Chapter no.

1 Physical quantities and measurement

Exercise questions Conceptual question: -
Qno1:” How physics plays an important role in our life?
Ans: physics plays an important role in our life as In our daily life we hardly find a device where
physics is not involved.
Examples.
i) Consider pulleys that make it easy to lift heavy loads using principles of physics.
ii) We can travel miles of the distance in a few minutes by Aeroplan's and different vehicles
based on physics.
iii) Mobile phones allow us to contact people around the world to get the latest information.
Q2 Estimate your age in minutes and seconds?
Ans Suppose your age is 15 years.
Age in days = 15×365 days (1 year = 365 days)
=5465 days
Age in hours = 5465 × 24 hours (1 day= 24 hours)
= 131400 hours
Age in minutes = 131400 × 60 (1 hour = 60 minutes)
= 7884000 minutes
Age in seconds = 7884000 × 60 seconds ( 1 minute = 60 seconds)
= 473040000 seconds
So, my 15 years of age in minutes is 7884000 minutes and in seconds it is 473040000
seconds.
Qno.3: what base quantities are involved in these derived physical quantities; force, pressure,
power, and charge?
Ans: Force:
F=ma
=Kgms-2 where Kg is the unit of mass, m unit of length and s unit of time.
So Base quantities involved in force are mass, length and time.
Pressure:
𝐹
𝑃 = 𝐴 …………………………. equation (1)

as 𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎
𝑚𝑎
𝑃=
𝐴
𝑘𝑔𝑚𝑠 −2
𝑃= 𝑚2
 𝑘𝑔𝑠−2
𝑃= 𝑚
where Kg is the unit of mass, m unit of length and s unit of time.

So Base quantities involved in pressure are mass, length and time.

Power:
𝑊
𝑃= 𝑡

𝐹. 𝑆
𝑃=
𝑡
𝑚𝑎. 𝑆
𝑃=
𝑡
𝑘𝑔 𝑚𝑠 −2 𝑚
𝑃=
𝑠
𝑃 = 𝑘𝑔 𝑚2 𝑠 −3 where Kg is the unit of mass, m unit of length and s unit of time.

So Base quantities involved in power are mass, length and time

Charge:
𝑄 =𝐼×𝑡 So Base quantities involved in charge is current I and time t.

Qno.4 show that prefix micro is thousand times greater than prefix nano?
Ans: As 𝜇 = 10−6

𝜇 = 10−6 × 10−3 × 103

𝜇 = 10−6−3 × 103

𝜇 = 10−9 × 103

As 𝑛 = 10−9

so 𝜇 = 𝑛 × 103 or 𝜇 = 1000 𝑛

So micro is 1000 times greater than Nano.

Q5 Justify that displacement is a vector quantity while energy is a scaler quantity?

Ans Displacement
displacement refers to the shortest path between two points.
It describes how far and in what direction an object has moved.
Since it includes both magnitude and direction displacement is a vector quantity.
Energy.
Energy is the ability of a system to do work. It comes in various forms like kinetic, potential
energy, thermal, etc. In that has a magnitude but no direction.
Energy has a magnitude but no direction. Therefore, that is a scalar quantity.
Qno.6 Screw gauge can give more precise length than vernier calipers. Briefly explain why?
Ans: Screw gauge can give more precise length than a vernier caliper
Explanation:
The instrument which has smaller least count will give more precise value. The least count of screw
gauge is 0.01mm which is less than the least count of vernier caliper that is 0.1mm or 0.05 mm. So,
screw gauge can give more precise length than vernier caliper because of smaller least count.
Qno.7 Differentiate between mechanical stopwatch and digital stopwatch?

Ans:

Mechanical stopwatch Digital stopwatch

• The mechanical stopwatch is powered by • Digital stopwatch due to their crystal
a main spring, which must be wound up by oscillator timing element are much more
turning knob at the top of stopwatch. accurate.
• Least count of mechanical stopwatch is • Least count of digital stopwatch is 0.01s.
0.1s. • Digital stopwatch has two buttons, one
• Mechanical stopwatch has only one knob for start/stop and the other one for reset the
at top of it, which is used to start stop and reset stopwatch.
the stopwatch.

Qno.8 How measuring cylinder is used to measure volume of an irregular shaped stone?

Ans: Measuring cylinder can be used to measure the volume of an irregularly shaped stone by using the
following procedure.
I) Put some water in a measuring cylinder. Note the volume vi of water in the cylinder.
II) Tie an irregular shaped stone with a thread and put it into water. The water will rise in the
cylinder. Note the volume Vf of water having stone in it.
III) Difference of the volume level will give the Volume of solid V = Vi –Vf
Qno.9 what precaution should be kept in mind while taking measurement using measuring cylinder?
Ans: Following precautions should be kept in mind while taking measurement using measuring
cylinder.
i) Measuring cylinder must be placed on a flat surface.
ii) Take care of meniscus and take the reading accurately.
iii) Avoid parallax error during measurement.
iv) Avoid formation of bubbles inside cylinder.
Qno.10 why do we need to consider significant digits in measurements?
Ans: We need to consider significant digits in measurement to get more accurate and precise value
because accuracy and precision of a value depends on the number of significant digits. The greater the
number of significant digits, the more precise and accurate the result will be.

Q11 How random errors can be reduced?

Ans. Random errors cannot be eradicated but it can be minimized by following
precautions
 1) multiple readings and averaging the results.
2) Secondly by using a large sample. For example, we cannot calculate the speed of a car
for a very short interval of time such as second but if we take larger interval of time
such as minutes or hours then we can easily measure the speed and can be converted
into seconds if needed.
Q12 Differentiate between precision and accuracy?
Ans. Accuracy:
Accuracy refers to how close a measurement is to the true or actual value.
If a measurement is close to the true value, we say it is accurate.
Example: If the true value is 10 kilograms and the measured value is 9.8 kilograms, the
measurement is accurate.
Precision:
Precision refers to how consistent and reproducible a set of measurements is.
Precise measurements are close to each other, even if they are not necessarily close to
the true value.
Example: If multiple measurements of the same object yield values like 9.8 kg, 9.9 kg,
and 9.7 kg, they are precise but not necessarily accurate.
Can you tell? questions from NBF book
Q Page 12) Can you write the number in power of 10 and choose prefix to the following
number?

a) The mass of Sun is about 1970,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg

Ans) 1970,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg = 1.97×1030 kg

b) Radius of hydrogen atom is about 0.000000000005 m

Ans) 0.00000000005 m = 5.0×10-11 m

For adding a prefix

5.0×10-11 m

= 50×10-12 m

= 50 p m Pico = p = 10-12

c) The age of Earth is about. 143,300,000,000,000,000 s

Ans) 143,300,000,000,000,000 s = 1.433×1017 s

For adding a prefix

1.433×1017 s
= 143.3×1015 s

143.3 Ps Peta = P = 1015

Can you express the following in terms of power of ten?

a) The thickness of sheet of paper is about. 100,000 Nanometers.

Ans 100,000 Nanometers

= 1.0×105 nanometer

= 1.0×105 ×10-9 meter

= 1.0×10-4 meter

b) Pakistan has a total installed power generation capacity of over 40,000

megawatts.

Ans) 40,000 megawatts

= 4.0×104 megawatts

= 4.0×104 ×106 watts

= 4.0×1010 watts

c) A single hard disk capacity of the computer has exceeded 30 terabytes.

Ans) 30 terabytes

= 3.0×101 terabytes

= 3.0×101 ×1012 bytes

= 3.0×1013 bytes

Q (Page 17) some meter rulers like the one shown in the figure. 1.7 are marked with
inches and feet? What is the least count of meter rule on this scale?

Ans The Least count of meter ruler is 1mm.

Q (page19) What is the length of the object measured by the road if it is? 20.14 c m
measured by vernier calipers.

Ans. As we know that least count of meter rod is 1 m which is equal to 0.1 cm

that is 1 digit after decimal point.

So the length of the object measured by meter rod will be up to 1 digit after decimal point
Hence, the length measured by meter rod will be 20.1 cm.

Q(page 23) You have to measure the thickness of page and internal diameter of her
back bigger. Which instrument would you use when your caliper or screw gate? Wire?

Ans To measure the thickness of a page we have to use screw gauge. Screw gauge will
measure more accurate value than one vernier calipers because screw gauge has least
count less than vernier calipers.

To measure the internal diameter of a beaker we must use vernier calipers. The outside
jaws of vernier caliper are designed to find the internal diameter of any object. While screw
gauge cannot measure the internal diameter of any object.

Q (page 27) books in a library were counted 1 by 1. There was a total of 57,000 books in
the library. How many significant digits are there in the result? Will the result Change
if the books are measured in the packets of 10?

Ans The number 57,000 has 2 significant digits 5 and 7. This is because trailing zeroes in a
number without a decimal point is not significant.

If the books are measured in packets of 10, then the total number of packets is 57,000 / 10
= 5,700 which still has two significant digits 5 and 7

So, the result does not change if the books are measured in packets of 10.

Numerical Questions:

1. Write the following numbers in scientific notations

a. 1234m
Solution 1.234 × 103 m
b. 0.000023s
Solution 2.3×10-5s
c. 469.3 ×105 m
Solution 4.693×102×105 m
=4.693×102+5m
=4.693×107 m

d. 0.00985 × 107 s
Solution 9.85×10-3×107 s
= 9.85 ×10-3+7 s
= 9.85 ×104 s
2. Express the followings measurements using prefixes?
Ans: a) 27.5 ×10-10 m
 =2.75×101×10-10 m
=2.75×101-10 m
=2.75×10-9 m as 10-9 = n (nano)
=2.75nm
b) 0.00023×10-2 s
=2.3×10-4×10-2 s
=2.3×10-4-2 s
=2.3×10-6 s as 10-6 = µ (micro)
=2.3µs
3. If a boy has age of 15 years 2 months and 10 days, convert his age in,
A) Second:
1 year = 365 days
15 years= 15×365= 5475
2 months= 30+31 days (consecutive months)
=61 days
Total days = 5475+61+10
=5546 days
As 1 day= 24 hour 1 hour = 60 mins 1 min = 60 s
Age in seconds= 5546×24 ×60 ×60
=479,174,400 =4.79174400 ×108 s
B) Milli Seconds
= 4.79174400 ×108 × 10 +3 × 10 -3 s
= 4.79174400 × 108 × 10 +3 m s as 10 -3 (mili)
= 4.79174400 × 108+3 m s
= 4.79174400 × 1011 m s
C) Mega Seconds
= 4.79174400 × 108 × 10 +6 × 10 -6 s
= 4.79174400 × 108 × 10 –6 M s as 10 6 (Mega)
= 4.79174400 × 108-6 M s
= 4.79174400 × 102 M s
4. How many kilometers are there in 25 micrometers?
Ans: 25 µ m
= 25 × 10 -6 m as 10 –6 = µ ( micro)
= 25 × 10 -6 × 10 -3 × 10 3 m
= 25 × 10 -6 × 10 -3 k m as 10 3 = k ( kilo)
–6-3
= 25 × 10 km
–9
= 25 × 10 k m
= 2.5 × 10 +1 × 10 –9 k m
= 2.5 × 10 +1-9 k m
= 2.5 × 10 –8 k m
 Hence 25 µ m = 2.5 × 10 –8 k m
5. What is pitch and least count of?

a. vernier caliper if the smallest division on main scale is 1mm and total divisions on main scale
are 20.

Least count:
𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑒
Ans: 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑒 = 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑒
1
𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑒 = 20 𝑚𝑚

𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑒 = 0.05 𝑚𝑚

Pitch: It does not have pitch, because in vernier
caliper there is no rotating knob.

b. screw gauge if the smallest division on its main scale is 0.5 mm and its movable scale has 50
divisions.
𝑃𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ
Ans: 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑤 𝑔𝑎𝑢𝑔𝑒 =
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑒

0.5 𝑚𝑚
𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑤 𝑔𝑎𝑢𝑔𝑒 =
50
𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑤 𝑔𝑎𝑢𝑔𝑒 = 0.01𝑚𝑚