A 16 cm
B 20 cm
C 24 cm
D 28 cm
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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION
How many boxes measuring 12 cm by 10 cm by 8
cm can be packed into a 36 m3 container which is
6 m long and
2,4 m wide? How must
the boxes be packed?

A 3 A flat

B 3,75 B on end

C 37,5 C on edge

D 37 500 D (it doesn’t matter)

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION
A wooden cube with a side of 5 cm is
turned into a cylinder. What volume of
wood will be wasted making the largest
cylinder possible?

A 26,79 cm3

B 26,83 cm3

C 46,46 cm3

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION
A wooden cube with a side of 5 cm is
turned into a cylinder. The surface area of
the cylinder is …% of the original
cube’s surface area.

A 52
B 65
C 79
D 117
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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION
A wooden cube with a side of 5 cm is
turned into a sphere. What volume of
wood will be wasted making the largest
sphere possible?

A 46,46 cm3

B 59,55 cm3

C 98,82 cm3

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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

BASIC CALCULATION
A wooden cube with a side of 5 cm is
turned into a sphere. The surface area of
the sphere is …% of the original
cube’s surface area.

A 13
B 44
C 52
D 65
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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

SOLUTION OF TRIANGLES

The values of x and  in the

x
adjacent triangle are… 3

x 
4
A 5 36,9°
B 5 53,1°
C 5 48,6°
D 7 36,9°
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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

SOLUTION OF TRIANGLES

The values of x and  in the

adjacent triangle are… 4
3
x  
x
A 2,65 48,6°
B 5 41,4°
C 2,65 41,4°
D 5 48,6°
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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

SOLUTION OF TRIANGLES
In terms of F and , the values
of x and y in the adjacent F
triangle are… y

x y x
A F F
sin cos 
B F cos F sin
C F sin F cos
F F
D
cos  sin
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PHYSICS 1 INTRODUCTION BASIC CALCULATION

SOLUTION OF TRIANGLES
Determine the values of x and
 in the following triangles:

(a)
26

(b)
x
x 24

 30°
24
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