PHYSICAL QUANTITY
A physical quantity is a physical property that can be measured or calculated and expressed
as the product of a numerical value and a physical unit. Measurement in Physics refer to size
or numerical value obtained by comparison with a standard/known quantity. It is a very
important aspect of physics as no fact is accepted and no law is established unless it can be
measured or quantified. Measurement provides a means of communication and is used by
scientists, engineers, doctors, and even ordinary people in society.
Every measurement requires two (2) things: a number/quantity and a unit. A unit is the
standard of measurement and has the following properties:
1. It must be possible to define unambiguously
2. It must be easily reproducible
3. It should not vary with time and place
4. It should be possible to divide or multiply
Fundamental and Derived Quantities and Units
1. Fundamental quantities and units
These are the independent quantities that cannot be define in terms of other quantities. They
are the basic quantities upon which other quantities depend. Examples: length, mass, time,
etc. The units of fundamental quantities are referred to as fundamental units. For clarity, the
world adopted a system of units, called the SI units (system international d'unites), based on
the MKS (metre-kilogramme-second) system. This consists of seven fundamental quantities
and their units as shown in the table below
(Table of fundamental quantities and units)
Other systems include the CGS (centimetre-gramme-second) and the FPS (foot-pound-
second) systems.
2. Derived quantities and units
These are obtained by combining two or more fundamental quantities. Some examples of
derived quantities and units are shown in the table below
(Table of derived quantities and units)
Multiples and Submultiples
These are prefix used to represent larger or smaller SI units. They are used when the SI unit is
inconvenient for measurement.
(Table of multiples and submultiples)
Measurement of Length, Mass and Time
Length, mass and time are the three most important fundamental quantities in physics.
Therefore, there are various instruments for measuring them.
Length
The length of an object is the distance between the two ends of the object. It is usually
measured with metre rule, vernier calliper, micrometre screw gauge, tape, etc.
(Diagram of some length measuring instruments)
Mass and weight
Mass is a measure of inertia. It is defined as the quantity of matter or material contained in a
body. Mass is measured with..........
(Diagram of some mass measuring instruments)
A closely related quantity is weight, this is the force with which the earth attracts objects
towards it. Weight is primarily measured with a spring balance
(Diagram of some weight measuring instruments)
The differences between mass and weight are listed below:
(Differences between mass and weight)
Time
Time is a reference that distinguish between events. It is defined as a measurable period
during which event occurs. Time is measured with a stop-watch or stop-clock. The SI unit of
time, second, has the following multiples:
60 secs = 1 min
60 mins = 1 hr
24 hrs = 1 day
7 days = 1 week
52 weeks/365.25 days = 1 year
100 years = 1 century
DIMENSION AND DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS
Dimension
In Physics, every measurable property is called a physical quantity (e.g., length, mass, time,
velocity, force). These quantities have dimensions which show how they depend on the
fundamental quantities. Dimension is defined the power to which the fundamental quantities
must be raised to represent a physical quantity. It shows the nature of a physical quantity. The
dimensions of the fundamental quantities are given below:
Length (or distance, displacement, height, breadth, width) = L or [L]
Mass = M or [M]
Time = T or [T]
Electric current = I or [I]
Temperature = Θ or [Θ]
Luminous intensity = J or [J]
Amount of substance = N or [N]
Example
Volume = length x breadth x height = LxLxL = L³
Velocity = distance / time = L/T
Dimensional Analysis
This is the technique of checking the correctness of equations, deriving relationships between
physical quantities and converting units from one system to another
Importance of Dimensional Analysis
1. It is used to check the correctness of equations
2. It helps in the derivation of physical quantities
3. It helps in the conversion of units from one system to another
Examples
1. Find the dimensions of: (a) area (b) volume (c) acceleration
2. Find the dimension of (a) force (b) pressure (c) work
3. Verify whether the formula v = u + at is correct
Limitations of Dimensional Analysis
1. It cannot give the numerical constants in a formula (e.g., π, ½, 3, etc.).
2. It cannot be used when a quantity depends on more than one trigonometric or exponential
term.
Assignment/Exercise
A sphere of radius r moving with velocity v under a streamlined condition in a viscous fluid
experiences a retarding force F giving by F = krv, where k is a constant. Derive the SI unit of
k and deduce its dimension.
POSITION, DISTANCE AND DISPLACEMENT
Concept of Position
The position of an object is determined by its distance and direction from some specified point
known as the origin or frame of reference. In order to an object, two lines at right angle are
drawn starting from the origin (O). The horizontal line is called x-axis while the vertical line
is the y-axis. Points to the left of O are -ve x and points to the right are +ve x. Similarly, points
above O are +ve y while points below O are -ve y. The position of an object is specified by
two quantities called coordinates (x, y) The x coord. is the abscissa while the y coord. is the
ordinate.
Concept of Distance
When an object moves say 70m from O, the object is said to cover a distance of 70m.
Distance is defined as the length covered by an object when it changes position from one
point to another. It is a scalar quantity. That is, it has only magnitude but no direction. For
instance, a person walks a distance of 500m eastward, and walks back a distance 300m. The
total distance travelled is 800m.
Concept of Displacement
This is the distance travelled in a specified direction. It is a vector quantity which measures
the change of position in a given direction. For instance, a person walks a distance of 500m
eastward, and walks back a distance 300m. The total displacement is 200m to the east. This is
because, the person is only 200m from the origin/starting point.
Example
A boy walks 40 m east before turning north and walking 30 m. What distance did he cover?
What is his displacement?
SPEED, VELOCITY AND ACCELERATION
Speed
When a body moves, we note the distance and the time it takes to cover that distance. The
rate at which the body covers a distance is called the speed of the body. It is a scalar quantity
which measures the distance covered in a given time.
Speed = distance/time (in m/s)
This gives the average speed over the distance.
Uniform Speed
When a body covers equal distance in equal interval of time, the speed is said to be uniform
or constant speed.
Velocity
Velocity is the rate of change of displacement. It is a vector quantity and has the same unit as
speed. The terms speed and velocity is used interchangeably, but they are different in
Physics.
Velocity = displacement/time (in m/s)
Uniform Velocity
When a body covers equal displacement in equal time interval, the velocity is said to be
uniform or constant.
Instantaneous Velocity
This is the velocity at any given time. The speedometer of vehicle gives instantaneous
velocity.
Examples
1. If a boy covers a distance of 30m in 75s. What is the speed of the boy?
2. If a bus covers a distance of 200km in 2 hrs, find the average speed of the bus.
3. A car travels a speed of 100km/hr. What distance does it cover in 5 minutes.
100km/hr = 100km/60m
Distance-time Graph
This is the graph of distance (or disp.) covered by an object in a known time intervals. The
distance is plotted on the y-axis while the time interval is plotted on the x-axis.
Diagram
The slope or gradient of the distance/displacement-time graph gives the velocity of the body.
If the slope is a straight line, the velocity is constant. That is:
Vel. = slope of displacement-time graph
If the slope is zero, the velocity is zero.
Acceleration
This is defined as the rate of change of velocity with time. It is also a vector quantity and has
the unit of m/s².
Acceleration = change in velocity/time taken
= (v - u)/t
When the velocity increases with time, it is termed acceleration but when the velocity
decreases with time, it is called retardation or deceleration or negative acceleration.
Suppose a car changes its velocity from 30m/s to 50m/s in 5sec. Its average acceleration is
given by
a = (50 - 30)/5 = 2m/s²
Uniform Acceleration
When the velocity of a body changes by equal amount in equal time interval, it is said to have
a uniform acceleration.
Velocity-time Graph
If the velocity is plotted against the time, a velocity-time graph is obtained. The slope of the
velocity-time graph gives the acceleration of an object. That is:
Acceleration = slope of velocity-time graph
Examples
1. Suppose an object travels along a straight path with the following velocities for 12 secs.
(Table)
(a) Plot the velocity-time graph
(b) Determine the acceleration
(c) Determine the retardation
Solution
(a) (Diagram)
(b) Aling OA, the velocity increases, therefore, there is acceleration which is given by:
acceleration = Δv/t = slope of line OA = OA/OC
= 15-0/6-0 = 2.5 m/s²
(c) Along BE, the velocity decreases, hence the retardation is given by:
retardation = Δv/t = slope of line BE
= 15-0/12-8 = 3.75 m/s²
2. A car starting from rest accelerates uniformly and attains a speed of 80 m/s in 30 s. It
maintains this speed for another 30 s. It then slows down uniformly until it comes to rest in
the next 40 s.
(a) Sketch the velocity-time graph for the motion of this car.
(b) Obtain the acceleration during the first stage of the motion and the retardation during the
final stage of the motion.
(c) For how long did the car travel altogether?
Solution
Exercise
1. How much longer would it take to travel a distance of 600km at a speed of 50km/hr than it
would at a speed of 60km/hr?
2. The speed of a bus increases uniformly from 15m/s to 60m/s in 20sec. Calculate:
a. Average speed
b. Acceleration
c. Distance travelled during the entire period.
3. Two buses leave a bus station and travel in opposite directions from the same starting
point. If the speed of bus A is twice the speed of bus B and they are 240km apart after one
hour, what is the speed of each bus?