Conceptual Exercise 01.

01
C01: Distinguish the following expressions quantitative or qualitative.
(i) The room is too narrow.
(ii) The man is a bit tall.
(iii) The box is too heavy.
(iv) The bunch is 2 m long.
(v) The field is 100 m2 wide.
Ans: (i) qualitative (ii) qualitative (iii) qualitative (iv) quantitative (v) quantitative.
C02: Distinguish the followings experiment or observation.
(i) Recording the sunrise of each day.
(ii) Recording the rainfall of each day.
(iii) Recording the wind speed at a beach.
(iv) Determining the time taken by a stone dropped from different heights.
(v) Finding the relation between mass and height of water in a bottle.
Ans: (i) observation (ii) observation (iii) observation (iv) experiment (v) experiment.
C03: Express each of the followings is Physical quantity or not. Explain why?
(i) Height of a man (ii) Mass of a man (iii) luck of a man (iv) beauty of a flower
Ans: (i) Height of a man is a physical quantity because it can be measured and expressed
using a numerical magnitude and a unit. (eg: 150 cm, 5 ft 6 in, …)
(ii) Mass of a man is a physical quantity because it can be measured and expressed
using a numerical magnitude and a unit. (eg: 60 kg, 50 kg, …)
(iii) Luck of a man is not a physical quantity because it cannot be measured.
(iv) Beauty of a flower is not a physical quantity because it cannot be measured.
C04: What is the uncertainty in a measurement obtained from an electronic balance which
displays a mass of 25.24 g?
Ans: 0.01 g
C05: A Student determined the following density data for an unknown metal: 4.62 g cm-3,
4.63 g cm-3, 4.62 g cm-3, 4.61 g cm-3. Comment on the precision and the accuracy of
the measurements if the true density of the metal was 6.82 g cm-3.
Ans: Precision is good, but the accuracy is poor.
C06: Which set of data is more precise?
Sample A: 32.56, 32.55, 32.48, 32.49, 32.48
Sample B: 15.38, 15.37, 15.36, 15.33, 15.32
Ans: Subtract the lowest data point from the highest:
Sample A: 32.56 – 32.48 = 0.08
Sample B: 15.38 – 15.32 = 0.06
Sample B has the lowest range (0.06) and so is the more precise.
C07: Consider a weight measuring instrument which measures the weight of steel cube.
Exact weight of the steel cube is 50 kg. The instrument shows the weight of the cube
as 47.819 kg, 47.823 kg, 47.835 kg and 47.847 kg. Discuss accuracy and precision of
the instrument.
Ans: The instrument has some precision since it almost reproduces same output value
47.8 kg. But the instrument does not have accuracy since the measured values are not
close to the actual weight 50 kg.
C08: Determine the accuracy and precision of a measurement of the mass of a 20 kg body
if the measured masses are 17.4 kg,17 kg,17.3 kg and 17.1 kg.

Ans: Average value = (17.4 + 17 + 17.3 + 17.1)/4 = 17.2 kg

error percent = 100 × (20 – 17.2)/20 = 14 % > 5 % [not accurate]
range = 17.4 – 17 = 0.4 kg < 0.5 kg [precise]
C09: Determine the accuracy and precision of a measurement of the mass of a 20 kg body
if the measured masses are 19.8 kg, 20.5 kg, 21.0 kg, and 19.6 kg.
Ans: Average value = (19.8 + 20.5 + 21.0 + 19.6)/4 = 20.225 kg
error percent = 100 × (20.225 – 20)/20 = 1.125 % < 5 % [accurate]
range = 21.0 – 19.6 = 1.4 kg > 0.5 kg [not precise]
C10: The volume of a liquid is 26 mL. The measured values are 26.2 mL, 26.1 mL,
25.9 mL, and 26.3 mL. Determine the accuracy and precision of the measurement.
Ans: Average value = (26.2 + 26.1 + 25.9 + 26.3)/4 = 26.125 mL
error percent = 100 × (26.125 – 26)/26 = 0.48 % < 5 % [accurate]
range = 26.3 – 25.9 = 0.4 mL < 0.5 mL [precise]
C11: The volume of a liquid is 20.5 mL. Which of the following sets of measurement
represents the value with good accuracy?
18.6 mL, 17.8 mL, 19.6 mL, 17.2 mL
19.2 mL, 19.3 mL, 18.8 mL, 18.6 mL
18.9 mL, 19.0 mL, 19.2 mL, 18.8 mL
20.2 mL, 20.5 mL, 20.3 mL, 20.1 mL
Ans: The set 20.2 mL, 20.5 mL, 20.3 mL, 20.1 mL represents the value with good accuracy.
G01: The pages of a book printed in back-to-back are numbered 1 to 200 and each leaf is
0.10 mm thick. If each cover is 0.20 mm thick, what is the thickness of the book?
Ans: Thickness of book = thickness of 100 leaves + thickness of two covers
= 100 × 0.10 mm + 2 × 0.20 = 10.40 mm
G02: How many significant figures (sf) are there in the following length measurements?
(a) 2.5 cm (b) 5.32 cm (c) 7.180 cm (d) 0.042 cm
Ans: (a) 2 sf (b) 3 sf (c) 4 sf (d) 2 sf
G03: A rectangular block measures 4.1 cm by 2.8 cm by 2.1 cm. Calculate its volume giving
your answer to an appropriate number of significant figures.
Ans: Volume = length × width × height
= 4.1 cm × 2.8 cm × 2.1 cm = 24.108 cm3 = 24.1 cm3