CHAPTER 1

Physics and Measurements

Topics:
1.1 Standards of length, mass and time
1.3 Density and atomic mass
1.4 Dimensional Analysis
1.5 Conversion of units

General Physics I Prof. Dr. Salah Makhlouf 2

1.1 Standards of length, mass and time
The laws of physics are expressed in terms of basic quantities
that require a clear definition.

Physical Quantities

Force Velocity Volume ……etc.

Mechanics Basic Quantities

Length Mass Time

L M T

Any physics quantity in mechanics can be expressed in terms of

these three basic quantities.
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•Standards of length: Standard of length is based on speed of light in vacuum.
•Since 1983:
1
Meter: distance travelled by light in vacuum during a time of sec
299 792 458

•Standards of mass: Standard of mass is based on the mass of an alloy.

•Since 1887:
•Kilogram: mass of a specific Pt-Ir alloy cylinder. (Pt-Ir alloy is very stable )

•Standards of time:
•Since1967: is based on the atomic clock
•sec: is based on the characteristic frequency (period of vibration ) of radiation
from the Cs133atom.
T

1 sec = 9 192 631 770 x T Time

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International System (SI) of units : In 1960, an International committee
established a set of standards for the three basic quantities as follows:
Quantity Unit
Mass Kilogram (kg)
Mechanics Length Meter (m)
Time Second (s)
Electric current Ampere (Amp)
Other Temperature Kelvin (K)
Quantities Luminous intensity Candela
Amount of substances mol

Other Systems

cgs mks British Eng. System

Length Mass Time Length Mass Time Length Mass Time

cm gm s m kg s Foot (ft) slug s
Closely related to SI
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1.3 Density and atomic mass
Density “ρ”: Mass per unit volume
m
m = mass  
V = volume V
For Aluminum (Al) ρ = 2.7 gm/cm3
For Lead (Pb) ρ = 11.3 gm/cm3
# A piece of Al of volume 10 cm3 has a mass m=ρV=2.7x10 = 27gm
# A piece of Pb of volume 10cm3 has a mass m=ρV=113x10= 113 gm

Why they are different?  Al A  27

atomic mass 
Because, atomic masses are different Pb A  207

 Pb 11 .3

A
 4.19  Pb 
207
 7.67
 Pb APb
 Al 2.7
 Wh y ???
AAl 27  Al AAl
Because, atomic spacing and atomic arrangements in both materials (Al & Pb)
are different.
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Mole (mol)

One mol of a substance is that a mount of it that consists of

Avogadro’s number of atoms or molecules.
Avogadro’s Number Na
Na = 6.02 x 1023 atom /mol
One mole of Al has a mass of 27 gm
One mole of Pb has a mass of 207 gm

A(gm/mol)
Mass of any atom 
Na(atom/mo l)

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Example 1.1 : A solid cube of Aluminum of 0.2 cm3 . How many Aluminum
atoms contained in the cube? ( ρAl=2.7 gm/cm3)

m

V
m   V
m  2.7  0.2  0.54 gm

A 27  23
matom    4.5  10 gm
N A 6.02 10 23

total mass m
Number of atoms  
mass of each atom matom

0.54 gm
Number of atoms 
4.5 10 -23 atom/gm

Number of atoms  1.2 10 22 atoms

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1.4 Dimensional Analysis
Dimension: denotes the physical nature of a quantity.
Basic quantities in mechanics: Length L
Mass M
Time T

Dimension of some physics quantities:

Area [A] =L.L = L2
Volume [V] =L.L.L = L3
Velocity [ν] =L / T = LT-1
Acceleration [a] =L / T2 = LT-2
Momentum [P] = [m]. [ν] = MLT-1
Kinetic Energy [K.E] = [1/2].[m]. [ν2] = M((LT-1)2) = ML2T-2
Potential Energy [P.E] = [m]. [g]. [h] = M(LT-2) L = ML2T-2
Note that [K.E] = [P.E]
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Dimensional Analysis:

A method that can be used to assist in

Checking the validity of a specific formula Deriving some formulas

Example1.2 : A car started from rest and moves with a constant

acceleration a. What is the distance x travelled in a time t.
1) If we know the formula and want to check it. x=½ a t2
[L.H.S] = [x ] = L
[R.H.S] = [ ½] [a] . [t2]
[R.H.S] = LT-2 . T2 = L
[R.H.S]= [L.H.S]
Since dimensions of both side are the same: The formula is correct.

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(2) If we wish to derive the formula
We assume the factors that affect x which are the Acceleration and the Time

 x  t n am
 x  tn
[ x ]  [t ] n [ a ]m
 x  am
 L  T n  ( LT  2 ) m
L  T n  LmT 2 m m 1

L  Lm  T n  2 m n  2m  0  n  2m  2

 x  t 2 a1
x  at 2
x  k at2
k : can not be determined by this method
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Ex.1.3 Analysis of a power law:
Suppose we are told that the acceleration of a particle moving with a uniform
speed v in a circular orbit of radius r is proportional to some power of r say rn
and some power of v say vm. How can we determine the power of r and v?
a  rn
a  vm
 a  r n vm
a  k r n vm
( LT -2
)  (L) n .(LT -1 ) m
LT -2
L nL m
T -m

LT - 2  L n  m T -m

1 n m  -2  -m
m2
n  1  2  1 2
a k
 a  k r 1 2 r
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1.5 Conversion of units
Some times it is necessary to convert units from one system to another.
Examples :
1 mile = 1609 m=1.609 km
1 ft= 0.3048 m = 30.48 cm
1 inch =0.0254 m = 2.54 cm
1m= 100 cm
1kg =1000 gm

Ex.1.4: The mass of a solid cube is 856 g, and each edge has a length of 5.35 cm.
Determine the density  of the cube in basic SI units?

1g = 10-3 kg 1cm = 10-2 m

Volume = L3=(5.35x10-2 )3 =1.53x10-4 m3
Mass=856x10-3= 0.856 kg
Density = 5.59x103 kg /m3
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 Quick Quizzes

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 Answer to Quick Quizzes

General Physics I Prof. Dr. Salah Makhlouf 15

 HW- 1 Serway Version 6 P.5,7,15 and 17

5. What mass of a material with density is required to make a hollow spherical

shell having inner radius r1 and outer radius r2?

7. Calculate the mass of an atom of (a) helium, (b) iron, and (c) lead. Give your
answers in grams. The atomic masses of these atoms are 4.00 u, 55.9 u, and 207 u,
respectively.

15. Which of the following equations are dimensionally correct?

(a) vf = vi + ax
(b) y = (2 m)cos(kx), where k = 2 m–1.

Mm
F G
17. Newton’s law of universal gravitation is represented by r2
Here F is the gravitational force exerted by one small object on another, M and m
are the masses of the objects, and r is a distance. Force has the SI units kg·m/s2.
What are the SI units of the proportionality constant G?
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Problem5:
What mass of a material with density “ρ”is required to make a
hollow spherical shell having inner radius r1and outer radius r2?
Solution
4
Volume of inner sphere V1   r13
3
4
V2   r23
Volume of outer sphere 3
4
VS   ( r23  r13 )
Volume of the shell 3

m  V
4
mS  VS   ( r23  r13 )
3
Exercise: Same as above . Assume r1& r2 and ρ are given numerically
Solution: left to you.
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Problem 7:
Calculate the mass of an atom of iron molar mass A Fe=55.9 gm/mol
AFe gm / mol
mFe 
N a atom / gm

55.9  23
mFe   9.3  10 gm / atom
6.02 10 23

Exercise:
Do the same calculations for helium and lead?
AHe=4.00 gm/mol
APb =207 gm/mol

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Prob.17: Newton’s Law of universal gravitation is Mm
F G
r2
where F is the force of gravity and M,m are masses; and r is a
length. If the Force have the SI units of kg m
s2
What are the units of G?

M m
Mm
F G 2 r
r
kg m kg kg
2
 [G ]. 2
s m
m2
[G ]  2
kg.s
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Problem :The period of a pendulum t is measured in time units and is

t  2
g
  length of the pendelium
g  free - fall accelerati on measured in length divided by square of time

Show that the equation is dimensionally correct .


t  2
g
1/ 2
R.H.S  2 1/ 2
g
[ L]1/ 2
[ R.H.S] 
[ LT  2 ]1/ 2
1/ 2
[R.H.S] = T = [L.H.S]
L 1
[ R.H.S]   1  T
L1/ 2T  2 T Equation is dimensionally correct.
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