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 and 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, and they enable us to make
comparisons and communicate information in a standardized and
consistent way.
For 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, and
units of temperature could be Celsius or Fahrenheit.

fundamental and derived units

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.
 The seven fundamental units are:

Property unit Abbreviation

Length meter M

Mass kilogram kg

Time seconds s
Amount mole mol

Temperature kelvin k

Electric current Ampere amp

Luminous intensity candela cd

Basic unit = Fundamental unit

PLANE ANGLE Solid Angle

Unit = Radian Unit = Staradian

International system of units
cgs : centimeter ,gram and second.
FPS : foot, pound and second.
MKS : metre, kilogram and second.
The use of the SI is encouraged by international treaty, and it is
widely used in scientific and technical fields, as well as in everyday
life.

Derived unit
Derived units are units of measurement that are derived from
fundamental units using mathematical equations.
For example, the unit of speed is meters per second (m/s), which is
derived from the fundamental units of length and time. The unit of
force is Newton (N), which is derived from the fundamental units of
mass, length, and time.
There are many other derived units, such as joules (J) for energy, watts
(W) for power, and pascals (Pa) for pressure.

Some important units

Astronomical unit (AU)

it is a unit of measurement equal to the average distance
between the Earth and the Sun.
11
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
1LY = 9.46x10 m
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
16
1 Parsec = 3.6x10 m

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
-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

Question : Calculate angle of 1 degree in radian

To convert degrees to radians, we use the formula:

radians = (π / 180) x degrees

= (π /
180) x 1 degree
= 1.746x10 rad
 Significant Figures

Significant figures, also known as significant digits, are a way of indicating

the precision of a number or measurement. In scientific and engineering
calculations, it's important to know how precise a number is, so that the
correct level of precision is maintained throughout the calculations.

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.

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.
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]
for example
How we can find the dimension of density?
We know density is mass divided by volume. Dimension of mass is [M].
Volume is a product of three lengths. Thus, the dimension of volume
3
will be [L ]

density=mass / volume
3
=[M]/[L ]
-3
=[ML ]

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:
Application of Dimensional analysis

Checking the dimensional consistency of equations

Deriving relationships between physical quantities
Designing experiments
Developing models
Simplifying calculations

What are the 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

conversion of one unit system to another

Conversion of units of physical quantities from one system to another system:

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 1 , and the numerical value is n1 ​,

then:

Q=n 1 u 1 ................(1)

Similar in the other system if the unit is u2​and magnitude is n2 then:

Q=n1 ​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 ​,L 2​,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.

for 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.
so,
F=ma
-2
= [M][LT ]
-2
[F] =[MLT ]

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

/padhleakshay