General Physics 1

Measurements
Metric System
Is basically a system used for
measuring distance, length,
volume, weight and temperature.
It is based on three basic units
with which we can measure
almost everything in the world.
English System
English units are the units of
measurement used in England
up to 1826, Which employs units
such as foot, pound, and second
for measuring distance, weight,
and time, respectively.
International System
of Units (SI)
Which is based on the metric
system was published as a result of
an international agreement.
Because fundamental units are not
always convenient to use.
The SI converts one unit to another
unit using prefixes such as giga ,
mega , kilo , deci , centi , milli ,
micro .
 Fundamental SI units
Physical Quantity Name of unit Abbreviation
Mass kilogram kg
Length meter m
Time second s
Temperature kelvin K
Electric current ampere A
Amount of substance mol
mole

Luminous intensity candela cd

Physical Quantity
Meter and Weight
Mass is the actual amount of matter
that a substance contains.
Weight is measure of the
gravitational attraction exerted
by the center of gravity.
Length and Time
Length is the distance between two
points. Includes width, depth and
height.
Time is the interval between
two events, and employs quite
familiar to us – days, hour,
minutes, and seconds.
 Dimensional
Analysis:
Interconversion by
the Factor Unit
Method
How do we convert one
unit to another unit
mathematically? Let us
have some examples.
Solution
1. Convert 600 m to kilometer (km)
Step a:

Step b: substitute the given values

 1 km 600 𝑘𝑚
600 m x x
1000 m 1000

Answer: 0.60 km
1. Convert 40 days to seconds (s)
Step a:
Step b: substitute the
given values
 24 h𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 60 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑠 60 𝑠𝑒𝑐
40 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑥 𝑥 x
1 𝑑𝑎𝑦 1 h𝑜𝑢𝑟 1 𝑚𝑖𝑛

Answer: 3, 456, 000 sec

1. Convert 12.5

Step a:

Step b: substitute the given values

 𝑚 1 𝑘𝑚 3600 𝑠
1 2.5 𝑥 x
𝑠 1000 𝑚 1 h𝑟

Answer:
Derived units
Involve measuring more
than one parameter,
resulting the combination
of basic units
 Derived Units
Pressure Density Speed or velocity
1 atm = 101 325 Pa =760
mm Hg = 760 torr = 14.7
pound per square inch
(psi)
1 bar = 100 000 Pa =
0.9869 atm
1 Pa = 1
Pressure
Is force applied per unit
area.
The pressure exerted by
the air in the atmosphere
as a result of gravitational
attraction is called
atmospheric pressure.
Density
Density determines the
ability of a substance to
float in another substance.
Less dense will float and
the denser one will sink.
Specific gravity
Is the density of a substance
compared with a density of
water at a given temperature.
Density and specific gravity
are equal, but specific gravity
has no unit.
Sample problem
Calculate the following.

a. The density of metal with a

mass of 8.85 g and volume of
1. 45 mL
 a.

Answer:
Calculate the following.

b. The specific gravity of the

metal at , given the density of
water at is 0.95 g/mL
b. Specific gravity at

Answer: