TITLE: MEASUREMENT  Some terms often used when referring to time

OBJECTIVE: Solve measurement problems are duration, period, and interval. A common
involving conversion of units, descriptive definition is that time is the
expression of measurements in continuous, forward flow of events.
scientific notation  The standard metric unit of time is second (s).
STEM_GP12EU-Ia1 The standard units for length, mass, and time in the
Differentiate vector and scalar metric system give rise to an acronym, the mks
quantities system. The letters mks stand for meter, kilogram,
STEM_GP12V-Ia-8 and second. They are also standard units for a
modernized version of the metric system, called the
INTRODUCTION International System of Units (abbreviated SI, from
Science is concerned with the description and the French Système International d’Unités).
understanding of our environment. A first step in
understanding our environment is to measure and Other Standard Units
describe the physical world. Over the centuries, humans British
have developed increasingly sophisticated methods of Quantity Metric Unit Symbol
Unit
measurement, and scientists make use of the most Length meter m foot
advanced of these. Mass kilogram kg slug
We are continually making measurements in our Time second s s
daily lives. Watches and clocks are used to measure the Temperatur
time it takes for events to take place. A census is taken kelvin K
e
every 10 years to determine (measure) the population. Electric
Money, calories, and the days and years of our lives are ampere a
Current
counted. Amount of
Key Concepts mole mol
Substance
 Standard Units Luminous
 Metric System candela cd
Intensity
 Conversion Factors
 Vectors & Scalar Quantities Some Metric Prefixes
DISCUSSION
To describe nature, we make measurements and
express these measurements in terms of the
magnitudes of units. Units enable us to describe things
in a concrete way, that is, numerically.
To measure these fundamental quantities, we
compare them with a reference, or standard, that is
taken to be a standard unit. That is, a standard unit is
a fixed and reproducible value for the purpose of
taking accurate measurements. Traditionally, a
government or international body establishes a
standard unit.
A group of standard units and their
combinations is called a system of units. Two major
systems of units in use today are the metric system
and the British system. The latter is used primarily in  The most common metric prefixes are mega- (M,
6 3 −2
the United States but is gradually being replaced in 10 ), kilo- (k, 10 ), centi- (c, 10 ), and milli- (m,
−3
favor of in favor of the metric system, which is used 10 )
throughout most of the world. The United States is the
only major country that has not gone completely metric. Conversion Factors
Often, we want to convert units within one system or
Standard Units from one system to another. For example, how many
1. Length feet are there in 3 yards? The immediate answer would
 The description of space might refer to a be 9 feet, because it is commonly known that there are
location or to the size of an object (amount of 3 feet per yard. Sometimes, though, we may want to
space occupied). To measure these properties, make comparisons of units between the metric and the
we use the fundamental quantity of length, the British systems. In general, to convert units, a
measurement of space in any direction. conversion factor is used. Such a factor relates one
 The standard unit of length in the metric unit to another .
system is the meter (m), from the Greek
metron, “to measure.” Steps for Converting from One Unit to Another
2. Mass Step 1
 Mass is the amount of matter an object  Use a conversion factor, a ratio that may be
contains. The more massive an object, the more obtained from an equivalence statement. (Often
matter it contains. it is necessary to look up these factors or
 The standard metric unit of mass is the statements in a table; see the inside last page of
kilogram (kg). this module.)
3. Time Step 2 9
  Choose the appropriate form of conversion factor Problem: How many seconds are there in 1 year?
(or factors) so that the unwanted units cancel.
Scalar vs. Vector Quantity
 The term position refers to the location of an
Step 3 object. To designate the position of an object, a
 Check to see that the units cancel and that you reference point and a measurement scale are
are left with the desired unit. Then perform the needed.
multiplication or division of the numerical Scalar Quantity
quantities.  A scalar quantity (or a scalar, for short) has
Example 1 Conversion Factors: One-Step only magnitude (numerical value and unit of
Conversion measurement). For example, you may be
Problem: The length of a football field is 100 yards. In traveling in a car at 90 km/h (about 55 mi/h).
constructing a football field in Europe, the specifications Your speed is a scalar quantity; the magnitude
have to be given in metric units. How long is a football has the numerical value of 90 and unit of
field in meters? measurement km/h

Solution Question: 100 yd is equivalent to how many Vector Quantity

meters? That is, 100 yd=? m.  A vector quantity has magnitude and
direction. For example, suppose you are traveling at 90
Step 1 There is a convenient, direct equivalence km/h north. This describes your velocity, which is a
statement between yards and meters given inside the vector quantity because it consists of magnitude plus
back cover of the textbook under Length: direction. By including direction, a vector quantity (or a
1 yd=0.914 m vector, for short) gives more information than a scalar
The two possible conversion factor ratios are quantity. No direction is associated with a scalar
1 yd 0.914 quantity.
∨ (conversion factors)
0.914 yd
ASSESSMENT
Step 2 The second form of this conversion factor, 0.914 Part I: Read and analyze the problem carefully.
m/yd, would allow the yd unit to be canceled. (Here yd is
the unwanted unit in the denominator of the ratio.) 1. Water is sold in half-liter bottles. What is the mass, in
kilograms and in grams, of the water in such a full
Step 3 Checking this unit cancellation and performing bottle?
the operation yields
0.914 m 2. A popular saying is “Give him an inch, and he’ll take a
100 yd x =91.4 m mile.”. What would be the equivalent saying using
1 yd
comparable metric units?
Example 2 Conversion Factors: Multistep Convers
Problem: A computer printer has a width of 18 in. What 3. Compute, in centimeters and in meters, the height of
is its width in meters? a basketball player who is 6 ft 5 in. tall.

Solution Question: How many meters are there in 18 4. Write the following quantities in standard units.
inches? 18 in. = ? m. Suppose you didn’t know and (a) 0.55 Ms (c) 12 mg
couldn’t look up the conversion factor for inches to (b) 2.8 km (d) 100 cm
meters but remembered that 1 in. = 2.54 cm (which is a
good length equivalence statement to remember 5. What is your height in ft?
between the British and metric systems). Then, using
this information and another well-known equivalence Part II
statement, 1 m = 100 cm, you could do the multiple Instructions: Quantities listed below have their
conversion as follows: respective Units. Identify the following Quantities into
inches x centimeters x meters vector or scalar quantities.

2.54 cm 1m Position Displacement Speed

18∈. x x =0.46 m Force Acceleration Velocity
¿. 100 cm
Energy Work Momentum
Notice that the units cancel correctly.

Activity 1 VECTOR SCALAR

Problem: In a football game, you often hear the Velocity Speed
expression “first and 10” (yards). How would you Displacement
express this measurement in meters to a friend from
Europe?

Activity 2 REFERENCES
Problem: How many seconds are there in 1 day? (Use
multiple conversion factors, starting with 24 h/day.) Tillery, B. W. (2009). Physical Sciences (9th ed.)
Arizona State University. McGraw-Hill
Activity 3 Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the
Americas, the New York, NY 100020.
“Science for the People”