Lecture 1

Units &Physical
Quantities
PowerPoint® Lectures for
University Physics, Thirteenth Edition
– Hugh D. Young and Roger A. Freedman

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education Inc – Modified 1/14 by Scott Hildereth, Chabot College.
Goals for Lecture 1
• To learn three fundamental quantities of physics.

• To learn about the units of physical quantities.

• To study dimensional analysis.

• To keep track of significant figures in calculations.

Introduction
• The study of physics is
important because
physics is one of the
most fundamental
sciences, and one of the
first applications of the
pure study,
mathematics, to
practical situations.
• Physics is everywhere,
appearing throughout
our “day-to-day”
experiences.
1.1 The nature of physics
• Physics is an experimental science in which physicists
seek patterns that relate the phenomena of nature.

• Physics: the study of the fundamental laws of nature.

These laws can be expressed as mathematical

equations. (e.g., F = m a)

Most physical quantities have units, which must

match on both sides of an equation.

Much complexity can arise from even relatively

simple physical laws.
 Physical Quantities
Quantitative vs Qualitative
(Measurements vs Descriptions)

•Scientists do not use descriptions to make

observations as these would most likely
cause disagreements.
•“How large is large?” or “How small is
small?”
•Instead, sizes are specified using a number
and a standard unit such as the metre.
What is a Physical Quantity???
Definition:

A physical quantity is one that can be

measured and that consist of a numerical
magnitude and a unit.

Examples include length, volume, time and

temperature.
1.2 Standards and units

With a few exceptions, all physical quantities have units.

Examples:
Mass - kilograms (kg)
Speed - meters per second (m/s)
Pressure - pascals (P)
Energy - joules (J)
Electric Potential - volts (V)
Rather surprisingly, the units of almost all physical
quantities can be expressed as combinations of only the
units for mass, length, and time, i.e., kilograms, meters,
and seconds. A few physical quantities are pure
numbers that have no associated units
1.2 Standards and units
• Length, mass, and time = three fundamental
quantities (“dimensions”) of physics.
• The SI (Système International) is the most widely
used system of units.
• In SI units, length is measured in meters, mass in
kilograms, and time in seconds.
Unit Conversions
1 in = 2.54 cm 1 cm = 0.3937 in
1 mi = 1.609 km 1 km = 0.621 mi
1 mph = 0.447 m/s 1 m/s = 2.24 mph
Base Quantity

There are 7 base quantities.

All the other quantities (derived quantities) can

be worked out from the 7 base quantities.
Base Quantities
1. Length
Why are these
2. Mass quantities called
3. Time base quantities?
4. Temperature
5. Electric current
6. Luminous intensity
7. Amount of substance
 Base quantities are physical quantities that cannot
be defined in terms of other base quantities

Base Symbol SI unit Symbol of

quantity SI unit
Length l metre m

Mass m kilogram kg

Time t second s

Temperature T Kelvin K

Electric I ampere A
current
1.3 Unit Conversions
• Example 1.1 Express the speed limit of 763.0
miles/hour in meters/second.

• Example 1.2 Express the volume of 1.84 cubic

inches in cubic centimeters and in cubic meters.
Standards and units
• Base units are set for length, time, and mass.

• Unit prefixes size the unit to fit the situation.

1.3 Unit prefixes
• Table 1.1 shows some larger and smaller units for the
fundamental quantities.
 Derive Quantities & Units
All other quantities are derived from this base
15
quantities
Derived Relation with base Symbol for unit Special
quantity and derived quantities name

volume length × width × height m3

density mass ÷ volume kg m3

Speed distance ÷ time m s-1
acceleration change in velocity ÷ m s-2
time
force mass × acceleration kg m s-2 (N) newton (N)

pressure force ÷ area kg m-1 s-2 (N m-2) pascal

(Pa)
work force × distance kg m2 s-2 (N m) joule (J)
power work ÷ time kg m2 s-3 (J s-1) watt (W)
Unit consistency and conversions
• An equation must be dimensionally consistent (be sure you’re
“adding apples to apples”).
• “Have no naked numbers” (always use units in calculations).
• Refer to Example 1.1 (page 7) and Example 1.2 (page 8).
1.4 Dimensional Analysis
[L] = length [M] = mass [T] = time

Is the following equation dimensionally correct?

x  vt1
2
2

L 2
L   T   LT 
T 

No
 1.5 Measurement & Uncertainty

No measurement is exact; there is always

some uncertainty due to limited instrument
accuracy and difficulty reading results.

The precision – and also

uncertainty - of a
measured quantity is
indicated by its number of
significant figures.
Ex: 8.7
centimeters
2 sig figs
 Significant Figures

Number of significant figures = number of

“reliably known digits” in a number.

Often possible to tell # of significant figures by the

way the number is written:

• 23.21 cm = four significant figures.

• 0.062 cm = two significant figures

(initial zeroes don’t count).
 Significant Figures

Numbers ending in zero are ambiguous. Does

the last zero mean uncertainty to a factor of
10, or just 1?

Is 20 cm precise to 10 cm, or 1? We need rules!

• 20 cm = one significant figure

(trailing zeroes don’t count w/o decimal point)

• 20. cm = two significant figures

(trailing zeroes DO count w/ decimal point)

• 20.0 cm = three significant figures

 Rules for Significant Figures

•When multiplying or dividing numbers, or

using functions, result has as many sig figs as
term with fewest (the least precise).
•ex: 11.3 cm x 6.8 cm = 77. cm.

•When adding or subtracting, answer is no

more precise than least precise number used.

• ex: 1.213 + 2 = 3, not 3.213!

 1.6 Scientific Notation

•Scientific notation is commonly used in

physics; it allows the number of significant
figures to be clearly shown.

•Ex: cannot easily tell how many significant

figures in “36,900”.

•Clearly 3.69 x 104 has three;

and 3.690 x 104 has four.
1-7 Order of Magnitude: Rapid Estimating

Quick way to estimate calculated quantity:

• round off all numbers in a calculation to
one significant figure and then calculate.
• result should be right order of magnitude
• expressed by rounding off to nearest
power of 10
• 104 meters
• 108 light years
 Order of Magnitude: Rapid Estimating
Example: Volume of a lake

Estimate how much

water there is in a
particular lake, which is
roughly circular, about 1
km across, and you
guess it has an average
depth of about 10 m.
 Order of Magnitude: Rapid Estimating
Example: Volume of a lake

Volume = x r2 x depth

= ~ 3 x 500 x 500 x 10
= ~75 x 105
= ~ 100 x 105
= ~ 107 cubic meters
 Order of Magnitude: Rapid Estimating
Example: Volume of a lake

Volume = x r2 x depth

= 7,853,981.634 cu. m

~ 107 cubic meters

Solving problems in physics

• The textbook offers a systematic problem-solving strategy

with techniques for setting up and solving problems
efficiently and accurately.
Solving problems in physics

• Step 1: Identify relevant concepts, variables, what is

known, what is needed, what is missing.
 Solving problems in physics

• Step 2: Set up the Problem – MAKE a SKETCH, label it,

act it out, model it, decide what equations might apply.
What units should the answer have? What value?
 Solving problems in physics

• Step 3: Execute the Solution, and EVALUATE your

answer! Are the units right? Is it the right order of
magnitude? Does it make SENSE?