Basic Mathematics

Units
R Horan & M Lavelle
The aim of this package is to provide a short self assessment programme for students who want to learn how to use and apply units in science. c Copyright  2004 rhoran@plymouth.ac.uk , mlavelle@plymouth.ac.uk Last Revision Date: October 16, 2005 Version 1.1

Table of Contents
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. SI Units Derived Units Scientic Notation Prexes Final Quiz Solutions to Exercises Solutions to Quizzes

The full range of these packages and some instructions, should they be required, can be obtained from our web page Mathematics Support Materials.

Section 1: SI Units

1. SI Units

The ability to use units correctly is essential for scientists and engineers. Mistakes can be expensive: Quiz What caused NASA's Mars Climate Orbiter probe to crash? (a) It was hit by a meteorite (b) Aliens (c) A mix up over units (d) Metal fatigue in a booster You should always state the units that you are using. Scientists and engineers use SI (Systme International) units. Some e of the basic units, which we will use in this package, are chosen to be:

Quantity
Length Time Mass

Metre Second Kilogram

Unit

Symbol
m s kg

Note that the kilogram (rather than the gram) is the SI unit of mass.

Section 1: SI Units

Many other units are derived from these base units. For example, the unit of area is square metres, metres times metres, which we write as m2 . Similarly the unit of volume is cubic metres, metres times metres times metres, written as m3 . (This follows the rules discussed in the package on Powers.) Speed is the distance travelled per unit of time: distance (m) Speed = time (s) A Units of speed = m s1 This is read as metres per second. Quiz What are the SI units for the density (mass per unit volume) of any substance ? (a) kg m3 (b) kg m3 (c) kg3 m (d) kg m1

Example 1 What are the SI units of speed?

Section 1: SI Units

Note: the only case where you do not need to give units is for di-

mensionless ratios: e.g., the ratio of two distances or the ratio of two masses. These are independent of the units used. End as 143 km or 89 miles. The distance from Plymouth to John o' Groats is stated to be 1271 km or 790 miles. The ratio of the two distances is Plymouth to John o' Groats 1271 km = = 8:9 Plymouth to Lands End 143 km 790 miles or = = 8:9 89 miles It is nearly 9 times as far to John o' Groats as it is to Lands End no matter whether you use kilometres or miles to measure distances. (The ratio does not depend upon the units used.)

Example 2 A car atlas gives the distance from Plymouth to Lands

Section 1: SI Units
Exercise 1.

Calculate the following in SI units (click on the green letters for the solutions). (a) The area of a square with (b) The volume of a cube with sides of length 1 m. sides of length 0:5 m. (c) The average speed of a dog that runs 10 metres in 2 seconds. (d) The density of a liquid whose volume is 0:2 m3 and whose mass is measured to be 0.8 kg.

Quiz The frequency of a wave is dened to be the number of cycles (or oscillations) per unit time. What are the SI units of frequency? (a) s (b) m s1 (c) s1 (d) s2 Quiz Acceleration is the rate of change of speed with time. What are the SI units of acceleration? (a) m s2 (b) m s1 (c) m1 s2 (d) m2 s2

Section 2: Derived Units

Some physical quantities are so widely used that their units have special names. They are called derived units because they are dened in terms of the base SI units. Example 3 The SI unit of force is the Newton (N). Let us see how it is constructed in terms of base units. Force is dened by Force = mass acceleration 2 = kg m s2 A Units of force = kg m s One Newton is short for one kilogram metre per second squared, i.e., it is the force needed to accelerate one kilogram by one metre per second squared. Quiz The SI unit of energy is the Joule (J). From the expression for 1 kinetic energy E = 2 mv2 , where m is the mass and v is the speed of the object, express the Joule in terms of the base SI units. (a) kg m2 s2 (b) kg2 m2 s2 (c) kg m s (d) kg1 m s2

2. Derived Units

Section 2: Derived Units

Exercise 2.

Express the following in terms of base SI units (click on the green letters for the solutions). (a) One Pascal, Pa, the unit of pressure, i.e., force per unit area (b) One Watt, W, the unit of power, i.e., the rate of use of energy. Calculate the following in SI units (click on the green letters for the solutions). (a) The frequency of a wave that (b) The kinetic energy of a ball of oscillates 100 times in two mass 200 grams which moves seconds. through 6 metres in two seconds. (c) The pressure on a surface of (d) The power of an electrical area 3 square metres which device that uses 100 Joules of has a force of 60 Newtons energy in one tenth of a applied to it. second.
Exercise 3.

Section 3: Scientic Notation

We encounter many large and small numbers in science and scientic notation (also called standard form) makes manipulating them easier. Write the number as one (non-zero) digit followed by the decimal places all multiplied by the appropriate power of ten. Example 4 Express the astronomical unit (AU), the mean distance from the Earth to the Sun, in scientic notation. Since 1 AU = 15; 000; 000; 000; 000 m, it may be written as 1:510101010101010101010101010 = 1:5 1013 m

3. Scientic Notation

Example 5 A great advantage of scientic notation is that it is easy

to multiply and divide numbers written in this way. E.g., if a = 3 106 and b = 2 108 then from the package on Powers we have ab = 3 106 2 108 = 3 2 106+8 = 6 1014 a 3 106 3 = = 1068 = 1:5 102 b 2 108 2

Section 3: Scientic Notation

Exercise 4.

10

green letters for the solutions).

Express the following in scientic notation (click on the

(a) The radius of the earth (b) Use this radius r to estimate (6,380,000 metres) the volume of the Earth. (c) The mass of the Earth is (d) The frequency of a signal that about 6 1024 kg. Estimate oscillates 1,000,000 times in the average density of the one hundredth of a second. Earth.

Quiz The frequency (), wavelength () and velocity of light (c) are related by  = c=. Calculate the frequency of X-rays of wavelength 6 1010 m. (The speed of light is c = 3 108 m s1 .) (a) 1:8 1017 Hz (b) 5:0 1017 Hz 18 (c) 1:8 10 Hz (d) 5:0 1016 Hz

Section 4: Prexes

11

4. Prexes

No single unit of length will be appropriate for describing, say, the distances between positions on a silicon chip and the separations of the planets in the solar system. To be able to do this we use prexes (as in the familiar 1000 m=1 km, where `k', which is short for kilo, means one thousand). Here are some of the more widespread prexes:

Prex
giga mega kilo milli micro nano

Factor
1; 000; 000; 000 = 109 1; 000; 000 = 106 1; 000 = 103 0:001 = 103 0:000; 001 = 106 0:000; 000; 001 = 109

Symbol
G M k m  n

So there are one thousand grams in a kilogram and one thousandth of a second is a millisecond.

Section 4: Prexes

12

Example 6 A surveyor measures the distance by road from Plymouth to Lands End to be 143,000 m. What is this in kilometres? Since 1 km = 1; 000 m, we have 143; 000 143; 000 m = = 143 km 1; 000 Exercise 5. Express the following with the requested prex (click on the green letters for the solutions). (a) The length 12.7 nm (in (b) Air pressure: 101 kPa (in metres) Pascal) (c) The thrust of the rst (d) The power of the wind farm in European moon mission Delabole, Cornwall: ten Smart 1 launched in 2003 is turbines each of power 400 kW 0.07 N. (in milli-Newtons). (in MW).
Quiz What is the pressure exerted by a force of 50 N on a nailhead of area 0:002 m2 ? (a) 25 kPa (b) 2,500 Pa (c) 4 kPa (d) 2.5103 MPa

Section 5: Final Quiz

13

5. Final Quiz

Begin Quiz Choose the solutions from the options given. 1. How are Joules and Newtons related? (a) Not at all (b) 1 J = 1 N s1 1 (c) 1 J = 1 N m s (d) 1 J = 1 N m 2. If a particle travels a distance of 3 103 m in t = 3 103 s, calculate its speed. (a) 9 109 m s1 (b) 1 106 m s 6 m s1 (c) 6 10 (d) 1 106 m s1 3. Express the area of a square of side 5 m in square metres. (a) 25 m2 (b) 2:5 1012 m2 (c) 2:5 1011 m2 (d) 2:5 1013 m2 4. The energy E of a photon with frequency  is given by E = h where h is Planck's constant. What are the units of h? (a) J s1 (b) kg m s1 (c) J1 s (d) Js End Quiz

Solutions to Exercises

14

Solutions to Exercises

Area = 1 m 1 m = 1m2 The area is 1 square metre (or 1 metre squared). Click on the green square to return

Exercise 1(a) The area of a square is the length of its side squared:

Solutions to Exercises

15

length of its side. Volume = 0:5 m 0:5 m 0:5 m = 0:53 m3 = 0:125 m3 The volume is 0:125 cubic metres (or 0:125 metres cubed). Click on the green square to return

Exercise 1(b) The volume of a cube is given by the cube of the

Solutions to Exercises

16

10 m 2s = 5 m s 1 So the average speed of the dog was 5 metres per second. Click on the green square to return Speed =

Exercise 1(c) Speed is given by distance over time. So

Solutions to Exercises

17

0:8 kg 0:2 m3 = 4 kg m3 So the density is 4 kilograms per metre cubed (or 4 kilograms per cubic metre). Click on the green square to return Density =

Exercise 1(d) Since the density is the mass per unit volume we have:

Solutions to Exercises

18

Exercise 2(a) Pressure is force per unit area:

Pressure =

Force Area The SI units of force are kg m s2 and the units of area are m2 , so we obtain kg m s2 Units of pressure = m2 = kg m1 s2 One Pascal is thus one kilogram per metre per second squared. Click on the green square to return

Solutions to Exercises

19

Energy Time The SI units of energy are kg m2 s2 and the units of time are s, so we obtain kg m2 s2 Units of power = s = kg m2 s3 One Watt is thus one kilogram, metre squared per second cubed. It is much easier to understand what this unit means if we recall that the derived unit of energy is the Joule. We thus simply say that a power of one Watt is one Joule per second. This shows the usefulness of derived units. Click on the green square to return Power =

Exercise 2(b) Power is the rate of use of energy:

Solutions to Exercises

20

Exercise 3(a) If a wave oscillates 100 times in 2 seconds, the frequency is given by : 100 = 50 s1 2s or = 50 Hz Click on the green square to return Oscillations per second =

Solutions to Exercises

21

its kinetic energy, let us rst express its mass of 200 g in SI units! This is 200/1000=0.2 kg. The average speed is Distance Speed = Time 6 v = = 3 m s 1 2 We now substitute this into the formula for kinetic energy: E = 1 mv 2 . 2 We get E = 0:2 kg (3 m s1 )2 = 0:2 9 kg m2 s2 = 1:8 J where we recall that the Joule is the SI unit of energy. Click on the green square to return

Exercise 3(b) The ball moves through 6 m in 2 s. But to calculate

Solutions to Exercises

22

Exercise 3(c) Pressure is force over area. So if we apply 60 N to

3 m2 , we obtain 60 (N) 3 (m2 ) = 20 Pa where we recall that a Pascal is a Newton per metre squared. Click on the green square to return Pressure =

Solutions to Exercises

23

Exercise 3(d) If the device uses 100 Joules in one tenth of a second,
then its power is: 100 (J) 0:1 s = 1; 000W where we recall that a Watt is a Joule per second. Click on the green square to return Power =

Solutions to Exercises

24

Exercise 4(a) The radius, 6,380,000 metres, may be written more

simply as: Radius of earth = 6:38 106 m :

Click on the green square to return

Solutions to Exercises

25

Exercise 4(b) To calculate its volume, we assume the Earth is

4 roughly spherical with volume, V = 3 r3 . 4 Volume of Earth = (6:38 106 m)3 3 4 =  6:383 1018 m3 3 = 1:1 1021 m3 where we used (10a )b = 10ab and the answer is given to 2 signicant gures. Click on the green square to return

Solutions to Exercises

26

6 1024 kg 1:1 1021 m3 $ 5 103 kg m3 = The density is therefore roughly 5; 000 kilograms per cubic metres. Density of Earth =

Exercise 4(c) The density of the Earth is its mass over its volume:

This can be compared with the density of water (roughly 1 kg per litre). Since 1 litre is 10 10 10 = 1; 000 cm3 , which is 103 =(100)3 = 103 m3 , we see that the density of water is roughly 1(kg) Density of water = 3 3 = 1; 000 kg m3 10 (m ) . Click on the green square to return

Solutions to Exercises

27

Exercise 4(d) If the signal oscillates 106 times in 102 s, its frequency
106 102 s = 106(2) s1 = 108 Hz where we recall that a Hertz is one cycle per second. Click on the green square to return Frequency = is:

Solutions to Exercises

28

Exercise 5(a) To express 12.7 nm in metres, we rst need to recall that 1 nm= 1 109 m. Therefore 12:7nm = 12:7 1 109 m = 1:27 108 m
Click on the green square to return

Solutions to Exercises

29

Exercise 5(b) Air pressure at sea level is roughly 101 kPa. Since
1 kPa=100 Pa, 101 kPa = 101 1; 000 Pa = 101; 000 Pa This can also be written as 1:01 105 Pa. It is produced by roughly thirty kilometres of atmosphere pressing down on us! Click on the green square to return

Solutions to Exercises

30

milli-Newton is 1=1000-th of a Newton, one Newton is 1,000 mN. 0:07 N = 1; 000 0:07 = 70 mN This can be compared with the lifto thrust of the Ariane V rocket which is 15,360 kN. However, the ion drive is designed to run for a much longer time than the Ariane launch. Click on the green square to return

Exercise 5(c) The thrust of Smart 1's ion drive is 0.07 N. Since one

Solutions to Exercises

31

total power is 4; 000 kW. To express this in mega-Watts, recall that 1 kW = 103 W and 1 MW = 106 W. Therefore 103 MW 1 kW = 106 3 MW = 10 From this we have 4; 000 kW = 4; 000 103 MW = 4 MW So the total power of this, the UK's rst commercial wind farm, is 4 MW. Click on the green square to return

Exercise 5(d) If the power of each of the ten turbines is 400 kW, the

Solutions to Quizzes

32

Solutions to Quizzes

NASA in 1998 and crashed into the planet Mars in 1999. An investigation concluded that a mix up about the units of the force of correction thrusters was responsible for the spacecraft hitting the Martian atmosphere and breaking up. NASA uses SI units but the Lockheed corporation which made the thrusters used English units. The conversion factor was forgotten and so the `correction' rocket rings caused the expensive probe to be destroyed. End Quiz

Solution to Quiz: The Mars Climate Orbiter was launched by

Solutions to Quizzes

33

Solution to Quiz: Density is mass per unit volume. The units of

mass are kg and the units of volume are m3 . So again using the rules treated in the package on powers we have Units of mass Units of density = Units of volume kg = m3 = kg m3 The SI units of density are kilograms per metre cubed. End Quiz

Solutions to Quizzes

34

ond. The number of oscillations is just a number and does not depend on any choice of units. The units of time are seconds: 1 Units of frequency = Units of time 1 = s = s1 The SI unit of frequency is cycles per second. This unit is also called End Quiz a Hertz (Hz).

Solution to Quiz: Frequency is the number of oscillations per sec-

Solutions to Quizzes

35

Solution to Quiz: Acceleration is the rate of change of speed with time. The units of speed are m s1 and the units of time are s: Units of speed Units of acceleration = Units of time m s1 = s = m s2 The SI unit of acceleration is metres per second per second. This can also be said as metres per second squared. A constant acceleration of 10 m s2 means that the speed of the object increases by 10 m s1 every second. End Quiz

Solutions to Quizzes

36

Solution to Quiz: From the equation for kinetic energy, E = 1 mv2 , 2

we see that its units must be Units of energy = Units of mass units of speed2 The unit of speed is m s1 , so: Units of energy = kg (m s1 )2 = kg m2 s2 One Joule is therefore one kilogram metre squared per second squared. End Quiz

Solutions to Quizzes

37

Solution to Quiz: The frequency of the X-ray is given by the speed of light (3 108 m s1 ) over the wavelength (6 1010 m): c 3 108 m s1  = =  6 1010 m = 0:5 108+10 s1 = 5 1017 s1 This can also be written as 5 1017 Hz. It means that an X-ray End Quiz oscillates 5 1017 times every second!

Solutions to Quizzes

38

Solution to Quiz: Pressure is force per unit area. So if a force of

50 N is applied to an area of 0:002 m2 : 50 (N) Pressure = 0:002 (m2 ) 50 = N m2 2 103 50 103 = = 25; 000 Pa 2 This is 25 kPa.

End Quiz