UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

IMPORTANCE OF MEASUREMENTS IN PHYSICS

Everything we know about our physical world and the principles that govern its behavior has been
learned through careful observations of phenomena of nature. The ultimate test of physical theory is its
agreement with observations and measurements of physical phenomena.
Physics is an exact science. The most basic aspect of the study of physics is the measurement of
physical quantities. It is because, in order to establish and verify a physical law, we have to make
observations and take measurements.
Physics is basically a science of measurements.
The standard quantity (constant quantity), used for comparison is called unit.
Measurement is the comparison of an unknown quantity with a known standard quantity
(constant quantity) or unit.
In order to express the result of measurement, we must know:
1. The unit in which a quantity is measured.
2. The numerical value which expresses how many times a standard quantity or unit is
contained in a given physical quantity.
Ex: If we have to measure length, we use a metre-scale as a standard. On measurement, if we
find that length is 10 times the standard meter scale, then the length is 10 metres. In the above
statement 10 is the magnitude of length and metre is the unit of the physical quantity.

Magnitude of physical quantity

The number of times a standard quantity is present in a given physical quantity, is called magnitude of
physical quantity.

Need for the introduction of standard quantity

From the times immemorial, man has been facing the necessity of measuring and estimating various
quantities. For measuring mass, he used various kinds of standards. For measuring length, he used foot
length or arm length, etc. However, parts of human body differ in lengths for different people. This led
to a lot of confusion.
Gradually with the passage of time, people accepted certain norms of measurements. For
example, in India the mass was measured in seers and maunds, whereas in Europe it was measured in
pounds and stones.
However, with developments in science, the world trade opened. It was felt that same standards
of measurement should be adopted all over the world, so as to avoid any confusion. Thus, there was a
need for the introduction of standard units.
The first serious attempt to standardize the units was made in 1889 in Paris. However, some
anomalies were left. In October 1960, another conference was held and the standard units were revised.
UNIT
The units, which can be neither derived from one another nor resolved (broken) into anything more
basic are called fundamental units.
or
A unit, which is independent of any other unit, or which can neither be changed nor related to any other
fundamental unit, is a fundamental unit.
4 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS
Examples of fundamental units
Kilogram, Metre, Second, Kelvin, Candela, Coulomb and Ampere are fundamental units.
DERIVED UNITS
Any unit which can be obtained by the combination of one or more fundamental units, is called derived
unit.
In mechanics, derived units can be obtained from fundamental units of mass, length and
time.
Physical quantity Derived unit Symbol in S.I. system
Area Square metre
Volume Cubic metre
Density Kilogram per cubic metre
Velocity Metre per second
Acceleration Metre per square second
Momentum Kilogram metre per second
Force Kilogram metre per square second
System of units
The fundamental units of length, mass and time taken together form a system of units.
For measuring various physical quantities following systems are commonly adopted.
C.G.S. system
In this system C stands for centimeter (length): G stands for gram (mass) and S stands for seconds
(time).
This system is generally adopted for smaller measurements of mass length, and time.
M.K.S. system
In this system M stands for metre (length): K stands for kilogram (mass) and S stands for seconds
(time). This system is generally adopted for larger measurements.
S.I. system (standard international system)
In this system the units of mass, length and time are same, as that of M.K.S system. However, it is an
enlarged system encompassing all fundamental units.
SYSTEM OF UNITS
System Fundamental Physical Quantities
Length Mass Time
F.P.S foot (ft) pound (lB) second (s)
C.G.S centimetre (cm) gram (g) Second (s)
M.K.S metre (m) kilogram (kg) Second (s)

Guidelines for writing units

Following rules are observed while writing the unit of physical quantity.
i) The symbol of a unit which is not named in the honor of some scientist is written in lower
letter.
Ex: The symbol for metre is ‘m’ for kilogram is ‘kg’ and for second is ‘s’.
ii) The symbol of a unit which is named in the honor of some scientist is written with initial capital
letter.
Ex:
1. The symbol for unit of force (newton) is N.
2. The symbol for unit of temperature (Celsius) is .
3. The symbol for unit of work (joule) is J.
4. The symbol for unit of power (watt) is W.
 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS 3

iii) Full name of the unit named in the honor of a scientist is written with lower initial letter.

Ex:
1. The full name for the unit of force is newton and not Newton.
2. The full name for the unit of power is watt and not Watt.
3. The full name for the unit of work is joule and not Joule.
4. A compound unit obtained by multiplying two or more units is written after putting a dot
between the individual units or leaving space between the individual units.
Ex:
1. Unit of momentum is written as N. s or N – s.
2. Unit of couple is written as N. m or N – m.
3. Negative powers are used for compound units obtained by dividing one unit with another unit.
Ex:
1. The unit of velocity is . It is expressed as .

2. The unit of acceleration is . It is expressed as .

3. The unit of pressure is . It is expressed as .

A unit in short form is never written in plural.
Ex:
1. 30 kilograms in short form is written as 30 kg and not 30 kgs.
2. 200 kilometers in short form is written as 200 km and not 200 kms.
 4 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

1. 1 light year is equals to …………………

A) B) C) D)
2. Which of the following is not a fundamental physical quantity.
A) Thermodynamic temperature B) Electric current
C) Amount of substance D) Solid angle
3. Which of the following is not a unit of distance.
A) Angstrom B) Fermi C) Femto D) Par sec
4. Convert 10 ns into seconds.
A) B) C) D)
5. Candela is the unit of
A) Amount of substance B) Plane angle C) Electric current D) Luminous intensity
6. 1 Fermi is equal to
A) B) C) D)
7. Mass is measure of
A) Matter contained B) Weight C) Force D) None of these
8. The unit of ……………………….. is a derived unit
A) Temperature B) Length C) Velocity D) Luminous intensity
9. SI unit of mass is
A) milligram B) gram C) kilogram D) quintal
10. SI unit of weight is
A) kilogram B) newton C) newton-metre D) kilometer
11. Mass is measured by
A) A beam balance B) A spring balance C) Micro balance D) None of these
12. SI unit of time is
A) Day B) Hour C) Minute D) Second
13. The relation between the unit ‘U’ and the magnitude ‘K’ of a physical quantity
A) B) C) D)

14. The physical quantity having the unit is

A) Acceleration B) Force C) Velocity D) Mass
15. Which of the following is not a unit of time
A) Microsecond B) Leap year C) Light year D) Lunar month
16. Set the following units of energies in increasing order
a) Joule b) eV c) K.W.H. d) erg
A) a,b,c,d B) b,d,a,c C) d,c,b,a D) b,a,c,d
17. The exponential part of a particular measurement is called order of _________ of a quantity
A) Magnitude B) Unit C) Mass D) Length
18. The surface tension of a liquid is 70 dyne/cm. In MKS system its value is
A) 70N/m B) C) D)
19. Set the following prefixes in decreasing order?
a) Giga b) Kilo c) Mega d) Micro
A) a,b,c,d B) d,c,b,a C) a,c,b,d D) c,d,a,b
20. Which of the following is not a unit of energy?
A) Electron volt B) Kilowatt hour C) Watt sec D) Kilowatt
 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS 3

21. Which of the following sets cannot enter into the list of fundamental quantities in any system of units?
A) Length, mass and velocity B) Length, time and velocity
C) Mass, time and velocity D) Length, time and mass
22. stands for
A) giga B) tera C) nano D) kilo
23. One barn is equal to
A) B) C) D)
24. In spring balance, we measure
A) Weight B) Mass C) Both A & B D) None of these
25. A body can have
A) Zero mass B) Zero weight C) None of A & B D) Both A & B

ONE OR MORE THAN ONE OPTION IS CORRECT

26. Which of the following is a supplementary physical quantity
A) Thermodynamic temperature B) Plane angle
C) Solid angle D) Electric current
27. Which of the following is a unit of volume
A) Milliliter B) Liters C) Hectare D)

MATRIX MATCHING TYPE

28. Column – I Column – II

a) Practical unit P) Radian
b) Base unit Q) Light year
c) Derived unit R)
d) Complementary unit S) Second
__________________________________________________________________________________________
________
KEY

1) B 2) D 3) C 4) B 5) D 6) B 7) A
8) C 9) C 10) B 11) A 12) B 13) B 14) A
15) C 16) B 17) A 18) B 19) D 20) D 21) C
22) C 23) D 24) A 25) B 26) C 27) A
28) a-Q; b-S; c-R; d-P
__________________________________________________________________________________________
________
4 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

MULTIPLES AND SUB-MULTIPLES

Estimation by the orders of magnitude large and small
We encounter objects of widely differing sizes in day to day life. Some of the objects may be as large as
a mountain and others as small as a speak of dust. When we go beyond these limits, either in the
direction of large objects or in the direction of smaller ones, it becomes difficult to grasp the actual size.
There are objects which are much larger than mountains, such as the Moon, the Earth, the Sun, the
Galaxy, etc.,
These bigger objects constitute what is commonly known as Macrocosm (Greek for “large world”).
Conversely, very small objects, such as bacterial, atoms, electrons belong to Microcosm (Greek for
“small world”).
If we use the standard scientific unit metre (abbreviated “m”) for measuring length of an object
belonging to macrocosm, such as diameter of Sun, it will be described by a very large number
1,390,000,000 m. Conversely, the diameter of hydrogen atom in microcosm is 0.000,000,000,106 m.
The above numbers are exceptionally big and are difficult to write or remember. Scientists have
found an easy and compact way of writing such numbers.
Any number can be written as the product of a number between one and ten, and a number which
is power of ten.
The diameter of Sun, 1,390,000,000 m
.
Similarly, diameter of hydrogen atom, 0.000,000,000,106 m .
When we say that, the diameter of Sun is , 1.39 is the numerical value between 1 and
10, and is the exponential part.
The exponential part of a particular measurement is called order of magnitude of diameter of Sun is
m. Similarly, order of magnitude of diameter of hydrogen atom is .
Decimal multiples and sub-multiples are attached to the units instead of exponential part when
appropriate as shown by the table below.

Multiplication factor Sub Multiplication Factor

Prefix Symbol Exponent Prefix Symbol Exponent
Deca da Deci d
Hecta h Centi c
Kilo K Milli m
Mega M Micro
Giga G Nano n
Tera T Pico p
Peta P Femto f
Exa E Atto a
Zetta Z Zepto z
Yotta Y yocto y
 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS 3

As stated earlier, most of the quantities are measured in terms of mass, length and time. The tables given
the order of magnitude of these quantities in macrocosm and microcosm along with associated event.
Multiples of metre
i) decametre (dam) ii) hectometer (hm)
iii) kilometre (km)
Sub-multiples of metre
i) decimeter (dm) ii) centimetre (cm)

iii) millimetre (mm)

Multiples of kilogram
i) 1 Quintal (qt) = 100 kg ii) 1 Metric ton = 1000 kg = 10 Quintal
Sub-multiples of kilogram
i) Hectogram (hg) ii) Decagram (dag)
iii) 1 gram
 4 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

LEARN THE SKILLS

1. Convert 437 cm into metres?
Sol:
2. Convert 1 N into dyne?
Sol: But and

3. Convert 1056 km/h into m/s ?

Sol:

4. Convert 1 MW into watts ?

Sol: 1 MW =
5. 1 Micron equals to ……………….. ?
Sol: 1 Micron =
6. Convert 1 second into day.

Sol:
7. Convert into kmph.
Sol:

8. Convert 54kmph into

Sol:
9. Convert 25mJ into
Sol:
__________________________________________________________________________________________
________
 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS 3

1. 300cm is equal to ____________ m

A) 3 B) 1/5 C) 100 D) 50
2. How many grams present in a micro gram
A) B) C) D)

3. 3cm is equal to ____________nm

A) B) C) D)
4. 1 J = _______________ erg
A) B) C) D)
5. 40min is equal to ___________s
A) 1600 B) 2400 C) 2500 D) 3600
6. Distance travelled by the light in vacuum in one year is
A) Light year B) Sound year C) Energy year D) Leap year
7.
A) B) C) D)
8. 400nm can be written as

A) B) C) D)

9. If x = y kmph then is ____

A) B) C) 1 D)
10. 0.01 m is also known as a
A) hectometre B) kilometre C) millimetre D)
centimetre
11. 3cm is equal to _______nm
A) B) C) D)
12. 1 quintal=

A) 10 kg B) 100 kg C) 1000kg D) 11000 kg

13. 1 day =________ seconds

A) 24 B) 60 C) 3600 D) 86,400
14. Advantages of using a scale is
A) It can be easily taken from one place to another B) It does not change
during measurements
C) It changes during measurements D) Both (A) and (B)
15. 1 centimetre =___________ millimetre
A) 10 B) 100 C) 1000 D) 10000
16. 1 millimetre =____________centimetre
A) 10 B) 1000 C) 1/1000 D)1/10
17. The diameter of sun is ______________
A) B) C) D)
18. 1 quintal= __________ kg

A) B) C) D)
 4 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS
19. The diameter of hydrogen atom is
A) B) C) D)
20. 1 km =_________m
A) 100 B) 1000 C) 10 D) 10000
21. 1 nm = ______________
A) 10–9 m B) 10–10 m C) 10–7 m D) 10–10 m

22. 1 nm = ______________ A°
A) 1 B) 1000 C) 100 D) 10
23.
A) B) C) D)
24. 1 century = _____________ years

A) 10 B) 100 C) 1000 D) 5
25. 1 day =______________ seconds
A) 24 B) 60 C) 3600 D) 86,400
_________________________________________________________________________________________

ONE OR MORE THAN ONE OPTION IS CORRECT

1. 1 metric ton =
A) 1000 kg B) 10 quintal C) 2000 kg D) 20 quintal
2. 5 g is equal to
A) 5×10–9 kg B) 5×10–6 g C) 5×10–12 tone D)
–3
5×10 mg
3. 1 mg =_________

A) 10-3 g B) 103 g C) 10-6 g D) 106 mg

4. 1 day =________
A) 24 hours B) 1440 min C) 1/365 of an year D) 86,400 sec
5. 1

A) 10-15 giga second B) 1015 giga second C) 1 shake D) 100 shake

COMPREHENSION
Passage – I
Multiples and submultiples are introduced to change the size of the units to fulfil the needs of various
branches in physics.
6. Which of the following is multiple of metre?

A) deca metre B) milli metre C) centimetre D) micro metre

7. Which of the following is sub - multiple of metre?

A) deca metre B) milli metre C) hecto metre D) kilo meter

8. Which of the following is sub-multiple of kilogram?

A) deca gram B) milli gram C) hecto gram D) kilo meter

Passage – II
 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS 3

Multiples and submultiples are introduced to change the size of the units to fulfil the needs of various
branches in physics.
9. 1 tera metre =
A) 102 m B) 1010 m C) 106 m D) 1012 m
10. 1nano metre =
A) 10-9 m B) 10-10 m C) 10-3 m D) 109 m
11. 1Exa metre =
A) 1012 m B) 10-10 m C) 10-3 m D) 1018 m

MATRIX MATCH TYPE

12. Column I Column II

a) Shake P)
b) Pound Q) time
c) Micron R)
d) Light year S)
T) 0.453 kg
13. Column I Column II
Prefix Multiplication factor
a) micro P)
b) centi Q)
c) giga R)
d) mega S)
T)

14. Column – I Column – II

a) Chandrasekhar limit P) Unit of distance
b) Light year Q) Unit of mass
c) Lunar month R) Unit of pressure
d) Torr S) Unit of time
__________________________________________________________________________________________
KEY

1) A 2) A 3) B 4) A 5) B 6) A 7) D
8) C 9) B 10) D 11) B 12) B 13) D 14) D
15) A 16) D 17) A 18) B 19) D 20) B 21) A
22) D 23) B 24) B 25) D

1) A 2) ABC 3) ABD 4) ABCD 5) AD 6) A 7) B

 4 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS
8) B 9) D 10) A 11) D 12) a-Q; b-T; c-P; d-R
13) a-S; b-R; c-Q; d-T 14) a-Q; b-P; c-S; d-R
__________________________________________________________________________________________
________
 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS 3

We can measure how long things are, or how tall, or how far apart they are. Those are all examples of
length measurements.

Example: This fork is 20 centimeters long

These are the most common measurements:
i) Millimeters
ii) Centimeters
iii) Meters
iv) Kilometers

Small units of length are called millimeters.

A millimeter is about the thickness of a plastic id card (or credit carD).
Or about the thickness of 10 sheets of paper on top of each other.
This is a very small measurement!

When we have 10 millimeters, it can be called a centimeter.

1 centimeter = 10 millimeters
A fingernail is about one centimeter wide.

Two tape measures, one in mm, the other in cm

We can use millimeters or centimeters to measure how tall we are, or how wide a table is, but to
measure the length of football field it is better to use meters.

A meter is equal to 100 centimeters.

4 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS
1 meter = 100 centimeters
The length of this guitar is about 1 meter
Meters can be used to measure the length of a house, or the size of a playground.
And because a centimeter is 10 millimeters:
1 meter = 1000 millimeters

The back of this kitchen chair is 1 meter

A kilometer is equal to 1000 meters.

When we need to get from one place to another, we measure the distance using kilometers.
The distance from one city to another or how far a plane travels can be measured using kilometers.
Final thoughts about measuring length:

1 centimeter = 10 millimeters
1 meter = 100 centimeters
1 kilometer = 1000 meters
Lots of Examples
A centimeter (cm) is about:
i) About as long as a staple
ii) The width of a highlighter
iii) The diameter of a belly button
iv) The width of 5 CD's stacked on top of each other
v) The thickness of a notepad.
A meter (m) is about
i) A little more than a yard (1 yard is exactly 0.9144 meters)
ii) The width of a doorway (most doorways are about 0.8 to 0.9 m)
iii) Half the length of a bed
iv) The width of a large fridge
v) Four rungs up a ladder
vi) Five steps up a staircase
vii) The width of a dining table
viii) The height of a 5 year old
ix) Shoulder to opposite wrist of an adult
 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS 3

x) Out stretched arms of a child

xi) Waist high on an adult

One meter equals roughly one long step of an adult man.

A kilometer (km) is about:
A little over half a mile
One kilometer equals about 12 minutes' walk.

In olden days people used to measure smaller lengths in hand span, cubit and foot.
Handspan is the distance between thumb an little finger.
Cubit is the distance between the elbow and the tip of the hand .Nowadays we measure with scale and
measuring tape

How to measure with a ruler

The edge of the ruler is not always zero. We have to measure from zero.
4 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

How to measure the radius of a sphere

Take a sphere whose radius has to be measured. Place it between two wooden barriers. Place the scale
below it and measure the readings of the scale as shown in figure. The difference in the readings of the
scale gives the diameter of the sphere.
Half of the diameter gives the radius of the sphere

Metric Area
AREA
Definition
Number of units square that can be contained in the place is called area of the place.
Measurement of area
Area is the extent or measure of a surface. Area is a derived quantity and its units can be deduced from
the units of length. The SI unit of area is m2 and 1 m2 = 10000 cm2

These are the most common measurements of area (from smallest to largest):
i) Square millimeter
ii) Square centimeter
iii) Square meter
iv) Hectare
v) Square kilometer

Ariel the Dog is waiting patiently

inside 1 square meter.
Square Meter
 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS 3

The square meter is the basic unit of area of the Metric System.
Area is length by length, so:
A square that is 1 meter on each side is 1 square meter.
The Unit is meters × meters, which is written m2 (square meters).
You could have other shapes (such as a rectangle that is ½ a meter by 2 meters) that also make 1 square
meter.
Example: How big is this rectangle?

It is 2 meters by 3 meters, so it is 2 m × 3 m = 6 m2
Square Millimeter
A square millimeter is millimeters × millimeters, which is written mm2.
A millimeter is one-thousandth of a meter (1/1000 meter), so a square millimeter is also:
11000 × 11000 = 11,000,000 of a square meter
In other words a square millimeter is one-millionth of a square meter.
So, a square meter has 1,000,000 square millimeters.
Square Centimeter

A square centimeter is centimeter × centimeter,

It is written cm2
A centimeter is one-hundredth of a meter (1/100 meter), so a square centimeter is also:
1100 × 1100 = 110,000 of a square meter
In other words a square centimeter is one-ten-thousandth of a square meter.
So a square meter has 10,000 square centimeters.

Hectare
A hectare (hA) is an area equal to a square that is 100 meters on each side.
So a hectare has 100 m × 100 m = 10,000 m2 (square meters).
Hectares are commonly used to measure land.
Square Kilometer
A square kilometer is kilometer × kilometer, which is written km2.
A kilometer is a thousand meters, so a square kilometer is also:
4 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS
1,000 m × 1,000 m = 1,000,000 m2 (square meters)
In other words a square kilometer is one-million square meters.
Square kilometers are commonly used to measure large areas of land.
Some Examples
A square meter is about:
half the area of a doorway
The area covered by a large umbrella is roughly one square meter

A hectare is about
i) Two and a half acres
ii) 2.471 acres (to 3 decimal places)
iii) 100,000 square feet
iv) More precisely 107,639 square feet
Perimeter continuous line forming the boundary of a closed geometrical figure.
Comes from the Greek word 'peri,' meaning around, and 'metron,' which means measure
 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS 3

Volume
For example, we say that quantity of milk or space occupied by the milk in the vessel is more when
compared to the quantity of milk or space occupied by the milk in the glass. This space occupied by the
milk is called volume of the milk.
Definition of volume
The space occupied by a substance ( solid, liquid or gas ) is called volume.
Units of volume
The unit of volume in standard international ( S.I ) system is cubic metre. In short form cubic metre is
written as .
One cubic metre ( ) is the volume occupied by a cube whose each side is equal to 1 m.

These are the two most common measurements:

i) Milliliters
ii) Liters

A milliliter (that is "milli" and "liter" put together) is a very small amount of liquid.
Here is a milliliter of milk in a teaspoon.
It doesn't even fill the teaspoon!
If you collect about 20 drops of water, you will have 1 milliliter:

20 drops of water makes about 1 milliliter

And a teaspoon can hold about five milliliters:
4 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

1 teaspoon of liquid is about 5 milliliters

Milliliters are often written as ml (for short), so "100 ml" means "100 milliliters".
Here we have 150 ml of milk in a measuring cup.
It doesn't say "150" ... it says "50" ... but it is half-way between 100 and 200 so you can figure out it is
150 ml.

Liter
A liter is just a bunch of milliliters put all together. In fact, 1000 milliliters makes up 1 liter:
1 liter = 1,000 milliliters
This jug has exactly 1 liter of water in it.
Liters are often written as L (for short), so "3 L" means "3 Liters" (some people use lowercase l, but that
looks too much like 1).
Milk, soda and other drinks are often sold in liters.

A cube that is 0.1 meters (10 cm or 100 mm) on each side contains 1 liter, and a square meter that is 1
millimeter thick also contains 1 liter.
 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS 3

The next time you are at the store take a minute and look on the labels to see how many liters (or
milliliters) are in each container!
Other Volume Measurements
You may come across these other volume measurements:
Cubic Meter (m3)

Volume is length by length by length, so the basic unit of volume is a cube that is 1 meter on each
side.
The Unit is written m3 (cubic meters).
So, a cube that is 1 meter on each side is a cubic meter (m3) ...... and that is also equal to 1,000 liters.
1 m3 = 1,000 Liters
Megaliters (ML)
A Megaliter is a million liters (1,000,000 L). Useful for measuring large quantities of water, such as in
lakes and dams.
Cubic Centimeter (cC)
A Cubic Centimeter (abbreviated cc or cm3) is a cube that is 1 centimeter on each side.
It equals 1 mL (one-thousandth of a liter), and one-millionth of a cubic meter. Or to put it another way:
1 m3 = 1,000 L = 1,000,000 cm3
(one cubic meter = a thousand liters = a million cubic centimeters)
Cubic Millimeter
A Cubic Millimeter is a cube that is 1 millimeter on each side.
It is one-millionth of a liter, and one-billionth of a cubic meter.
It is very small, and we need 1,000 Cubic Millimeters to make just one milliliter.
More Examples
A liter (L) is
i) A bit more than a quart (US measure)
ii) About the quantity in a sports drink bottle
iii) Close to the volume of a kilogram of water
A cubic centimeter is about:
The size of a grape
A cube that is 1mm on each side is a cubic millimeter

How to measure the volume of a irregular body

Take a empty jar which has milliliters marking on it .
 4 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS

Pour water into the jar. Measure the readings as say 600 ml. dip a irregular shaped toy car into jar. When
the stone is completely dipped the water level in the jar raises and now reaches some height say 900 ml.
the difference in the final reading to initial reading gives the volume of irregular shaped body in this
case toy car
Volume of the stone = 900ml -600ml = 300ml
Which is the volume of the stone.

1. Calculate the mass of water in a tank of length 40 cm, breadth 30 cm and height 10 cm, if
mass of if mass of of water is 1g.
Sol: Volume of tank = length breadth height
= 40 cm 30 cm 10 cm = 12000
Now, since the tank is full of water, so the volume of water in the tank is also 12000 .
Now, mass of 12000 of water = 12000 grams
Convert the mass of 12000 grams into kilograms
So, Mass of water in the tank

__________________________________________________________________________________________
________
 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS 3

1. The volume of the sphere depends on

A) Surface area B) Radius C) D) None of these
2. An empty room measures If the density of air is what is the
mass of air in the room ?
A) 60 kg B) 70 kg C) 65 kg D) 50 kg
3. The length, breadth and height of a rectangular box are 2.5m, 1.5m and 1.0m respectively.
Calculate the volume of the box
A) B) C) D)
4. The length and breadth of a rectangular field are 10 m and 8 m respectively. Two rectangular paths
each 3 metres wide run inside the plot, one along the length and the other along the breadth. Find the
total area occupied by the paths
A) B) C) D)
5. A square sheet of maximum area is cut out from a circular piece of card board of radius 14 cm. Find
the area of the remaining card board
A) 224 B) 225 C) 226 D) 228
6. Find the area of a circle whose radius is 2.1 m
A) B) C) D)
7. The volume of a cone of radius 4 cm and height 21 mm is
A) B) C) D)
8. A cylinder of radius 5.5 cm and height 14 cm is recast into a cube of side . Then is
A) 10 cm B) 11 cm C) 5.5 cm D) 7 cm
9. The area of a house is 50 hectares. The area in S.I unit is
A) B) C) D)
10. The area of a triangle whose base = 5 m, height = 8 m is
A) B) 20 m C) 20 cm D)
11. The area of circular shaped ground of radius 200 m is
A) B) C) D)
12. Find the perimeter of a square whose side is 10 cm
A) 20 cm B) 30 cm C) 40 cm D) 50 cm
13. The radius of a circle is 7 cm, then the area of the circle is
A) B) C) D)
14. Find the length of the rectangle whose area is and breadth is 6 cm
A) 20 cm B) 30 cm C) 50 cm D) 70 cm
15. Find the perimeter of a rectangular whose length is 9 cm and breadth is 6 cm
A) 15 cm B) 30 cm C) 45 cm D) 60 cm
16. To measure the volume of the kerosene directly which instrument is used
A) Metre scale B) Graph paper C) Measuring jar D) Physical balance
17. The C.G.S unit of volume is
A) B) C) D)
18. (for water)

A) B) 1 C) 100 D)
19. The space occupied by the milk in a vessel is called
 4 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS
A) Area B) Volume C) Length D) Density

20. Find the total surface area of a cuboids of length 10 m, breadth 7 m and height 5 m
A) B) C) D)
21. Which one is used for measuring only fixed volume of a liquid?
A) Measuring cylinder B) Pipette C) Burette D) All the above
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SINGLE OPTION CORRECT TYPE

1. The length of a rectangular wooden block is 4 metres and its breadth is 3 metres. Find the
area of the wooden block.
A) B) C) D)
2. Parallastic second is the unit of
A) Distance B) Time C) Frequency D) Velocity
3. The area of the shaded part in the figure given below is _____________

A) B) C) D)

ONE OR MORE THAN ONE OPTION IS CORRECT

4. Volume of the cuboid is found by multiplying

A) B) C) D) all the above
5. 1 decagram = _____________
A) B) C) 10 g D) 0.1 g
6. 1 shake = ____________ sec
A) B) C) 1 second D) 100
seconds
7. 1 mean solar day = _____________
A) 24 hours B) 1440 min C) 1 year D) 86,400 sec

COMPREHENSION
Passage - I
The volume of a cuboid (area of the base)

8. If length, breadth and height of cuboid are 20 cm, 18 cm and 15 cm, then its volume is
A) B) C) D)
9. If length, breadth and height of cuboid are 30 m, 28 m and 12 m then its volume
A) B) C) D)
10. If length, breadth and height of cuboid are 14 cm, 10 cm and 5 cm respectively, then find the volume
of the cuboid
 UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS 3

A) B) C) D)

MATRIX MATCHING TYPE

11. Column-I Column-II

Geometrical Shapes Volume
a) Cuboid P)

b) Cylinder Q)
c) Cone R)
d) Sphere S)

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KEY

1) B 2) C 3) B 4) D 5) A 6) B 7) D
8) B 9) B 10) A 11) A 12) C 13) A 14) A
15) B 16) C 17) B 18) B 19) B 20) B 21) D

1) A 2) A 3) B 4) B 5) BC 6) A 7) AB
8) B 9) D 10) D 11) a-S; b-R; c-Q; d-P
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