Physic chapter 1

1. A base quantity is a physical quantity that

cannot be defined in terms of other
physical quantity.
(Length, time, mass, electric current,
temperature.)
2.A derived quantity is a physical quantity
that can be derived by combining several
base quantities.
3. A scientific notation or standard form is

useful because it can be used to express a

very large or a very small value of number.
4. Scientific notation: a x 10b
Where a>0 or a<0, b>0 or b<0
5.A prefix is a letter placed at the beginning
of a SI unit to act as multipliers.
Pref Symb Power
ix ol value
tera- T 1012
giga- G 109
meg
a- M 106
kilo- k 103
hect
o- h 102
deka
- da 10
deci- d 10-1
centi
- c 10-2
milli- m 10-3
micr
o- µ 10-6
nano
- n 10-9
pico- p 10-12

6.Errors in measurement: (a) Systematic

error
(b)
Random error
7.Systematic errors are cumulative errors
that
can be corrected if the errors are
known.
8.Systematic error: zero error and incorrect
calibration of measuring instrument
9.Zero errors arises when the measuring
Instruments doesn’t start from exact
zero
10.Zero errors can be eliminated by using
Reading obtained-Zero
error=Correct reading
and by adjusting the zero adjustment
screw
11.Random errors may occur due to:
(I) parallax error
(II) natural error
(III) wrong technique of measurement
12.Random error can be minimized by
repeat-
-ing the measurements and take the
mean
value
13.Parallax error is an error in reading an
instrument because the observer’s
eyes are
not in a line perpendicular with the
pointer
14.Consistency of a measuring instrument is
its
ability to register the same reading
when
repeating a measurement
15.Accuracy is the degree of how close is the
measurement to the actual value.
16.The sensitivity of a measuring instrument
is its
ability to respond quickly to a small
change in
the value of the quantity of to be
measured.
17. The sensitivity of vernier callipers is
0.01cm.
18.The sensitivity of a micrometer screw
gauge is
0.001cm.
19.The micrometer screw gauge is said to be
sensitive instrument because it can
measure the
thickness of an object even though it
is very thin.
20. A stopwatch is used to measure time

intervals
21.There are two types of stopwatch:
(a) Analogue stopwatch
(sensitivity=0.1s/0.2s)
(b) Digital stopwatch
(sensitivity=0.01s)
22.A mercury thermometer is sensitive
because
mercury is a liquid metal which is
sensitive to
temperature changes. It expands and
contracts
uniformly with temperature. The thin-
walled
glass bulb allows a quick heat
transfer between
 the heat source and the mercury. The
narrow
capillary tube amplifies a small
expansion along
the length of the capillary tube

23.An ammeter is an instrument used to

measure
the amount of electric current flowing
through a
particular point in a circuit. It has a
scale
graduated in the SI unit, ampere (A)
24. A voltmeter is an instrument used to

measure
the potential difference(voltage)
between any
two points in a circuit