PHYSICS

Units, Measurements
and Errors
Physical Quantities (All 'l,IA6 I'\ •1~\e-\ 4W Cb-JfL k ~
Anything which can be expressed in numbers is called quantity. Different events in
nature take place in accordance with some basic laws. Revealing these laws of nature
from the observed even\s, we need some quantities which are known as physical
quantities. e.g., length, mass, temperature, time, force, speed, distance, acceleration,
velocity, momentum, current, etc.

Types of Physical Quantities

I. On the basis of units and their measurement
(i) Fundame ntal?~~Quantities The physical quantities which dQ not depend o~
- --~ i c a l guantities are known as fundamental (or base) physical quantities.
e.g., length, mass, electric current, time, temperature, luminous intensity, amount of
-
.......... .......
- substance, etc.
•
, . "

(ii) Derived Quantities All the physical quantities which are not the fundamental
...
,

physical quantities but are derived from it are known as derived physical quantities.
--
e.g., work, force, pressure, area, volume, energy, etc.
-· . .
, (iii) Supplementary Quantities There are also two physical quantities which are
neither fundamental nor derived. These quantities are called supplementary
quantities:I'heseafeplane angles and solid angles.
II. On the basis of direction and their magnitude
(i) Scalar Quantity Aphysical quantity which has only its magnitude but no direction
is called ascalar quantity. e.g.,ldistance energy, power, time, speed, volume, density,
1

pressure, work, charge, electric current, temperature, specific heat, frequency,

~s, etc,J
(ii) Vector Quantity A physical quantity which has magnitude as well as direction is

-
called a vector quantity. e.g.ljiSplacement, velocity, torque, position, acceleration,
force, weight, momentum, impulse, electric field, magnetic field, current density,
angular ~elocity, etc. J ~ 0 ~ 'j ~w of vec.\-crn oJ~bn ~
 E n c Yc \ e d ie O
oP F GENE
~ • RA L S t\ ~
• •
i.: ~~ ~ l

Ut\i\S .cal
To me»Ute apnvs1 QUantitY, a standatdt\ 1 f same physical qua
o
\!\die.ates\hat hOW roan,,, \\tnes the stan :~:~hysica\ quantity ntity is used
, is W't\
f u~
who1e µhvsic f tv d
a\ ~ a n \~aThis stan ard valu d e o the physical quantity isd to mea~te ~
n . . 1 th known as its ~
and whet\ atW
gwen
ti\)' is meas
ure in the term of this uni , :e pro
measuremen cess is ta\l\\ty\\
t \
e.g., 1
rr =10 N . %
. th'e unitof '1 ~n t·
Mere. \0 ,nd1 es u
cate~ dmto torce, 1~ isten 1m sed to measure the forc
n
U its are a1so dMde th~ following pa :e of 10 N
rts ·
F datl \enta ·t , \ '
or Base Uni'\ "-=t i - v. .--:. ·r- ,.., Vi,,,
~ ~ u n ~ o ! \ Un\3 . s ~
tundame~ta\ ti
~'rol\dal(lro\a fl~ysic~\~~:a ties are called fundam 1 .
m,second.·a en
These \1 \\ ~ """ \ \ ~ 1a:es ,, ~ . 1 the ini,ere.Wt! ta units. 'th~re at
\\ll\i\'.1
:s\a-ndards o concerned .n. cauil!l
physical qu a a n d ~ \
t.,~
ind~ndertt
\nit\a\\V, t)l\
°' ~tc\\ o'\:1\~r.
\y m&e. ~ d
r
ant\ty ano.
Offi.1
u P .i t s d t \\o gram a~~ : re co nsidered to be fu
·, ~ - " t t \ l o ~ n ~~pera ndamental
tur~.~and.e
mole t ~
f lsub~\\ce
t r t r ~ v ,,
d~(d°to fund la.tluminou but \ater ~
) 'we're a arr:ental un s intensitv)
- - its. ' al\~
D etived Units -
ffl\..
H'\e 1\:1~\t~ IQ1" ~1\~ 'o ~ ~'hvs •11 . ,l,•t'4-' s
••
\d n
. • ¥'-w \.\:laH k le except funda
e'lp-~ad½l(6i~
a'te o b t a .~
a'rea, volum t~.t: 'tiaamental u
n its are
mental phy
ca d . seicdal quantities
., force, ene lled env . un1·ts. e.g W. hkh
e, -oen'.S\'-'h ~ ~'vte'r, wo'rl<
"- 1 -~

· rN>
rgy, acce\era .,
sun-plementa hon. mome un1ts ot
~ ;\i'l\~ \ \ ry Units n tum, ett.
~ ~"i' ~ ~
e.g., uni\'.s'O \e~~tary
quantities a
f 'p\a'.rtf~
~!a~a ~\'id :a re known a .
ntal"{ .
'l\'g\e. s suppleme
System ot U units.
A nits ,
comp~ ieet ,o
t \i"'\ts \1\av
svst•~- ing bot:\\ the
1
.
base un1ts ,
-
The comrtto and -denve
d
. ,.
l\ Wlt'em~'.'of un\ts 1s kno
'tfflits~e wn as the
ti) ~ S ~ e
1'-~~\G
time ,are resp )~
eottve1y rn'etr ~~ n a ) \n this s~te
{~_t'GS~,c
~tt~tmetre
e.,·l<:\\ogram
,and second m, the units ot length.
G . mass and
th't\~ffl l'e
~vel\/ cent\ r~Secottd) ln this sysm
metre,'.gr-am
'- ~•~s~~~ and sercond. n, the units of length, m
liii)m~ ~temf(freto
lled-metrk o
\t , i a\SG ca
\\ed ~ u s s i a ass and
l r decimal ";!Y~
ate 1reS\)ect:\w ~ P o o . r t d ~ ~~\\~ ~.
N_'fo'o\,, ~~ s ;'f
tiv) S I , ~ ~M %ecowa. tSte:m) the \lni\'t 0f \el\
, t \S a t~ o\\\e t,th
l\n
'inte~\\0'na ter~ahona\ ~e~ 'ol \)
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d ~ ·;y , mass.and t\fne
\ Confer~ ltlllft.
~ , ~ ~ h Y s nits) $\ 'was ~ ~ e d a
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ba'.&ts,ot~
re a n n
system. hens~'Co
l\sensus.'&
d "M.eaS\1res
\ system is held a't 'Gened ~ccepted m the
extended an ~a in \%
d modified <.\ oo \hf
torm ot HK:
UNITS, ~EAS~R.E MENTS ANO ER~ORS , •. • •. • ••• , ......... .. , 3
There are following seven fundamental units and two supplementary units in SI system.
I

vV'Pundamenta\ Units and their Symbols ln SI System

Name of Name of
Quantity Unit Symbol Definition
Length metre m The metre is the length of the path travelled by light in
vacuum during a time interval of 1/299, 792,458 of a
second. (1983) •
Mass kilogram kg The kilogram is equal to the mass of international
prototype of the kilogram (a platinum-iridium alloy
cylinder) kept at International Bureau of Weights and
Measures, at Sevres, near Paris, France. (1889)
Time second s The second is the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of
the radiation corresponding to the transition between the
two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the
cesium-133 atom. (1967)
Electric current ampere A The ampere is that constant current which, if maintained
in two straight parallel conductors of infinite length, of
negligible circular cross-section, and placed 1 metre apart
in vacuum, would produce between these conductors a
force equal to 2 x10-1 newton per metre of length.
(1948)
Thematynamic ketvin K The kelvin, is the fraction 1/273.16 of the
temperature thermodynamic temperature of th~ triple point of water.
(1967)
Amount of mol The mole is the amount of substance of a system, which
substance I ~
contains as many elementary entitles as there are atoms
in ·0.012 kilogram of carbon-12. (1917)
Luminous candela cd \
The candela Is the luminous intensity, In a given
inte1isi\y direction, of a source that emits monochromatic radiation
of frequency 540 x1fY' 2 Hz and that has a radiant
1ntenslty In that direction of 1/683 watt per steradlan.
(1979)

8upplementaty Units and their Symbols ln SI System

Name~fQuatltity NameofUnit Symbol Definition
Pla«e . , . radian rad The radian Is the plane angle subtended at the
centre by an arc of a circle having a length equal
to ra~fuk ot ~ olltle. All plane angles are
measured tn radian.
Solid- steradian Sr The steraalan ts the solid angle which has the
vertex •at the centre 'd the sphere. and cut off an
area of ~he 'sl'.frface ol splle're 'eq\)al to \hat cl
squa'fl - 's~ 'd tertgtl'l -equal to 'r8dfus Of
sphete.
 .
·~ .
' . . .•
' '
..,
'
•,
·- •

En cy cl op ed ia OF
4 .. • • • . • GENt:b
.."l\l
. ~ \t t. ~ rt t formulae St1
t,
\Jw~ "" ~\..~\A.\i and Units of Derived Units
ri po = a n = --
-- -- -- -- -=
Physical Quan -
t ties Formulae ~U ·
Area o1 rectangle
Length x Breadth (I x b)
nits
2
Area o1 square m
(Side)2 2
m
't rea o1 triangle
~ x Base x Height
2
m2

Density MassNolume
Acceleration kg m-3
Change in Velocity {Time
Pressure ms-2
Force/Area (F/A) f ~~ eh
\ l((\_C\f" ~ Nm-2
Work O!_!nergy Mass x Acceleration due to or Pasea1
Gravity
X Height (PE = mgh N-m or iouie
)
Power
Wor\</Time
Impulse Js-1
Force x Time or Watt
Volume o1 cuboid N-s
Length x Breadth x Height
(I x b x h) m3
Aelocity Displacement
Time ms-1
Force
Mass x Acceleration
Linear momentum kg ms-2 or neu,.
Mass x Velocity "lon
kg ms-1
Magnetic field Force
Electric Current x Displacem N amp-1 rn-1 or t11o1
ent
Frequency weber /m2 ~a 0i
l
Time Period s- 1 or hertz
~ 1 ' Ve ti ~ ~ i Tf'/~
Practica\ Units of Length,
Mass and Time
Practical Units of length
Practical Units of Mass
l Angstrom (A) = 10-10 m Practical Units"in;
l Microgram (µg) = 10-9 kg
l Nanometre (nm) = 10-9 1 Picosecond (ps) =10-12 s
m l Milligram (mg) = 10-6 kg
l Micrometre (µm) = 10-6 l Nanosecond (ns) =10-9s
m l Gram (g) = 10-3 kg
1 Millimetre (mm) = 10-3 m 1 Microsecond (µs) =l(ris
l Quintal = 1a2 kg
l Centimetre (cm)= 10-2 m l Millisecond (ms) =10-3s
1 Metric tonne = 103 kg
1 Kilometre (km) = l 0+3 m l Minute = 60 s
1 Atomic mass unit
1 Terametre = 10+12 m l Hour = 60 min = 3600 s
= 1.66 x10- 21 kg 1 Day= 24 hours= 1440
1 light year= 9.46 xl015m min
or la1 6 m 1 Pound =0.45371(& •
1 Astronomical unit (lAU) = 86400s
1 Chandrashefhar limit
= l.5 xla 1 1 m 1 Week= 7 days
1 Parsec= 3.26 light year = 1.4 x Mass of sun 1 Lun
ar month= 28 days= 411:'.'
= 2 .8 x1030 kg l Solar month= 30 or 3l da~
= 3.083 xl016 m
l Slug= 14.59 kg
l Mile = 1,§__km = 28 or 29 days\'
1 Fermi= 10-15 m Yea
1 r = 365~ days
4
1 Moon month = 27 .3 solar de\
l Solar day = 86400 5
1.
l Leap year = 366 day (Ther) e •
•
29 days in feb of leap ~ear
1 Shake = 10-8 s-- --- -., ,,
- --
UNITS , MEAS UREM ENTS AND ERRORS
•
•• • • ............. 5
conversions of Units
some conversions of units are given below
conversion of Mass
10 milligram (mg) = 1 g = 15.43 grains = 10-3 kg
1000 (10 3) g = 1 kilogram (kg)= 2. 205 pounds \oo ocr • looC ~
1000 kg = 1 tonne -
conversion of Length
10 millimetre (mm)= 1 centimetre (cm) = 0. 394 inch
100 centimetre = 1 metre (m) = 39. 4 inch = 1.094 yard
1000 (10 3 ) metre (m) = 1 kilometre (km) = 0.6214rnile
1 foot= 0.3048m
Conversion of Area
4046 square metre ( m2) = 1 acre
100 hectare= 1 square kilometre ( km2)
Conversion of Volume
10 millilitre (mL) = 1 centilitre (cL) = 0.018 pint (0.021 USpint)
100 (10 2 ) centilitre (cL) = 1 litre= 1.76 pint
10 litre = 1 decalitre (daL) = 2. 2 gallon (2.63 USgallon)

Metric Prefixes for Power of 10

The physical quantities whose magnitude is either too large or too sn-1all
can be expressed
more compactly by the use of certain prefixes (in accordance with power
of 10) are given
in the table.
Prefix Symbol Power of 10
yotta y 1024
zetta z 1021
exa E 101s
peta p 1015
tera T 1012
giga G 10 9
mega M 10 6
kilo k 10 3
hecto h 102
deca da 101
deci ct 10-1
centi C 10-2
milli m 10-3
micro µ 10"'°
nano n 10-9
pico p 10-12
femto f 10-15
atto a 10-18
zepto z 10-21
yocto y 10-24