DSH 202

APPLIED PHYSICS
 CHAPTER 1

FOUNDATION IN PHYSICS
LEARNING OUTCOME

• Quantitative & qualitative measurement

• Base quantity & derived quantity
• Unit of measurement
• Conversion of measurement
• Uncertainties in measurement
• Precision & accuracy
INTRODUCTION

• It is doubtless that human are born curious,

and will always want to uncover the mystery
of the nature of our universe.
• Rather than accepting things the way it is, we
start to think and, systematically observe the
nature, asking questions on: what, where,
when, why, and how it had occurred.
• The answers to those questions are the
knowledge of nature which in Greek called as
φυσικός/Physikos, and in our word: Physics.
INTRODUCTION

• In general, physics is concerned with the study

of energy and the properties of matter.
• The aim of physics is to explain the
fundamental nature of our universe by using
simplest explanation i.e. mathematical model
𝑚1 × 𝑚2 2
𝐹 =𝐺 2 𝐸=𝑚 𝑐
𝑟

Law of gravity Mass-energy

equivalence
INTRODUCTION

• With better understanding of our world, we can use that

knowledge to advance our technology and improve our quality of
life.
• We can navigate easily using GPS because of Einstein’s contribution
in ‘general relativity’.
• We can use WiFi to connect to the internet because of the
advancement in electromagnetic field research.
• Our computer is getting smaller and powerful because of the
advancement in silicon manufacturing process.
Practice questions

What are the physics concepts related to the following everyday

objects and natural phenomena?
• Mirror Choices:
• Water heater
Forces and motion
Light
• Moving car
Electricity
• Wind Thermodynamics
• Floating object Air pressure
• Internet Waves
• Fans Radioactivity
• Computers Buoyancy
• X-ray
Electromagnetism
• High-speed train
PHYSICAL QUANTITIES

Topic 1 – Measurement
PHYSICAL QUANTITIES

• In the quest to understand the world around us,

scientists seek to find relationships among the
various physical quantities they observe and
measure.
• We may ask, for example how much does the
pressure of gas in a closed container change if
temperature increase of lowered?
• Or, what is the magnitude of forces needed to
crack a safety helmet?
• To determine the form of relationship, careful
measurements are required
PHYSICAL QUANTITIES

• Quantitative measurement
• Something can be physically measured i.e.
• Number of people
• Volume of water
• Time taken to travel
• Qualitative measurement
• Measurement that deals with quality and cannot be
measured i.e.
• Risk level
• Pain level
• Looks of a person
 Physical Quantities

• A physical quantity is one that can be

measured and consists of a magnitude and
unit.

Measuring length
4.5 m


70 Vehicles
km/h
Not
Exceeding
SI units are
1500 kg In
common today Unladen
Weight
PHYSICAL QUANTITIES

• Quantity that can be measured is known as

physical quantities
• Two types of physical quantities
• Base quantities
• Derived quantities
PHYSICAL QUANTITIES

• Base quantities:
• Quantity that cannot be described with other quantities
• For example:
• Length
• Mass
• Time
• Current
• Temperature
• Light intensity
• Amount of substance
PHYSICAL QUANTITIES

• Derived quantities:
• Quantities can be derived by using a combination of
base quantities
• For example
Practice question

• What are the base units of speed?

• Speed is defined as distance/time, so the
unit is m/s
• Division by a unit is show using a negative
index, that is S-1. The base units of speed
are ms-1
UNITS OF MEASUREMENT
UNITS OF MEASUREMENT

• When scientists shares their finding, the measured

quantities is assigned to the same numerical value.
• To accomplish this task we use a mutually agreed upon
a standardized system of units
• Currently, there are two widely used system of units:
• International System of Units or S.I. unit.
• Imperial System of Unit
• To date, only 3 countries left adopting the imperial unit
• USA
• Myanmar
• Liberia
UNITS OF MEASUREMENT

• Every physical measurement is expressed in its

numerical value and its unit of measurement

Unit of
Length of a table = 1.5 m measurement

Physical Numerical
quantity value
UNITS OF MEASUREMENT
PREFIXES
SI units

Defining equation: area = length × width

In terms of units: Units of area = m × m = m2

Defining equation: volume = length × width × height

In terms of units: Units of volume = m × m × m = m2

Defining equation: density = mass ÷ volume

In terms of units: Units of density = kg / m3 = kg m−3

Example
Practice questions

Match the following base quantity with its unit of

measurement

• Length Choices
• Second
• Mass • Metre
• • Kelvin
Time
• Ampere
• Electric current • Kilogram

• Temperature