Physical Quantities

A physical quantity is a quantifiable or

assignable property ascribed to a parti-
cular phenomenon, body, or substance.

Length Electric
Time
Charge
 Units of Measure
A unit is a particular physical quantity with
which other quantities of the same kind are
compared in order to express their value.
A meter is an established
unit for measuring length.

Measuring Based on definition, we say

diameter of disk. the diameter is 0.12 m or
12 centimeters.
 SI Unit of Measure for Length
One meter is the length of path traveled by
a light wave in a vacuum in a time interval
of 1/299,792,458 seconds.

1m
1
t second
299, 792, 458
 SI Unit of Measure for Mass
The kilogram is the unit of mass - it is
equal to the mass of the international
prototype of the kilogram.
This standard is the only one
that requires comparison to
an artifact for its validity. A
copy of the standard is kept
by the International Bureau
of Weights and Measures.
 SI Unit of Measure for Time
The second is the duration of 9 192 631 770
periods of the radiation corresponding to the
transition between the two hyperfine levels of
the ground state of the cesium 133 atom.

Cesium Fountain
Atomic Clock: The
primary time and
frequency standard
for the USA (NIST)
 Seven Fundamental Units
Website: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/index.html

Quantity Unit Symbol

Length Meter m
Mass Kilogram kg
Time Second S
Electric Current Ampere A
Temperature Kelvin K
Luminous Intensity Candela cd
Amount of Substance Mole mol
 Systems of Units
SI System: The international system of units
established by the International Committee
on Weights and Measures. Such units are
based on strict definitions and are the only
official units for physical quantities.

US Customary Units (USCU): Older units still

in common use by the United States, but
definitions must be based on SI units.
 Units for Mechanics
In mechanics we use only three fundamental
quantities: mass, length, and time. An additional
quantity, force, is derived from these three.

Quantity SI unit USCS unit

Mass kilogram (kg) slug (slug)

Length meter (m) foot (ft)

Time second (s) second (s)

Force newton (N) pound (lb)

 Procedure for Converting Units
1. Write down quantity to be converted.
2. Define each unit in terms of desired
unit.
3. For each definition, form two conversion
factors, one being the reciprocal of the
other.
4. Multiply the quantity to be converted by
those factors that will cancel all but the
desired units.
Example 1: Convert 12 in. to centimeters
given that 1 in. = 2.54 cm.
Step 1: Write down
quantity to be converted. 12 in.

Step 2. Define each unit 1 in. = 2.54 cm

in terms of desired unit.
Step 3. For each definition, 1 in.
form two conversion 2.54 cm
factors, one being the 2.54 cm
reciprocal of the other. 1 in
Example 1 (Cont.): Convert 12 in. to
centimeters given that 1 in. = 2.54 cm.
1 in. 2.54 cm
From Step 3. or
2.54 cm 1 in
Step 4. Multiply by those factors that will
cancel all but the desired units. Treat unit
symbols algebraically.
2
 1 in.  in. Wrong
12 in.    4.72
 2.54 cm  cm Choice!

 2.54 cm  Correct
12 in.    30.5 cm
 1 in.  Answer!
Example 2: Convert 60 mi/h to units of km/s
given 1 mi. = 5280 ft and 1 h = 3600 s.
Step 1: Write down mi
quantity to be converted.
60
h
Note: Write units so that numerators and
denominators of fractions are clear.
Step 2. Define each unit in terms of desired units.

1 mi. = 5280 ft

1 h = 3600 s
Ex. 2 (Cont): Convert 60 mi/h to units of km/s
given that 1 mi. = 5280 ft and 1 h = 3600 s.

Step 3. For each definition, form 2 conversion

factors, one being the reciprocal of the other.

1 mi 5280 ft
1 mi = 5280 ft or
5280 ft 1 mi

1h 3600 s
1 h = 3600 s or
3600 s 1h

Step 3, shown here for clarity, can really be

done mentally and need not be written down.
Ex. 2 (Cont): Convert 60 mi/h to units of ft/s
given that 1 mi. = 5280 ft and 1 h = 3600 s.

Step 4. Choose Factors to cancel non-desired

units.

mi  5280 ft  1 h 
60     88.0 m/s
h  1 mi  3600 s 

Treating unit conversions algebraically

helps to see if a definition is to be
used as a multiplier or as a divider.
Uncertainty of Measurement
All measurements are assumed to be
approximate with the last digit estimated.
The length in
“cm” here is
0 1 2
written as:
1.43 cm

The last digit “3” is estimated as 0.3

of the interval between 3 and 4.
 Estimated Measurements (Cont.)

Length = 1.43 cm 0 1 2

The last digit is estimated, but is significant. It

tells us the actual length is between 1.40 cm
and 1.50. It would not be possible to estimate
yet another digit, such as 1.436.

This measurement of length can be given in

three significant digits—the last is estimated.
 Significant Digits and Numbers
When writing numbers, zeros used ONLY to
help in locating the decimal point are NOT
significant—others are. See examples.

0.0062 cm 2 significant figures

4.0500 cm 5 significant figures
0.1061 cm 4 significant figures
50.0 cm 3 significant figures
50,600 cm 3 significant figures
Rule 1. When approximate numbers are
multiplied or divided, the number of
significant digits in the final answer is the
same as the number of significant digits in
the least accurate of the factors.
45 N
Example: P   6.97015 N/m 2
(3.22 m)(2.005 m)

Least significant factor (45) has only two (2)

digits so only two are justified in the answer.
The appropriate way
P = 7.0 N/m2
to write the answer is:
Rule 2. When approximate numbers are added
or subtracted, the number of significant digits
should equal the smallest number of decimal
places of any term in the sum or difference.

Ex: 9.65 cm + 8.4 cm – 2.89 cm = 15.16 cm

Note that the least precise measure is 8.4 cm.
Thus, answer must be to nearest tenth of cm
even though it requires 3 significant digits.

The appropriate way 15.2 cm

to write the answer is:
Example 3. Find the area of a metal plate
that is 95.7 cm by 32 cm.

A = LW = (8.71 cm)(3.2 cm) = 27.872 cm2

Only 2 digits justified: A = 28 cm2

Example 4. Find the perimeter of the plate

that is 95.7 cm long and 32 cm wide.

p = 8.71 cm + 3.2 cm + 8.71 cm + 3.2 cm

Ans. to tenth of cm: p = 23.8 cm

 Scientific Notation
Scientific notation provides a short-hand method for expressing
very small and very large numbers.
-9
=
0.000000001 10 Examples:
-6
=
0.000001 10 93,000,000 mi = 9.30 x 107 mi
-3
=
0.001 10 0.00457 m = 4.57 x 10-3 m
1 = 100
876 m 8.76 x 102 m
1000 = 103 v 
0.00370 s 3.70 x 10-3s
1,000,000 = 106
v  3.24 x 105 m/s
1,000,000,000 = 109
 Scientific Notation and
Significant Figures
With Scientific notation one can easily keep track of
significant digits by using only those digits that are
necessary in the mantissa and letting the power of ten
locate the decimal.
Example. Express the number 0.0006798 m,
accurate to three significant digits.

Mantissa x 10-4 m 6.80 x 10-4 m

The “0” is significant—the last digit in doubt.

1. Units, Physical Quantities and Vectors

1.7 Vectors and Vector Addition

• Many important quantities have a direction associated
with a them and cannot be described by a single
number.
• Such quantities play an essential role in many of the
central topics of physics, including motion, electricity
and magnetism.
• A physical quantity described by a single number is a
scalar quantity.
• A vector quantity has both magnitude and direction in
space.

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1. Units, Physical Quantities and Vectors

1.7 Vectors and Vector Addition

• Take the example of a simple vector quantity,
displacement.
• Displacement is a change in position of a pt.
• Displacement is a
vector qty as we
must state how far
the particle moves,
in what direction.

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1. Units, Physical Quantities and Vectors
1.7 Vectors and Vector Addition

• A vector quantity
 is represented by a single letter such as
• The arrow Ais used to remind us that the vector qty has
different properties from a scalar qty.
• When showing any vector, we draw a line with an
arrowhead at its tip.
• The length of the line shows the vector’s magnitude and
direction of line represents the direction of the vector.
• If two vectors have the same direction, they are parallel.

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1. Units, Physical Quantities and Vectors

1.7 Vectors and Vector Addition

• If two vectors have the same magnitude and the same
direction, they are equal.
• The negative of a vector is one that has the same
magnitude as the original vector but in the opposite
direction.

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1. Units, Physical Quantities and Vectors
1.7 Vectors and Vector Addition

• When two vectors have opposite direction, regardless if

their magnitudes are the same or not, we say they are
antiparallel.
• We represent the magnitude of a vector qty by the same
letter used for the vector, but without any arrow on top,
i.e.
• By definition, the magnitude  of a vector
 qty is a scalar
Magnitude of A  A or A
qty and is always positive.
1.2
• When working with vector quantities with units other
than displacement, such as force or velocity, we must use
a scale.

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1. Units, Physical Quantities and Vectors
1.7 Vectors and Vector Addition

Vector addition
  
• As shown, the addition of the vector
A and B results in C, sum,
or resultant. We express it as
  
C  A B (1.3)
• The boldface plus sign emphasizes that adding two vector
quantities requires a geometrical process and not as
same as adding two scalar quantities.

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1. Units, Physical Quantities and Vectors
1.7 Vectors and Vector Addition

Vector addition
 
• If we make the displacements in
A reverse
and B order, with
 
first and second,
B the result
A is the same. Thus
  
• Note that the order    
of
C  A  B and A  B  B  A (1.4)
terms in a vector sum
doesn’t matter. Vector
addition obeys the
commutative and
associate laws.

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1. Units, Physical Quantities and Vectors
1.7 Vectors and Vector Addition

• A common
  error is to conclude
 that if
C  A  B, the magnitude
 C
 should just equal
the magnitude of A plus B.

• The magnitude of avector sum C depends on
the magnitudes
 of A and B and the angle
between A and B .

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1. Units, Physical Quantities and Vectors

1.7 Vectors and Vector Addition

Vector addition

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1. Units, Physical Quantities and Vectors
1.7 Vectors and Vector Addition

Vector subtraction
 
•  Ais a vector having the same magnitude as but inA the
opposite direction. This is the basis for vector subtraction.
• We define the difference of two vectors and to
be the vector sum of and A : B 
A
  
B A B
   
• To construct the vector A   B 
A  B difference (,1the
.5) tail
of is placed at the head of .  
  A B
B A

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1. Units, Physical Quantities and Vectors
1.7 Vectors and Vector Addition

Vector addition
• A vector quantity can be multiplied by a scalar quantity.
E.g., the displacement 
is the displacement in same
2 A
direction as but twice as long. A

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1. Units, Physical Quantities and Vectors
1.7 Vectors and Vector Addition

Vector addition
• The scalar quantity used to multiply a vector may also
be a physical quantity having units.
• E.g., you may be familiar with the relationship
 
F  ma
• The direction of is the same as that of because
 m is
F a
positive.

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