Department of Physics, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Mindanao State University, Marawi City

1st semester, 2023-2024
Physics 003

Chapter 1 Units and Physical Quantities

University Physics with Modern Physics 13th Edition, Hugh D. Young and Roger A. Freedman

1.1 The Nature of Physics

Physics is an experimental science. Physicists observe the phenomena of nature and try to find patterns
that relate these phenomena. These patterns are called physical theories or, when they are very well
established and widely used, physical laws or principles.

The meaning of the word “theory”. Calling an idea a theory does not mean that it’s just a random
thought or an unproven concept. Rather, a theory is an explanation of natural phenomena based on
observation and accepted fundamental principles. An example is the well-established theory of biological
evolution, which is the result of extensive research and observation by generations of biologists.

1.2 Solving Physics Problems

All of the Problem-Solving Strategies and Examples in this book will follow these four steps. (In some
cases we will combine the first two or three steps.) We encourage you to follow these same steps when
you solve problems yourself. You may find it useful to remember the acronym I SEE—short for Identify,
Set up, Execute, and Evaluate.

Solving Physics Problems

IDENTIFY the relevant concepts: Use the physical conditions stated in the problem to help you decide
which physics concepts are relevant. Identify the target variables of the problem—that is, the quantities
whose values you’re trying to find, such as the speed at which a projectile hits the ground, the intensity of
a sound made by a siren, or the size of an image made by a lens. Identify the known quantities, as stated
or implied in the problem. This step is essential whether the problem asks for an algebraic expression or a
numerical answer.

SET UP the problem: Given the concepts you have identified and the known and target quantities, choose
the equations that you’ll use to solve the problem and decide how you’ll use them. Make sure that the
variables you have identified correlate exactly with those in the equations. If appropriate, draw a sketch of
the situation described in the problem. (Graph paper, ruler, protractor, and compass will help you make
clear, useful sketches.) As best you can, estimate what your results will be and, as appropriate, predict
what the physical behavior of a system will be. The worked examples in this book include tips on how to
make these kinds of estimates and predictions. If this seems challenging, don’t worry—you’ll get better
with practice!

EXECUTE the solution: This is where you “do the math.” Study the worked examples to see what’s
involved in this step.

EVALUATE your answer: Compare your answer with your estimates, and reconsider things if there’s a
discrepancy. If your answer includes an algebraic expression, assure yourself that it represents what
would happen if the variables in it were taken to extremes. For future reference, make note of any answer
that represents a quantity of particular significance. Ask yourself how you might answer a more general
or more difficult version of the problem you have just solved.

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Department of Physics, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Mindanao State University, Marawi City
1st semester, 2023-2024
Idealized Models
In physics a model is a simplified version of a physical system that would be too complicated to analyze
in full detail. Size and shape on the object are neglected by representing it as a point object, or particle.

1.3 Standards and Units

Any number that is used to describe a physical phenomenon quantitatively is called a physical quantity.
For example, two physical quantities that describe you are your weight and your height. Some physical
quantities are so fundamental that we can define them only by describing how to measure them. Such a
definition is called an operational definition. Two examples are measuring a distance by using a ruler and
measuring a time interval by using a stopwatch. In other cases we define a physical quantity by describing
how to calculate it from other quantities that we can measure. Thus we might define the average speed of
a moving object as the distance traveled (measured with a ruler) divided by the time of travel (measured
with a stopwatch).

When we measure a quantity, we always compare it with some reference standard, such a standard
defines a unit of the quantity. The meter is a unit of distance, and the second is a unit of time. When we
use a number to describe a physical quantity, we must always specify the unit that we are using.

The system of units used by scientists and engineers around the world is commonly called “the metric
system,” but since 1960 it has been known officially as the International System, or SI (the abbreviation
for its French name, Système International). The table below gives a list of some SI units as well as
definitions of the most fundamental units.

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Department of Physics, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Mindanao State University, Marawi City
1st semester, 2023-2024
One second (abbreviated s) is defined as the time required for 9,192,631,770 cycles of this microwave
radiation. One meter (abbreviated m) is the distance that light travels in vacuum in 1 299,792,458 second.
The standard of mass, the kilogram (abbreviated kg), is defined to be the mass of a particular cylinder of
platinum–iridium alloy kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures at Sèvres, near Paris.

Unit Prefixes
The names of the additional units are derived by adding a prefix to the name of the fundamental unit.

1.4 Unit Consistency and Conversions

An equation must always be dimensionally consistent. You can’t add apples and automobiles; two terms
may be added or equated only if they have the same units.

Example: Converting speed units. The world land speed record is 763.0 mi h, set on October 15,
1997, by Andy Green in the jet-engine car Thrust SSC. Express this speed in meters per second.

Example: Converting volume units. The world’s largest cut diamond is the First Star of Africa
(mounted in the British Royal Sceptre and kept in the Tower of London). Its volume is 1.84 cubic
inches. What is its volume in cubic centimeters? In cubic meters?

Problems
1. According to the label on a bottle of salad dressing, the volume of the contents is 0.473 liter (L).
Using only the conversions 1 L = 1000 cm3 and 1 in = 2.54 cm, express this volume in cubic inches.
2. How many nanoseconds does it take light to travel 1.00 ft in vacuum? c = 2.99 x 10 8 m/s.
3. The density of gold is 19.3 g/cm3. What is this value in kilograms per cubic meter?
4. How many years older will you be 1.00 gigasecond from now?

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Department of Physics, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Mindanao State University, Marawi City
1st semester, 2023-2024
1.5 Uncertainty and Significant Figures
Measurements always have uncertainties. If you measure the thickness of the cover of a hardbound
version of this book using an ordinary ruler, your measurement is reliable only to the nearest millimeter,
and your result will be 3 mm. It would be wrong to state this result as 3.00 mm; given the limitations of
the measuring device, you can’t tell whether the actual thickness is 3.00 mm, 2.85 mm, or 3.11 mm. But
if you use a micrometer caliper, a device that measures distances reliably to the nearest 0.01 mm, the
result will be 2.91 mm. The distinction between these two measurements is in their uncertainty. The
measurement using the micrometer caliper has a smaller uncertainty; it’s a more accurate measurement.
The uncertainty is also called the error because it indicates the maximum difference there is likely to be
between the measured value and the true value. The uncertainty or error of a measured value depends on
the measurement technique used.

We often indicate the accuracy of a measured value—that is, how close it is likely to be to the true value
—by writing the number, the symbol ± and a second number indicating the uncertainty of the
measurement.

In many cases the uncertainty of a number is not stated explicitly. Instead, the uncertainty is indicated by
the number of meaningful digits, or significant figures, in the measured value. We gave the thickness of
the cover of this book as 2.91 mm, which has three significant figures. By this we mean that the first two
digits are known to be correct, while the third digit is uncertain. The last digit is in the hundredths place,
so the uncertainty is about 0.01 mm.

When we calculate with very large or very small numbers, we can show significant figures much more
easily by using scientific notation, sometimes called powers-of-10 notation. The distance from the earth
to the moon is about 384,000,000 m, but writing the number in this form doesn’t indicate the number of
significant figures.

384,000,000 m = 3.84 x 108 m

Finally, let’s note that precision is not the same as accuracy. A cheap digital watch that gives the time as
10:35:17 A.M. is very precise (the time is given to the second), but if the watch runs several minutes
slow, then this value isn’t very accurate. On the other hand, a grandfather clock might be very accurate
(that is, display the correct time), but if the clock has no second hand, it isn’t very precise. A high-quality
measurement is both precise and accurate.

1.6 Estimates and Orders of Magnitude

Sometimes we know how to calculate a certain quantity, but we have to guess at the data we need for the
calculation. Or the calculation might be too complicated to carry out exactly, so we make some rough
approximations. In either case our result is also a guess, but such a guess can be useful even if it is
uncertain by a factor of two, ten, or more. Such calculations are often called order-of-magnitude
estimates. The great Italian-American nuclear physicist Enrico Fermi (1901–1954) called them “back-of-
the-envelope calculations.”