What is Physics?

Physics is the study of the basic components of the universe and their interactions. Theories of physics
have to be verified by the experimental measurements.

Physical Quantities
• Physical quantities are a characteristic or property of an object that can be measured or calculated
from other measurements.
• Consist of numerical value and units.

Quantitative versus Qualitative

• Most observation in physics are quantitative
• Descriptive observations (or qualitative) are usually imprecise

Physical Quantities are classified into two types:

Base quantity Derived quantity

* is like the brick – the basic * is like the house that was build up from a
building block of a house collection of bricks (basic quantity)

A conversion factor is a ratio that expresses how many of one unit are equal to another unit.

Scientific Notation
• Scientific notation is used to express very large or very small numbers
• It consists of a number between 1 & 10 followed by x 10 to an exponent
• Exponent can be determined by the number of decimal places you have to move to get only 1
number in front of the decimal

Ex: Mr. Smith bought an adult male cow that weighs 1,700 lbs. What is the weight of the cow in kg?

1 kg=2.2lbs . ( Conversionfactor )
1 700lbs . ( 1 kg
2.2lbs . )
→1 700 ( )
1 kg
2.2
2
772.727 kg∨7.72727 ×10 kg

Accuracy Precision
- % Error - Significant Figures/Digits
• How close you are to the actual value • How finely tuned your measurements
• Depends on the person measuring are or how close they can be to each
• Calculated by the formula: other
% Error=¿ • Depends on the measuring tool
• Determined by the number of
Theoretical Value−Experimental Value significant digits.
¿ ×100 %
Theoretical Value

Accuracy - Calculating % Error

Accuracy is the closeness of a measured value to the true value.

Theoretical Value−Experimental Value

% Error= × 100 %
Theoretical Value
 Where: Experimental value = measured value Theoretical value = accepted value
Ex: If a student measured the room width at 8.46 m and the accepted value was 9.45 m. What was their
accuracy?
Theoretical Value−Experimental Value
% Error= × 100 %
Theoretical Value

9.45 m−8.46 m
% Error= × 100 %
9.45 m
% Error=10.5 %

A. Low accuracy, B. Low accuracy, C. High accuracy, D. High accuracy,

low precision high precision low precision high precision