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General Physics 1
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Physics 1 Subject Teacher: Merino Bantasan

Outline:
1. Physical Quantities
2. Measurement
3. Significant Figures
4. Units
5. Random and Systematic Errors

Learning Objectives:
After completing the module, the students should be able to:
 solve measurement problems involving conversion of units, expression of measurements in scientific
notation
 differentiate accuracy from precision
 differentiate random errors from systematic errors

PHYSICAL QUANTITIES
A physical quantity is something that can be measured. It has a name, a physical dimension,
and a unit of measurement; it can be manipulated mathematically, and it can be assigned a
numerical or other value.

CLASSIFICATION OF PHYSICAL QUANTITIES

1. Fundamental Quantities
 measured by direct method and have a single unit
 cannot be ‘resolved’ into other quantities
 length (m), mass (kg), time (s), temperature (K), charge (C), etc.
2. Derived Quantities
 other physical quantities are formulated based from the fundamental quantities
 area, volume, speed, pressure, density, specific heat

***Quantities can also be classified as either scalar or vector quantity

Scalar Quantities
 are completely defined by magnitude (a value and a unit). It is represented by a single
number.
Vector Quantities
 are defined by both magnitude and direction. They can be represented by a directed
line segment: an arrow whose length, in any convenient unit, is the magnitude of the
vector, and whose direction is the direction of the vector.

MEASUREMENT
 is comparing a thing with a standard to see how many times as big it is
 is a process that uses a well-defined and agreed upon referent (the thing a word stands for) to
describe a standard unit
 MEASUREMENT in chemistry enables us to understand many properties of matter that is why it
must be accurate (agrees with the true value of the quantity being measured; degree of
agreement between a measured value and the true value) and precise (it is reproducible;
degree of exactness to which a measurement can be reproduced; degree of the instrument’s
exactness).

A. SYSTEMS OF MEASUREMENT
1. English System
 known as the British Gravitational System
 standard units are based on body parts
a. inch – end joint of the thumb (uncia)
b. foot – length of the foot (30.48 cm)
c. yard – distance from the tip of the nose to the end of middle finger (3ft or 0.91m)
d. cubit – distance from the end of the elbow to the fingertip (18 in or 46 cm)
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General Physics 1
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Physics 1 Subject Teacher: Merino Bantasan

e. fathom – distance between the fingertips of two arms held straight out(6 ft or 1.8
m)
2. Metric System
 established by the French Academy of Sciences in 1791
 decimal-based system of units which was proposed in France by Gabriel Mouton
 International Systems of Units
 SI (System International)

Measurements Unit Symbol

Length meter m
Mass kilogram kg
Time second s
Thermodynamic Kelvin K
Temperature A
Electric Current ampere
Amount of Substance mole mol
Luminous Intensity candela cd
Charge coulomb C

SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
They comprise all digits that are known with certainty plus the first digit that is uncertain. The
position of the decimal point is relevant.

Rules in counting significant figures

Rule Measurement Significant
Expression Figures

1. All nonzero digits are significant. 14567.3 6

34.128 5
3.986 4

2. All zeros between two nonzero digits are 34.0045 6

significant. 1.00006017 9
20037089 8

3. Zeros to the right of a nonzero digit, but to the 108,000000 3

left of an understood decimal point, are not 108,0000 _ 4
significant unless specifically indicated as 108,000000 9
significant by a bar placed above the rightmost,
such zero becomes significant.

4. All zeros to the right of a decimal point but to 0.000509 3

the left of a nonzero digit are not significant.* 0.02876 4
0.0000036 2

5. All zeros to the right of a decimal point and to 0.4087 4

the right of a nonzero digit are significant. 0.030670890 8
700.00000000 11
*The single zero conventionally placed to the left of a decimal point in such an expression is never
significant. It is just used to locate the decimal point.
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General Physics 1
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Physics 1 Subject Teacher: Merino Bantasan

SCIENTIFIC NOTATION
 Method of writing or expressing very large or very small numbers into its exponential form.

Form: M x 10n

Where: M number not lower than one and not greater than ten
n number of times the decimal point is moved.
It can be a positive or negative integer.
Rules:
1. Determine M by moving the decimal point in the original number to the left or right so
that the only one nonzero digit is to the left of it.
2. Determine n by counting the number of places the decimal point has been moved.
If moved to the left, n is positive.
If moved to the right, n is negative.

Example

Positional form Exponential Form

Diameter of the Earth 1 300 000 000 cm ans. 1.3 x 109 cm
Diameter of a hydrogen atom 0.000 000 01 cm ans. 1 x 10-8 cm
Speed of light 30 000 000 000 cm/s ans. 3 x 1010 cm/s

SI PREFIXES
 Prefixes are added to SI units if the numerical value of the physical quantity is too large or too
small.
Prefix Symbol Multiplying Factor
pico p 10-12
nano n 10-9
micro µ 10-6
milli m 10-3
centi c 10-2
kilo k 103
Mega M 106
Giga G 109
Tera T 1012

UNITS
A unit conversion factor is used to covert a quantity in one system of units to corresponding
quantity in another system of units.

Some conversion factors:

Time: 1 light year = 9.461 x 1015 m
1 hour = 60 min. = 3600 s
1 day = 1440 min. = 86400 s Mass:
1 year = 365.2 days = 31560000 s 1 kilogram (kg) = 1000 grams (g)
1 g = 6.58 x 10-5 slug
Length: 1 slug = 14.59 kg
1 meter (m) = 100 cm = 1000 mm 1 atomic mass unit (amu) = 1.660 x 10-27 kg
= 39.37 in.
= 3.281 ft Volume:
1cm = 10 mm = 0.3937 in. 1 m3 = 103 liters (l) = 1 x 106 cm3 = 35.32ft3
1 km = 1000 m = 0.6214 mi. 1 liter (l) = 1000 ml = 103 cm3
1 foot (ft) = 12 in. = 0.3048 m = 30.48 cm 1 ml = 1 cm3
1 inch (in) = 2.54 cm 1 ft3 = 28.32 liters = 7.481 gallons
1 mile (mi) = 5280 ft = 1.609 km
1 nautical mile (nmi) = 6076ft = 1.152mi = 1.852 km Temperature:
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General Physics 1
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Physics 1 Subject Teacher: Merino Bantasan

K = ˚C + 273 ˚C = (˚F - 32) x 5/9

˚C = K – 273 ˚F = (˚C x 9/5) + 32
Sample Problem 1: If you are walking at a rate of 2.8 m/s, what is your speed in km/hr?
“What are the given in the problem?” Speed = 2.8 m/s
“What is the unknown?” Convert m/s to km/hr

𝑚 1 𝑘𝑚 3600 𝑠
2.8 𝑥 𝑥
𝑠 1000 𝑚 1 ℎ𝑟
Solution
10.08 km/hr

Sample Problem 2: The world’s largest cut diamond is the First Star of Africa. Its volume is 1.84 cubic
inches. What is its volume in cubic centimeters? In cubic meters?
“What do we know from the problem?” Volume = 1.84 in3
“What is the unknown?” Convert in3 to cm3 and m3
2.54 𝑐𝑚 3
1.84 𝑖𝑛3 x ( )
1 𝑖𝑛

30.15 𝑐𝑚3
Solution
1𝑚 3
30.15 𝑐𝑚3 x (100 𝑐𝑚)

3.02 𝑥 10−5 𝑚3

RANDOM ERRORS AND SYSTEMATIC ERRORS

All experimental uncertainty is due to either random errors or systematic errors.

Random errors
- are statistical fluctuations (in either direction) in the measured data due to the precision
limitations of the measurement device.
- are errors where the size of error is almost constant, always positive OR always negative
- main source is the observer or it usually result from the experimenter's inability to take
the same measurement in exactly the same way to get exact the same number.

Systematic errors
- by contrast, are reproducible inaccuracies that are consistently in the same direction.
- are errors where the size of the error is NOT constant, sometimes positive and sometimes
negative.
- are often due to a problem which persists throughout the entire experiment. The
instrument is the main source of error.

Note that systematic and random errors refer to problems associated with making measurements.
Mistakes made in the calculations or in reading the instrument are not considered in error analysis. It
is assumed that the experimenters are careful and competent!

Types of Errors Example How to minimize it

Random Errors You measure the mass of a ring three times Take more data. Random errors
using the same balance and get slightly can be evaluated through
different values: 17.46 g, 17.42 g, 17.44 g statistical analysis and can be
reduced by averaging over a
Wrong reading of the scale of an instrument. large number of observations.

Wrong count of the number of oscillations of a

pendulum.

Parallax error – error in a reading due to wrong

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General Physics 1
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Physics 1 Subject Teacher: Merino Bantasan

positioning of the eye.

e.g. reading of volume of a liquid

Systematic The cloth tape measure that you use to Systematic errors are difficult to
Errors measure the length of an object had been detect and cannot be
stretched out from years of use. (As a result, all
analyzed statistically, because
your length measurements were too small. all the data is off in the same
direction (either too high or too
Change in length of a steel rule or Vernier low). Spotting and correcting for
calipers when the surrounding temperature is systematic error takes a lot of
different from the temperature at which the care.
instrument is calibrated.

References:
 Bawang, E. G. et al. 2012. General Physics Lecture Manual. Benguet State University. La Trinidad, Benguet.
 Silva, D. D. ND. General Physics Manual. Saint Louis University. Baguio City.
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General Physics 1
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 1 – Physics 1 Subject Teacher: Merino Bantasan

 Random and Systematic Errors.

https://www2.southeastern.edu/Academics/Faculty/rallain/plab193/labinfo/Error_Analysis/05_Random_vs_Systema tic.html
 fockphysics.wordpress.com