Chapter 2

Measurement
Units and Uncertainty
 Measurements are always all measured values plus one
approximated value. The pencil is 3.6 cm long.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

With more calibration a more

precise measurement is possible
The pencil is 3.64 cm long!
3 4

3.6 3.7

The calibration of the instrument

determines measurement precision Now 3.640 cm !
ACCURACY MEANS HOW CLOSE A MEASUREMENT
IS TO THE TRUE VALUE

PRECISION REFERS TO THE DEGREE OF

SUBBDIVISION OF THE MEASUREMENT

FOR EXAMPLE, IF A ROOM IS 10 FEET LONG AND

YOU MEASURE IT TO BE 15.9134 FT LONG, YOUR
MEASUREMENT IS VERY PRECISE BUT INACCURATE !

MEASUREMENTS SHOULD BE ACCURATE AND AS

PRECISE AS THE MEASURING DEVICE ALLOWS
ACCURACY MEANS HOW CLOSE A MEASUREMENT
IS TO THE TRUE VALUE

PRECISION REFERS TO THE DEGREE OF

SUBBDIVISION OF THE MEASUREMENT

FOR EXAMPLE, IF A ROOM IS 10 FEET LONG AND

YOU MEASURE IT TO BE 15.9134 FT LONG, YOUR
MEASUREMENT IS VERY PRECISE BUT INACCURATE !

MEASUREMENTS SHOULD BE ACCURATE AND AS

PRECISE AS THE MEASURING DEVICE ALLOWS
 EXAMPLE: ACCURACY
Who is more accurate when measuring
a book that has a true length of 17.0
cm?
Jackie:
17.0 cm, 16.0 cm, 18.0 cm, 15.0 cm
Jade:
15.5 cm, 15.0 cm, 15.2 cm, 15.3 cm
Precision:
How finely tuned your measurements
are or how close they can be to each
other
Depends on the measuring tool
Determined by the number of
significant digits
Precision = the degree of
exactness of a measurement that
is repeatedly recorded.
Which set is more precise?
18.2 , 18.4 , 18.35
17.9 , 18.3 , 18.85
16.8 , 17.2 , 19.44
Who is more precise when
measuring the same 17.0 cm
book?
Ace:
17.0 cm, 16.0 cm, 18.0 cm, 15.0 cm
Lino:
15.5 cm, 15.0 cm, 15.2 cm, 15.3 cm
High Accuracy High Precision
High Precision Low Accuracy
Can you hit the bull's-eye?

Three
targets with
three arrows
each to
shoot.
How do
they
compare?
 WHY IS THERE UNCERTAINTY?
• Measurements are performed with instruments,
and no instrument can read to an infinite number of
decimal places
•Which of the instruments below has the greatest
uncertainty in measurement?
Accuracy is represented by
hitting the bulls eye (the
accepted value)
Precision is represented by a
tight grouping of shots (they are
finely tuned)
High Accuracy & High Precision
Low Accuracy & High Precision
High Accuracy & Low Precision
Low Accuracy & Low Precision
Exit Quiz: Evaluate whether the
following are precise, accurate or both.
 Exit Quiz: Evaluate whether the
following are precise, accurate or both.

High
Low Accuracy Low Accuracy Accuracy
Low Precision High Precision High
Accuracy & Precision Accuracy without
Precision

Precision without No Precision &

Accuracy No Accuracy
Two Types of Errors
 systematic errors - Cause the result
to be far from the true value (low
accuracy)

 random errors - Cause the results to

be different from each other (low
precision)
 Measurement
You are making a measurement when you
Check you weight
Read your watch
Take your temperature
Weigh a cantaloupe

What kinds of measurements did you make

today?
Some Tools for Measurement
 Metric System

◼ Is a decimal-based system of measurement

◼ Used in most of the world
◼ Used by scientists and hospitals
 Using SI Units

◼ The metric system was originally established in

France in 1795.

◼ The International System of Units

(abbreviated SI after the French name, Le
Système International d’Unités) is a revised
version of the metric system.

◼ The SI was adopted by international agreement

in 1960.
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Reserved.
 Using SI Units
◼ There are seven SI base
SI Base Units
units.
Quantity SI base Symbol
unit
◼ From these base units, all
Length meter m
other SI units of
Mass kilogram kg
measurement can be
derived. Temperature kelvin K
Time second s
◼ Derived units are used Amount of
mole mol
for measurements such substance
as volume, density, and Luminous
candela cd
intensity
pressure.
Electric
ampere A
current

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All Rights Reserved.
Derived units
Density
◼
Sample Problem
◼ What is the density of an ice cube with a
mass of 2.56 g and a length of 1.35 cm?
VOLUME

Amount of space
→
occupied by an object
V=lxwxh
RULES IN DETERMINING
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
1. Any digit that is not zero is significant.

Examples 125.45 5648 1.1211

2. Zeros between nonzero digits are

significant.(trapped zeros)

Examples 5005 120301

3. Zeros to the left of the first nonzero digit are
not significant. (leading zeros)
Examples 0.000003432 g 0021111 cm

4. (A). If a number is greater than 1, the zeros

after the decimal point are significant.
Examples: 4.0 mg 20.04 g
(B). If a number is less than 1, only the zeros
after the first nonzero digit are significant.
Examples: 0.0750 m 0.4006 g
5. For numbers without decimal points, the
zeroes at the end of nonzero digits may or
may not be significant (ambiguous)
Examples: 80 000 43 320
1 000
◼ NOTE – If the number is in SCIENTIFIC
NOTATION form, only consider the
COEFFICIENT when determining Significant
Figures.

◼ Example 4.965 x 1016

 No decimal
point

2 sig figs Zeros are not

significant!

Decimal
Point
All digits including
zeros to the left of
The decimal are
significant.
6 sig figs
 All figures are
Significant
4 sig figs Zeros between
Non zeros are
significant

All figures are

Significant
5 sig figs Zero to the
Right of the
Decimal are
significant
 3 sig figs

Zeros to the right of

The decimal with no
Non zero values
Before the decimal
Are not significant

5 sig figs
Zeros to the right of the decimal
And to the right of non zero values
Are significant
Practice Problems
Determine how many figures are significant in each of these
measurements:

1. 375
2. -0.00032
3. 12.0900
4. 900001
5. -0.000212000
Practice Problems
Determine how many figures are significant in each of these
measurements:

6. 89.000
7. 4300
8. 0.00003200
9. 9.34 x 104
10. 4002000
Practice Problems
Determine how many figures are significant in each of these
measurements

11. 1.008
12. 70000
13. 1.00000
14. 0.00340
15. .000100
Handling Numbers

Scientific Notation
For example, in 1 g of the element
hydrogen there are roughly
602,200,000,000,000,000,000,000
hydrogen atoms.
Each hydrogen atom has a mass of only
0.00000000000000000000000166 g
In science, we often encounter very large and very
small numbers. Using scientific numbers makes
working with these numbers easier
 How to Convert a Number to
Scientific Notation
1. Move the decimal point in your number until
there is only one non-zero digit to the left of the
decimal point. The resulting decimal number
is a.
2. Count how many places you moved the decimal
point. This number is b.
 How to Convert a Number to
Scientific Notation
4. If you moved the decimal to the left b is
positive.
If you moved the decimal to the right b is
negative.
If you did not need to move the decimal b = 0.

5. Write
your scientific notation number as a x
10^b and read it as "a times 10 to the power of
b."
 RULE 1
As the decimal is moved to the left Any number to the
The power of 10 increases one Zero power = 1
value for each decimal place moved
 RULE 2
As the decimal is moved to the right Any number to the
The power of 10 decreases one Zero power = 1
value for each decimal place moved
 Quiz
1. Express 568.762 in scientific notation:
2. Express 0.00000772 in scientific notation
3. Determine the number of significant figures in the
following measurements:
(a) 394 cm
(b) 5.03 g
(c) 0.714 m
(d) 0.052 kg
(e) 2.720 x 1022 atoms
(f) 3000 mL
Significant Figures in
Mathematical Operations
Addition or Subtraction
→ Answers should be rounded off to

the same number of decimal places

as that of the original value with
the least number of decimal places
 The numbers in
these positions are
not zeros, they are
unknown

Don’t even look at

The 6 to determine
Rounding. Only
The answer is rounded to the
Look at the 4
position of least significance
 Sample Problem 3.5

2 Solve Apply the concepts to this problem.

12.52 meters
349.0 meters
+ 8.24 meters
369.76 meters

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 Sample Problem 3.5

2 Solve Apply the concepts to this problem.

12.52 meters
349.0 meters
+ 8.24 meters
369.76 meters

369.8 meters

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Significant Figures in
Mathematical Operations
Multiplication and Division
→ Answers should be rounded off to the same
number of significant figures as that of the
original value with the least number of
significant figures
 Sample Problem 3.6

2 Solve Apply the concepts to this problem.

a. 7.55 meters x 0.34 meter

The second measurement (0.34 meter) has the

least number of significant figures (two). So, the
answer must be rounded to two significant figures.

a. 7.55 meters x 0.34 meter = 2.567 meters2

= 2.6 meters2
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 Sample Problem 3.6

2 Solve Apply the concepts to this problem.

c. 2.4526 meters2 ÷ 8.4 meters

The second measurement (8.4 meters2) has the

least number of significant figures (two). So, the
answer must be rounded to two significant figures.

c. 2.4526 meters2 ÷ 8.4 meters = 0.291 076 meter

= 0.29 meter

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4. Carry out the following
arithmetic operations to the correct
number of significant figures:
(a) 12,343.2 g + 0.1893 g

(b) 55.67 L - 2.386 L

(c) 7.52 m x 6.9232

(d) 0.0239 kg / 46.5 mL

Dimensional Analysis

Unit factor method

Dimensional Analysis

→ a mathematical method that uses

the fact that any number or
expression can be multiplied by
“one” without changing its value
Conversion Factor

→ A fraction whose numerator and

denominator are the same quantity
expressed in different units.
Dimensional Analysis
TEMPERATURE
◼
Sample Problem:
◼ If a weather forecaster predicts that
the temperature for the day will
reach 31 °C, what is the predicted
temperature
(a) In K

(b) In °F
Conversions YOU Need to Memorize
◼ Length (meter)
 1in= 2.54 cm 1km = 1000 m
 1 meter = 100 cm 1ft = 12 in
 1 m = 10 dm

◼ Mass
 1kg = 2.2 lbs 1g = 1000 mg
 1kg = 1000 g

◼ Volume
1 liter = 1000 mL 1cm3 = 1 mL
 1 gallon = 3.79 liters 1m3 = 1000 L
Example
•
Example (Using two or more
conversion factors)

2. If a woman has a mass of

115 lb, what is her mass in
grams?
Mass in grams = (115 lb)
Example
•
Example
•
Example
•
Conversion involving volume
•
Dimensional Analysis
1. A person’s average daily intake of
glucose (a form of sugar) is
0.0833 pound (lb). What is this
mass in milligrams (mg)?
2. A roll of aluminum foil has a mass
of 1.07 kg. What is its mass in
pounds?
3. A liquid helium storage tank has a
volume of 275 L. What is the
volume in m3 ?
Dimensional Analysis

4. The volume of a room is 1.08 x 108

dm3 . What is the volume in m3 ?
5. Liquid nitrogen is obtained from
liquefied air and is used to prepare
frozen goods and in low-temperature
research. The density of the liquid at its
boiling point (-196°C or 77 K) is 0.808
g/cm3 . Convert the density to units of
kg/m3 .