Physics I – Mechanics, Waves, Heat, Electricity, and Magnetism 6

Subject Teacher: Julieta A. Malones

Module II: Measurement

Module Outline
2.1 Measurement: A Universal Language
2.2 Fundamental and Derived Units
2.3 Scientific Notation
2.4 Conversion of Units

Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon the completion of this module, the students should be able to:
❖ Know the different unit systems
❖ To differentiate base physical quantities and units from derived quantities
❖ State the importance of measurement in the development of physics
❖ Convert units within one metric system or from one system to another
❖ Express numbers in terms of the powers of ten or in scientific notation

Introduction
Physicists, like other scientists, make observations and ask basic questions. For example,
how big is an object? How much mass does it have? How far did it travel? To answer these
questions, they make measurements with various instruments (e.g., meter stick, balance,
stopwatch, etc.).
This module is about the tools used in the study of the physical world. To be precise in the
observation of nature, all physical quantities must be measured and quantified.

Learning Content

2.1 Measurement: A Universal Language

In the figure below, which segment is longer, ̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝐵 or ̅̅̅̅
𝐶𝐷?

Figure 2.1 Line segments ̅̅̅̅

𝐴𝐵 and ̅̅̅̅
𝐶𝐷

To find out which segment is longer, you need to compare one segment with another
segment. This process of comparing one quantity with another quantity is known as
measurement. Measurement is a quantitative description of a fundamental property or physical
phenomenon
Measurement in physics is very important. In fact, measurement is one of the ways that
physics set itself apart from earlier studies of nature.
Physics is based on the idea of mathematical models that
describe nature. Progress in physics involves refining these models,
and in some cases replacing them. In order to be able to determine
when one model is better than another, physicists rely on precise,
accurate measurements.

2.2 Fundamental and Derived Units

The use of standard units of measure can be traced back to ancient times. Ancient people
used objects such as ropes, stones, and sticks to measure other objects. They also created units
based on human body parts such as the arms, hands, and feet. The cubit was described as the
distance from a man’s elbow to the tip of his middle finger. This very old unit is even mentioned in
the Bible.
Body parts however, vary from one person to another. To eliminate such confusion, an
international convention agreed to use standard units like meter, kilogram, and second. A
standard is an amount/quantity that everyone agrees on.
 Physics I – Mechanics, Waves, Heat, Electricity, and Magnetism 7

There are two major systems of units used in the world: SI units (acronym for French Le
Système International d’Unités, also known as the metric system), and English units (also known
as the imperial system). English units were historically used in nations once ruled by the British
Empire. Today, the United States is the only country that still uses English units extensively.
Virtually every other country in the world now uses the metric system, which is the standard
system agreed upon by scientists and mathematicians.

In physics, there are seven fundamental physical quantities that are measured in base or
physical fundamental units: length, mass, time, electric current temperature, amount of
substance, and luminous intensity.
Units for other physical quantities (such as force, speed, and electric charge) are described
by mathematically combining these seven base units. These are called derived units.

Table 2.1 shows Physical Quantities and Standard Units of Measurement

A. Fundamental Quantities
Quantity Symbol Name

Length (l) m meter

Mass (m) kg kilogram

Time (t) s second

Electric current (I) A ampere

Absolute temperature (T) K kelvin

Amount of substance mol mole

Luminous intensity (I) cd candela

B. Derived Quantities

Quantity Symbol Unit Name

Area (A) m2 square meter

Volume (V) m3 cubic meter

Density (D) kg/m3 kilogram per cubic meter

Speed / Velocity (v / 𝐯̅) m/s meter

Acceleration (𝐚̅) m/s2 meter per second square

Force / Weight (F / W) kg • m/s2 N (newton)

Pressure (P) N/m2 Pa (pascal)

Work (W) N•m J (joule)

Power (P) N • m/s W (watt)

 Physics I – Mechanics, Waves, Heat, Electricity, and Magnetism 8

In this module, we will consider three of the fundamental physical quantities – length, mass, and
time.
• Length – the measured distance between two points. The SI unit for length is meter.
• Mass – the SI unit for mass is kilogram. A kilogram is defined to be the mass of a platinum-
iridium cylinder; this cylinder is the one and only true kilogram.
• Time – second is the SI unit for time. In 1967, the second was redefined as the time
required for 9,192,631,770 Cesium atom vibrations.

2.3 Scientific Notation

Physics involves concepts which are described by very large or very small quantities.
Consider the following quantities.
Mass of the earth: 6 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 kilograms
Mass of an electron: 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 911 kilogram
To work these quantities more easily, you can express them in a compact way of writing
over a wide range of values known as scientific notation.
In scientific notation, numbers are represented by the product of a multiplying factor and a
power of ten. A power of ten is the number 10 raised to an integer exponent. You can write
measurements using scientific notation by moving the number of places the decimal point until
only one digit which is nonzero remains on the left. Then, count the number of places the decimal
point was moved and use the number of places as exponent of ten. The sign of the exponent
depends on whether you count off places to the right (–) or to the left (+).

Mass of earth: 6 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000. 6.0 x 1024

Suppose you express the mass of an electron in scientific notation.

Mass of an electron: 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 911 kilogram

What would your answer be?

Quantities in scientific notation to be added or subtracted must have the same exponents as well
as units. If the powers of ten are not the same, they must be made the same.
Ex. 9.2 x 108 cm – 6.9 x 107 cm
= 9.2 x 108 cm – 0.69 x 108
= 8.51 x 108cm
= 8.5 x 108 cm
Ex. 2.8 g + 3.25 kg
= 2.8 g + 3250 g
≈ 3300 g
The product of two numbers written in scientific notation is the product of the base numbers 10
raised to be the sum of their exponents.
Ex. (2 x 104 mm) (1.5 x 103 mm)
= (2)(1.5) x 104+3 mm1+1
= 3 x 107 mm2

Self-Check
Perform these operations using scientific notation

a) 68, 200 + 1, 500

b) (0.000283)(22 330)
c) 48, 200 / 0.000024

2.4 Conversion of Units

Units in different systems or even different units in the same system can express the same
quantity. To avoid confusion, it is therefore necessary to convert the units of one quantity to
another.
 Physics I – Mechanics, Waves, Heat, Electricity, and Magnetism 9

One of the greatest advantages of the metric system is that it is a decimal or base-10
system. This means that larger or smaller units are obtained by multiplying or dividing a base unit
by powers of 10. Table 2.2 lists some prefixes and their equivalent.

Table 2.2 Prefixes for Metric Units

Prefix Symbol Multiple
yotta Y 1024
zetta Z 1021
exa E 1018
peta P 1015
tera T 1012
giga G 109
mega M 106
kilo k 103
hecto h 102
deca da 101
deci d 10-1
centi c 10-2
milli m 103
micro μ 106
nano n 109
pico p 1012
femto f 1015
atto a 1018
zepto z 1021
yocto y 1024
Conversion of units can be done by multiplying the original unit by an appropriate conversion
factor. Conversion factors are simply equivalence statements expressed in the form of ratios equal
to 1. Below is a table for conversion factors.
 Physics I – Mechanics, Waves, Heat, Electricity, and Magnetism 10

Given: 1 inch =2.54 cm and vice versa

1 𝑖𝑛𝑐ℎ 2.54 𝑐𝑚 Since conversion factors are equal to 1, they can be
2.54 𝑐𝑚
= 2.54 𝑐𝑚
=1 multiplied by other factors in equations without
or changing the validity of equations. The answer will
1 𝑖𝑛𝑐ℎ 1 𝑖𝑛𝑐ℎ
= =1 just be in different units.
2.54 𝑐𝑚 1 𝑖𝑛𝑐ℎ

When using conversion factors, set the problem as follows:

quantity sought = given quantity x conversion factors

Consider the following examples.

1) How many meters are there in 2.1 miles?

1 mile = 1.6 km
1.6 𝑘𝑚 1000 𝑚
1 km = 1000 m = 103 m 2.1 mi = 2.1 mi x =
1 𝑚𝑖 1 𝑘𝑚

= 3.36 x 103 m
≈ 3.4 x 103 m

2) A bus moves at 120 km/h along the highway. What is its speed in m/s?
1 km = 103m
1 h = 3600 s
km km 10 3m 1h
120 h = 120
h
x
1 km
= 3 600 s

120 𝑥 103
=
3 600
 Physics I – Mechanics, Waves, Heat, Electricity, and Magnetism 11

1.2 x 103
=
3 .6 x 103
= 0.33 x 102
=3.3 x 10 1 m / s

Self-Check
Show your solution on the following problems.

1) Convert: (3 points each)

a. 25 microseconds into nanoseconds

b. 36 ft/s2 into km/hr
c. 235 g/m3 into kg/m3

2) How heavy in kilogram is a 180 pound football player? (3 points)

- End of Module 2 –

References:
Padua, A., & Crisostomo, R. (2010). Practical and Explorational Physics: Modular Approach (2nd
edition). Vibal Publishing House, Inc.
Urone, P., & Hinrichs, R. (2020). Physics. OpenStax
Lumen Learning. (n.d.) Scientific Notation and Order of Magnitude. LibreText Physics. Retrieved
July 27, 2023 from
[Link]
A_Nature_of_Physics/1.02%3A_Scientific_Notation_and_Order_of_Magnitude
Trevor, H. (2017). Measurement in Physics. Retrieved July 28, 2023 from
[Link]