Introduction to measurement,

standard and unit

Chapter 1
 Quantifying Properties

• In science we need to eliminate any vagueness of

communication
• We attempt to do this by having standard
measurements with which to make comparisons
between objects
 Measurements and Units
• A measurement determines the quantity,
dimensions or extent of something
• A unit is a definite quantity adapted to as a
standard of measurement
Examples
– grams, pounds
– meters, inches, furlongs
– hours, seconds, years
• A measurement consists of three parts
– The numerical value which describes how much of the
measurement we are making
– The unit which tells us what the measurements are in
• Grams
• Meters
– The type of measurement which tells us the physical
attribute that we are measuring
• Length
• Volume
• Area, or the extent of a surface, can be described by
two length measurements. Volume, or the space an
object occupies, can be described by three length
measurements. Length, however, can be described
only in terms of how it is measured, so it is called a
fundamental property.
 Units
• Base and Derived
 Units
• Base Units: Units regarded as
dimensionally independent
• Examples:
– meters, inches
– grams, pounds
– seconds
 Units
• Derived Units: Units formed by combining base
units and other derived units according to
algebraic relations linking the corresponding
quantities.
• Examples
– velocity (m/s)
– area (ft2)
– pressure (lbs/in2)
 Unit Systems
SI System of Units: Force

• force = mass x acceleration

acceleration

force
mass Force = ma
kg  m
 2
s
= Newton
=N
SI System of Units: Stress (Pressure)

Pressure = Force / Area

N kg  m/s 2
 2  2
m m
kg

m s 2

= Pascal
= Pa
 SI System of Units: Work (Energy)

Work (Energy) = Force X Distance

= N.m
2
kg.m
 2
s
= Joule
=J
 SI System of Units: Power

Power = Work / Time

Nm Joule J
  
s s s
kg  m 2
 3
s
= Watt
=W
 The SI System
• SI System derived units
– force: Newton, N (kg-m/s2)
– pressure, or stress: Pascal, Pa (N/m2)
– energy, work: joule, J (N-m)
– power: watt, W (J/s)
– Celsius temperature: Celsius, C
 Consistency of Units
• Principle of consistency of units:
– units on the left side of an equation must be the
same as those on the right side of an equation
– dimensional homogeneity
 Consistency of units

• E = mc2
(force) (length) = (mass) (length/time)2
(mass) (acceleration) (length) = (mass)(length)2/(time)2
(mass) (length/time2) (length) = (mass)(length)2/(time)2
(mass) (length)2/(time)2 = (mass) (length)2/(time)2
 Consistency of units

Can you prove that the equation below

follows consistency of units?

Kinetic energy = ½mv2

 Dimensions
• Dimension: A physical property, such as
mass, length, time, temperature or a
combination thereof, regarded as a
fundamental measure or as one of a set of
fundamental measures of a physical
quantity.
 Dimensions
• Fundamental Dimensions
– Mass, Length, Time (M, L, T) or Force,
Length, Time (F,L,T)
– Temperature (q)
– Electric Current
– Amount of Substance
– Luminous Intensity
 Dimensions
• Derived Dimensions
– velocity (L/T), acceleration (L/T2)
– momentum (MV)
– work, energy (FL) or (ML/T2)
– pressure, stress (F/L2)
 Dimensional Homogeneity

• E = mc2
(force) (length) = (mass) (length/time)2
(mass) (acceleration) (length) = (mass)(length)2/(time)2
(mass) (length/time2) (length) = (mass)(length)2/(time)2
(mass) (length)2/(time)2 = (mass) (length)2/(time)2
[M][L]2/[T]2 = [M][L]2/[T]2
 Dimensional Homogeneity

Can you prove that the equation below follow

is also dimensionally consistent?

Kinetic energy = ½mv2

 Measurement

You are making a measurement when you

Check your weight
Read your watch
Take your temperature
Weigh a cantaloupe

What kinds of measurements did you make

today?
Measurement Systems
 Kuala Lumpur Ipoh

• Any of these units and values could have been used

at some time or another to describe the same
distance between these hypothetical towns. Any unit
could be used for this purpose, but when one unit is
officially adopted, it becomes known as a standard
unit.
• Many early units for measurement were originally
based on the human body. Some of the units were
later standardized by governments to become the
basis of the English system of measurement.
• Standard Units
– In science a set of standard measuring units are used to
ensure understanding and a way to ensure that
measurements can be duplicated by others.
• Metric System
– Used throughout the world except in the United States
– Based on powers of 10
• English System
– Based on arbitrary units, many of which corresponded to
parts of the human body.
 International System of Units
SI Units
Measurement Unit Symbol
Mass Kilogram kg
Length Meter m
Time Second s
Temperature Kelvin K
Quantity Mole mol
Energy Joule J
Pressure Pascal Pa
• Standard Units for the Metric
System.
 Measuring Distance
• The standard metric unit for measuring
length is the meter (m)
3
– 1 kilometer (km) = 1000 m = 10 m
-2
– 1 centimeter (cm) = 0.01 m = 10 m
-3
– 1 millimeter (mm) = 0.001 m = 10 m
-9
– 1 nanometer (nm) = 10 m
-10
– 1 Angstrom (A) = 10 m
 Measuring Mass
• Mass measures the amount
of material in an object
– The standard measure of
mass is the kilogram (kg) =
1000 grams (g)
– Defined by a large
platinum/iridium cylinder in
France
• Time.
– The standard unit for time in the metric system is the
second (s).
– Originally defined as 1/86,400 of a solar day.
– Now defined by the duration of vibrations of a cesium
atom
 Measurement of Temperature
• Temperature - measure of the intensity of
the heat of a substance
• Thermometer - device to measure
temperature
• Kelvin - K - SI unit of temperature
• Celsius - °C - commonly used unit
• Fahrenheit - °F - only used in USA
 Common Temperatures
o o
F C K
Absolute zero -459 -273 0
Solar surface +10,341 +5,727 6,000
Tungsten melts +6,191 +3,422 3,695
Tungsten boils +10,031 +5,555 5,828
Nitrogen boils -321 -196 77
Oxygen boils -297 -183 90
Mercury freezes -38 -39 234
Water freezes +32 0 273
 Common Temperatures
o o
F C K
Room temp +70 21 294
Body temp +98.6 +37.0 310
Water boils +212 +100 373
Sulfur boils +883 +445 718
Silver melts +1761 +961 1234
Gold melts +1945 +1063 1336
• Metric Prefixes.
 SI Prefixes
Prefix Symbol Power Prefix Symbol Power
tera- T 1012 deci- d 10-1
giga- G 109 centi- c 10-2
mega- M 106 milli- m 10-3
kilo- k 103 micro-  10-6
hecto- h 102 nano- n 10-9
deca- da 101 pico- p 10-12
 Reality Check...

• Are units really

important?
• Is checking your
work and your
team’s work really
important?

• Mars Lander (ABC news)

• Mars Lander (NASA)
 Thought for the day
William Thomson (Lord Kelvin)
(1824-1907)
―When you can measure what
you are speaking about, and
express it in numbers, you
know something about it; but
when you cannot measure it, Born in Belfast, Thomson was taught by
when you cannot express it in his father (Professor of Mathematics at the
University of Glasgow) and he never went
numbers, your knowledge is to school. He entered university at the age
of a meager and unsatisfactory of 10 (and entered the Guinness Book of
kind: it may be the beginning Records for that feat). By the age of 22,
of knowledge, but you have he had been to the Cambridge and Paris
scarcely in your thoughts Universities and was appointed Professor
of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at
advanced to the stage of the University of Glasgow.
science.‖ — Lord Kelvin