LENGTH AND TIME 1

1. What is Physics?
1. Physics is the study of matter and energy, and how they interact with each other.
Physics aims to give an understanding of the physical or non-living world in which we live.
2. Physics is about the laws or rules of nature, Physicists perform experiments, to formulate these
laws to explain how our universe works. These laws such as Newton's laws of motion can be used to
help us predict how other things will behave.
3. Topics studied in Physics include mechanics, heat, light, sound, electricity, magnetism, and the
structure of atoms.

Careers in Physics

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2. Quantities and Units

1. Quantities like mass, length, temperature, are measurable features of an item. To make
measurements, a standard or unit is chosen to measure the quantity.
2. The SI system of Units is divided into base and derived units.

SI Base Quantities and Units

Quantity Unit
Name Abbreviation
mass kilogram kg
length metre m
time second s
temperature kelvin K
current ampere A

3. Base quantities and units are fundamental quantities and units, which are independent from other
quantities and units.

4. Derived quantities and units are obtained or derived from base quantities and units using a
defining equation, e.g.
distance travelled
speed=
time taken
distance (length) and time are base quantities; speed is obtained by dividing the base quantities
distance by time. Other derived quantities are obtained in the same way.

5. A quantity is always stated as a number followed by a unit, e.g.

mass = 50 kg,
length = 7 m
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Derived quantities and Units

Quantity Formula Unit
area A=l x w m2
volume V =l x w x h m3
density d=m/V kg/m3
speed m/s
acceleration
v=s /t∨d /t m/s2 or m s-2
force a=(v−u)/t N or kg m s-2
work, F=m x a J or N m
power W =F x d W or J/s
pressure P=W /t Pa or N/m2
charge C or A s
p=F / A
voltage V or J/C
resistance Q=i x t Ω or V/A
frequency V =W /Q Hz or s-1
R=V /i
f =1/T

3. Standard form
These are numbers written in powers of ten, so that there is one number (other than 0) before the
decimal point, e.g.
4000 = 4 x 10 x 10 x 10 = 4 x 103 (Not 0.4 x 104)
400 = 4 x 10 x 10 = 4 x 102
40 = 4 x 10 = 4 x 101
4=4x1 = 4 x 100
4
0.4 = = 4 x 10-1
10
4
0.04 = = 4 x 10-2
10 x 10
4
0.004 = 10×10×10 = 4 x 10-3
4. Prefixes
Prefixes can be used in place of powers of ten for writing very large or small numbers, e.g.
1 000 000 J = 1 x 106 J = 1 MJ
0.003 m = 3 x 10-3 m = 3 mm.
A prefix is a multiple or sub-multiple of a unit.
Power prefix symbol example
of ten
10-1 deci d 1 dm or 1 x 10-1 m or
0.1 m
10-2 centi c 1 cm or 1 x 10-2 m or
0.01 m
10-3 milli m 1 mm or 1 x 10-3 m
or 0.001 m
10-6 micro μ 1 μm or 1 x 10-6 m
or 0.000 001 m
10-9 nano n 1 nm or 1 x 10-9 m
or 0.000 000 001 m
103 kilo k 1 km or 1 x 103 m
or 1 000 m
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106 mega M 1 Mm or 1 x 106 m
or 1 000 000 m
5. Measuring lengths
Length can be measured with a metre rule, micrometer screw gauge, vernier slide callipers, or
measuring tape depending on the length to be measured.
length to Example Instrument accuracy
be
measured
several length of measuring 1 cm
metres room tape
medium length of metre rule 0.1cm or
(up to a pendulum 1 mm
metre)
short diameter vernier 0.01cm
(up to of a test calipers or
15 cm) tube 0.1 mm
very diameter micrometer 0 001 cm
short (up of thin screw gauge or
to 2 cm) wire 0.01mm
(a) Using a metre rule.
1. Owing to the thickness of the metre rule, your eye should be placed at right angles to the rule, in
line with the scale marking and object that is being measured to avoid making a parallax error.

Image from Physics for You

Position 2, reading 12.0 cm is correct. Incorrect readings are Position 1 (12.25 cm), and position 3
(11.75 cm).
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2. A parallax error is an error in reading an instrument due to the relative movement between the
object and scale marking when the object is viewed from different positions against the scale
markings.
(b) Using a micrometer
1. The sleeve is graduated in mm and half mm while the rotating barrel is graduated from 0 to 50.
One turn on the barrel equals 0.5 mm on the sleeve. One division on the barrel is equal to 0.5 mm/50
= 0.01 mm.
2.

School Physics

Reading a micrometer:
(i) Read the sleeve scale including half divisions, 3.5 mm in the diagram,
(iii) Add the barrel scale reading, 0.48 mm.
The object is 3.5 + 0.48 = 3.98 mm wide.
See:
[Link]

3. Precautions to take:
(i) Check the zero reading and note the zero error if there is one,
(ii) Do not over-tighten the thimble on the object to be measured, use the ratchet.

4. (a) The diagram shows no zero error, the zero on the sleeve is in line with the zero on the barrel.

(b) there is a zero error of +0.03 mm. The reading is high by 0.03 mm when the barrel is closed.
Subtract 0.03 mm from the reading taken with this micrometer.

(c) there is a zero error of -0.03 mm. The reading is low by 0.03 mm when the barrel is closed. Add
0.03 mm from the reading taken with this micrometer.
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(c) The vernier callipers

School Physics

1. A vernier scale is 9mm long and has 10 divisions. One vernier division is 0.9mm.

2. You read the zero position of the vernier 14.9, then the line on the vernier scale that matches a
main scale line as closely as possible, in this case line 3. The length of the object is then 14.93 cm.
3. Reason:
From 0 to the 3rd line on the vernier = 15.2 cm or 152 mm.
On the vernier 3 divisions = 3 x 0.9 mm
= 2.7 mm
152 mm – 2.7 mm = 149.3 mm = 14.93 cm
Practical
Measuring length
1. Thickness of one sheet of paper
Measure the thickness of say 100 sheets, and divide by the number of sheets. Give your answer in
cm and mm to 1 s.f.

2. The area of a page

Measure the width and length of a page.
Give your answer in cm2 and mm2 to 3 s.f.

3. The diameter of a small ball bearing

Place 10 ball bearings in a line against a mm scale. Use wooden blocks or set squares to hold them
in place. Divide the length by 10 to find the diameter of one ball bearing.

4. Finding the circumference of a test tube

using a fine thread
Wrap the thread around the test tube 5 times. Divide the length of the thread by 5.
Why is the method not accurate? How can you get a more accurate answer?

5. Using a micrometer
Measure the diameter of a ball bearing, or a wire. Calculate the average reading.
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6. Using vernier callipers.
Find the outside and inside diameter of a test tube.

7. Finding the circumference of a disc.

Roll the disc along a mm scale until it makes one complete revolution.

mm scale

6. Measuring time
Using a stopwatch, the time taken for a pendulum to make one complete swing can be measured.

A B
O
astarmathsandphysics

 An oscillation is one complete swing, from O to A to B and back to O.

 Amplitude is the maximum displacement from the rest position e.g. from O to A or O to B.
 The length (L) is from the point of support to the middle of the bob.
 The time period, or period (T) is the time to make one complete swing.
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 Frequency (f) is the number of oscillations made in one second, e.g. if 5 oscillations are made
in one second, the frequency is 5 Hz. The time to make one oscillation is then 1s/5 = 0.2 s,
1
 f=
T
To measure the period of a pendulum
1. The time taken for 20 complete oscillations of small amplitude is measured. This is repeated two
more times to find the average time.
2. The average time is divided by 20 to find the time taken for one oscillation.
3. Start and stop the timings, when the bob passes the centre position O. A line on a card can be
used to identify this position, (called a fiducial marker).

Practical Factors affecting the period of a pendulum

These could be:
 Length (L) of pendulum
 Angle of amplitude or displacement
 The acceleration due to gravity (g)
 Mass of bob
To investigate how one of these factors affects the period, we must keep the other three factors
constant.

How the length affects the period.

Keep the amplitude and the mass constant. Measure the period for different lengths.

Results
length time for 20 period (period)2
L/cm oscillations/s T/s T2/s2
t1 t2 tavg
40.0 25.9, 25.8, 25.85 1.29 1.67
60.0
80.0
100.0
120.0

Plot a graph of
(i) T/s (y axis) against L/m (x axis)
(ii) T2/s2 (y axis) against L/m (x axis)

Explain the shape of each graph.

Theory shows that the period T, is related to the length L, by the formula:
T =2 π
√
L
g
Where g is the acceleration due to gravity.

The gradient of the graph of T2/s2 against L/m is

2
4π
gradient=
g

from which g can be found.

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End Of Topic Questions
Length and Time
1. (a) What does SI stand for?
(b) What is the advantage of using one system of measurement the world over?

2. (a) Name four base quantities and state the units in which they are measured.
(b) Why is density considered a derived quantity?
(c) Write the defining equation and derived unit for the following quantities:
(i) acceleration
(ii) force,
(iii) work
(iv) pressure
(v) charge

3. Write the following

(a) in standard form, and (b) in prefix form:
(i) 2152 m,
(ii) 0.0019 A,
(iii) 0.0000024 A
(iv) 3 456 789 m
(v) 2 300 000 g
(vi) 0.055 m
(vii) 0.64 s

4. Write the following in prefix form:

(a) Length of football field = 100 m
(b) Length of bee = 0.006 m,
(c) diameter of an atom = 0.0000000001 m
(d) Diameter of strand of hair = 0.0001 m
(e) Radius of the Earth = 6 000000 m.
(f) height of Mt Everest = 10 000 m
(g) Distance from earth to sun
= 150 000 000 000 m

5. What is a parallax error?

6. The pages of a book are numbered 1 to 200 and each leaf is 0.10 mm thick. If each cover is 0.20
mm thick, what is the thickness of the book?

7. (a) Write 1 500 g in kg and in mg.

(b) Write 57.4 m in km and in mm.

8. A bicycle wheel has a diameter of 0.7 m.

(a) Find the circumference of the wheel, (circumference=π x diameter )
(b) How far will it have travelled when it has turned a 100 times?

9. What are the micrometer readings shown below?

(a)
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(b)

(c) [Link]

10. What are the vernier readings below?

(a)
cm

(b)
cm

(c)
cm

mini physics

11. (a) Define for a simple pendulum,

(i) an oscillation, (ii) the time period, (ii) the frequency.
(b) Explain how you can find the time period of a swinging pendulum.
(c) State two factors that affect the time period of a simple pendulum.

12. 20 oscillations of a mass oscillating on a spring were timed. The timings were:
26.5 s, 26.6 s and 26.5 s.
Calculate
(a) the period, (b) the frequency.

13. A student wanted to find the relation between the diameters of different sized discs and their
circumferences. He measured the diameter of each disc and the circumference by rolling the disc
along a ruler. He obtained the following results:
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10

diameter / circumference
cm /cm
10.0 32.2
8.0 25.3
6.0 19.7
4.0 12.5
2.0 6.3

(a) Plot a graph of circumference (y axis) against diameter (x axis) .

(b) Calculate the gradient of the graph.
(c) The formula relating the circumference to the diameter is
circumference=π d
What is the gradient equal to in the formula?