General Physics 1

Quarter 1 - WEEK 1

Measurements and
Vectors
 OBJECTIVES
After going through this lesson, you are expected to:

• solve measurement problems involving conversion of units, expression

of measurements in scientific notation;
• differentiate accuracy from precision;
• differentiate random errors from systematic errors;
• estimate errors from multiple measurements of a physical quantity
using variance;
• differentiate vector and scalar quantities;
• perform addition of vectors; and
• rewrite a vector in component form.
PRETEST
Instructions: Write the letter of the correct answer on a separate sheet
of paper.
1. Which of the following is the SI unit for mass?
A. Kilograms (kg) B. Ounce (oz) C. Pounds (lbs) D. Ton

2. Which of the following is equivalent to 5 inches (in)?

A. 0.127 m B. 1.270 cm C. 12.700 mm D. 41.670 ft

3. The true volume of a liquid is 20.5 ml. Which of the following sets of
measurement
represents high accuracy?
A. 18.6 ml, 15.5 ml, 22.4 ml C. 19.2 ml, 22.5 ml, 20.5 ml
B.18.9 ml, 19.0 ml, 19.2 ml D. 20.2 ml, 20.5 ml, 20.3 ml
PRETEST
4. A local hospital recently conducted a blood drive where they
collected a total of 80
pints of blood from donors. The hospital was hoping to collect a total of
8 gallons of blood. Did they meet their goal? How much or less than
their goal did the hospital collect? (Hint: 1 quart = 2 pints; 1 gallon = 4
quarts)
A. Yes, it was exactly 8 gallons. C. No, they need 2 more
gallons.
B. Yes, they exceeded 2 gallons. D. No, they need 4 more
gallons.

5. The cloth tape measure that you use to measure the length of an
object had been
stretched out for years of use. As a result, all your length
measurements were too
small. What type of error is present in your measurement?
PRETEST
6. The mass of our planet Earth is
5,973,600,000,000,000,000,000,000 can bewritten as
___________.
A. 5.97 x 10^-24 B. 5.97 x 10^-18 C. 5.97 x 10^18
D. 5.97 x 10^24

7. The standard elevator in a midrise building can hold a

maximum weight of about 2,500 pounds. If the average adult
weighs 60 kg, what is the maximum number of adults who
could safely ride the elevator? (Hint: 1kg=2.2 lbs)
A. 18 B. 19 C. 20 D. 21
PRETEST
8. Which of the statements describes a scalar quantity?
I. has magnitude only IV. has a head and tail
II. has magnitude and direction V. one dimensional
III. can be divided into x and y-components
A. I, III, IV B. II, III, IV C. II, IV D. I, V

9. Suppose a hiker walked 65 m, 25° east of north. What are

the x and y-components of his resultant displacement?
A. Vx = 58.91 m, E; Vy = 27.47 m, N C. Vx = 58.91 m, W;
Vy = 27.47 m, S
B. Vx = 27.47 m, E; Vy = 58.91 m, N D. Vx = 27.47 m, W;
Vy = 58.91 m, S
PRETEST
10. Kakai, a student, walks along Colon Street and her

presented by the vector 𝐴⃗ in the following illustrations. Which

displacement is

illustration correctly represents the vector components?

PRETEST
11. A bicycle has a speed of 6 m/s. What is its speed in km/h?
(1 km=1000 m)
A. 1.67 kph C. 16.67 kph
B. 2.16 kph D. 21.60 kph

12. Which of the following pairs of physical quantity and SI

unit is correct?
A. Mass: Pounds C. Time: Hour
B. Electric Current: Volt D. Temperature: Kelvin
PRETEST
13. Which of the following shows the correct sequence of prefixes in
descending order?
A. mega, giga, kilo, nano C. giga, kilo, mega, nano
B. nano, kilo, mega, giga D. giga, mega, kilo, nano

14. To convert 1.8 hours to minutes, by what conversion factor should you
multiply?
A. 1 hour / 60 minutes C. 60 minutes / 1 hour
B. 1 second / 60 minutes D. 24 hours / 60 minutes

15. The presence of systematic errors lead to a lack of __________ in the

measurement:
A. accuracy C. least count
B. precision D. significant digits
 LESSON 1:
The Effect of
Instruments on
Measurements
The Effect of Instruments on
Measurements
Scientific notation is a convenient way of expressing very large or very
small
numbers. It is also known as the “powers-of-ten notation”. Its parts are
shown
below:

The coefficient contains the number before the base. The mantissa is the
part of
the logarithm that follows the decimal point. The base is always equal to
10. The
exponent, positive or negative, in the uppercase of the base states the
The Effect of Instruments on
Measurements
Rules:
1. The base is always 10.
2. The exponent is a non-zero integer.
3. The absolute value of the coefficient is greater than
or equal to
1 and strictly less than 10.
4. The coefficient carries the sign.
5. The mantissa carries the rest of the significant digits
MEASUREMENTS IN PHYSICS
Measurement is the process of comparing a specific
quantity of matter with an agreed standard. It is a
method of describing physical phenomena.Physics is an
experimental science.

Physicists perform experiments to test hypotheses.

Its conclusions are derived from measurements.
Numbers and certain values are used to describe
measurements known as a physical quantity.
MEASUREMENTS IN PHYSICS
MEASUREMENTS IN PHYSICS
The measurement of physical quantities is expressed in terms of
units, which are standardized values. For example, the length of a
racetrack, a physical quantity, can be expressed in meters (for
sprinters) or kilometers (for long distance runners). Without
standardized units, it would be extremely difficult to express and
compare measured values in a meaningful way. Scientist all around
the globe agreed on the standardized units which paved the way to
the two systems of units as follows:

• British or English System

• SI (Systeme Internationale) or Metric SystemIn metric systems,
these are the
standard definition for measurements:
MEASUREMENTS IN PHYSICS
The SI or Metric Units
The metric system is based on multiples of ten. Thus, it allows
facility in computation and conversion. Some common English to
metric and metric to English conversion factors, as well as the SI
prefixes are given in the following tables.
The SI or Metric Units
The SI or Metric Units
Activity 1.
SUDOKU: MEASUREMENTS AND
SCIENTIFIC NOTATION
Instructions: Copy the sudoku puzzle and
the table below on a separate sheet of
paper. First, fill in the needed information to
complete the table. When done, go back to
the puzzle to solve it. Remember that each
column, row and 3x3 mini squares should
consist of numbers 1-9 with no repetition.
Note: Only the positive integer solution is
used in the puzzle and indicate the sign.
Activity 1.
Activity 1.
The SI or Metric Units
The metric system is based on multiples of ten. Thus, it allows
facility in computation and conversion. Some common English to
metric and metric to English conversion factors, as well as the SI
prefixes are given in the following tables.
Lesson 2: Uncertainties
and Deviations in
Measurements
MEASUREMENTS OF UNCERTAINTIES
MEASUREMENTS OF UNCERTAINTIES
MEASUREMENTS OF UNCERTAINTIES
No experimental data can be a perfect representation of the true
value of a
physical quantity. There is always uncertainty in measurements.
Uncertainty is defined as the error due to undetermined factors.
There are two types of errors.
MEASUREMENTS OF UNCERTAINTIES
Reporting a Measurement

A measurement x is reported as 𝑥 ± ∆𝑥. This indicates that the

(𝑥 − ∆𝑥) and the maximum value (𝑥 +∆𝑥) where ∆𝑥 represents the

best estimate of the true value of x is between the minimum value

uncertainty (Bacabac 2016).

MEASUREMENTS OF UNCERTAINTIES
Percent Errors & Percent Difference
In conducting an experiment, errors from experimental values
with known true value can be calculated using percentage error
with the formula shown below.

where 𝑥𝑇 is the true or accepted value of a quantity and 𝑥 is

the attained value during the experiment.
MEASUREMENTS OF UNCERTAINTIES
Percent Errors & Percent Difference
To measure how far apart the measured values from each
other, percent difference is used with the formula shown below.

where 𝑥1 and 𝑥2 are the measured values in an experiment.

MEASUREMENTS OF UNCERTAINTIES
Estimating Errors using Variance
Another way to estimate errors from multiple measurements
of a physical quantity is by using variance. Variance measures
the squared differences of each number in the set from the
mean (Math is Fun Advanced 2017). The steps on how to
measure the variance of a set of measurements are shown
below.
MEASUREMENTS OF UNCERTAINTIES
Steps

1. Take the mean of the set of measurements, given by the

formula:

where 𝛴𝑥 is the sum of all measured values and 𝑁 is the

number of values in a set or the sample population.

(𝑥 − 𝜇) where 𝜇 represents the mean.

2. Take the difference of each measurement from the mean
MEASUREMENTS OF UNCERTAINTIES
Steps

3. Square each answer in Step 2, (𝑥 − 𝜇)2

4. Get the sum of the squares of each deviation, 𝛴(𝑥 − 𝜇)2

5. Divide the the result in Step 4 by the number of
measurements in the data set,
MEASUREMENTS OF UNCERTAINTIES
Steps
To measure the closeness of values, how far and how near
the values are to the mean value, the standard deviation is used
with the formula shown below.
MEASUREMENTS OF UNCERTAINTIES
Steps
Estimating a measurement x of a physical quantity in a set of
measurements using the standard deviation can be reported as:

where x is the mean of the set of measurements and σ is the

standard deviation of the measurement.
Activity 2: NOW IT’S YOUR TURN!
Instructions: Find the values of the unknown and show your
solutions on a separate sheet of paper. Aurora and Isaac,
students of Grade 12 STEM-Newton, measured the mass of
object x for their science experiment. The table below shows
the results in three trials. For each set of results, calculate the
(a) mean, (b) variance, (c) standard deviation, and(d)
measured value of the mass of object x.
Lesson 3: Vectors and
Vector Addition
SCALAR AND VECTOR QUANTITIES
Representing a Vector Quantity
Representing a Vector Quantity
A vector quantity is represented by a line with an arrow
(Homer and Bowen-Jones 2014).
Representing a Vector Quantity
Adding Vector Quantities
Adding Vector Quantities
Adding Vector Quantities
Activity 3: NOW IT’S YOUR TURN!
SCALAR AND VECTOR QUANTITIES
I. Directions: Answer if the statement is SCALAR or VECTOR
quantity. Write your
answer on the space provided before each number.
____________1. number of voters in a precinct
____________2. acceleration of a bungee jumper
____________3. weight of your cellphone
____________4. mass of Earth
____________5. age of your favorite artist
____________6. volume of cooking oil
____________7. temperature of a hot coffee
Activity 3: NOW IT’S YOUR TURN!
SCALAR AND VECTOR QUANTITIES
____________8. velocity of a motorcycle passing SRP
____________9. width of your module in Physics
____________10. increasing velocity of a supercar

II. Directions: Solve the resultant vector of the following

problems. Write your solutions on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Rodrigo decided to exercise and walk around his place. He
started to walk 170 m in a direction of 20.0° east of north. He
stopped by a bakeshop and walked again at 115 m in a
direction of 25.0° south of east. Determine the magnitude and
direction of Rodrigo’s resultant displacement.
Activity 3: NOW IT’S YOUR TURN!
SCALAR AND VECTOR QUANTITIES

2. An airplane flies with a displacement vector 𝑅⃗. If the x-

component of the plane is 152 km west and the y-component

direction of the resultant vector 𝑅⃗? (Specify the direction with

of the plane is 135 km south, what is the magnitude and

respect to the negative x axis).

Summary
Assessment
Instructions: Write the letter of the correct answer on a
separate sheet
of paper.

1. Which of the following is the SI unit for length or distance?

A. foot B. inch C. meter D. yard

2. Which of the following is NOT equivalent to 2.5 miles (mi)?

A. 4.02 x 103 km B. 4.40 x 103 yd C. 1.32 x 104 ft
D. 1.58 x 105 in
Assessment
3. The volume of a liquid is 26 ml. A student measures the
volume and finds it to be 26.2 ml, 26.1 ml, 25.9, and 26.3 ml in
the first, second, third, and fourth trial, respectively. Which of
the following statements is true for his measurements?
A. They have poor accuracy. C. They have good precision.
B. They have poor precision. D. They are neither precise nor
accurate.

4. A local hospital recently conducted a blood drive where

they collected a total of 80 pints of blood from donors. The
hospital was hoping to collect a total of 8 gallons of blood. Did
they meet their goal? How much or less than their goal did the
hospital collect?
A. Yes, it was exactly 8 gallons. C. No, they need 2 more
Assessment
5. The cloth tape measure that you use to measure the
length of an object had been stretched out for years of use. As
a result, all your length measurements were too small. What
type of error is present in your measurement?
A. System Error C. Absolute Error
B. Random Error D. Systematic Error
6. The mass of a proton is 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000
000 001 67262 kg. Which of the following is the correct
scientific notation of this value?
A. 1.67 x 10-27 B. 1.67 x 10-18 C. 1.67 x 1018 D. 1.67 x
1027
Assessment
7. The standard elevator in a midrise building can hold a
maximum weight of about 2,500 pounds. If the average adult
weighs 60 kg, what is the maximum number of adults who
could safely ride the elevator? (Hint: 1kg=2.2 lbs)
A. 18 B. 19 C. 20 D. 21

8. Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A. Scalar quantities have size or magnitude only.
B. Mass, length, and time are all scalar quantities.
C. Vector quantities have both magnitude and direction.
D. Distance, velocity, and acceleration are all vector
quantities.
Assessment
9. A car travelled with a displacement of 60 km, 65° north of
east. What are the x and y-components of the car’s
displacement?
A. Vx = 54.38 km, E; Vy = 25.36 km, N C. Vx = 54.38
km,W; Vy = 25.36
km,S
B. Vx = 25.36 km, E; Vy = 54.38 km, N D. Vx = 25.36
km,W; Vy = 54.38
km,S
10. Kakai, a student, walks along Colon Street and her

presented by the vector 𝐴⃗ in the following illustrations.

displacement is

Which illustration correctly represents the vector components?

Assessment
11. When two vectors in the same direction are added, what
will be the magnitude
of the resulting vector? The resultant vector is __________.
A. sum of magnitudes of the vectors
B. product of magnitudes of the vectors
C. difference of magnitudes of the vectors
D. sum of the roots of magnitudes of the vectors

12. A vector has a magnitude of 12.00. When its tail is at the

origin it lies between the positive x axis and the negative y axis
and makes an angle of 30° with the x axis. What is the y
component of this vector?
A. 10.39 B. 6.00 C. -6.00 D. -10.39
Assessment
13. Which of the following shows the correct sequence of
prefixes in descending order?
A. micro, milli, centi, deci C. centi, milli, micro, nano
B. nano, micro, milli, centi D. femto, pico, nano, micro

14. The accepted value is 1.43. A student’s experimental

data showed that Trial 1: Measurement 1.29, Trial 2:
Measurement 1.93, and Trial 3: Measurement 0.88. Which of
the following correctly describes the student’s experimental
data?
A. precise but not accurate C. both accurate and precise
B. accurate but not precise D. neither accurate nor precise
Assessment
15. Which of the following DOES NOT describe precision?
A. sameness of measurements
B. reproducibility of measurements
C. agreement among numerical values
D. closeness of a measurement to an accepted value