Physical quantities
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| physical quantity | 物理量 | wùlǐliàng |
| magnitude | 大小 | dàxiǎo |
| estimate | 估算 | gūsuàn |
| free fall | 自由落体 | zì yóu luò tǐ |
| order of magnitude | 数量级 | shùliàngjí |
A 125-million-dollar mistake
- In 1999, NASA lost the Mars Climate Orbiter at Mars.
- One team used pounds, the other used newtons — and nobody converted.
- The spacecraft flew too low and burned up.
- It was a unit mistake, not a maths mistake.
Physical quantity lab
Classify measurement examples by the kind of quantity they represent.
What is a physical quantity 物理量?
- In physics we measure things.
- Every measurement is a physical quantity.
It always has two parts
- A quantity = a magnitude 大小 (the number) + a unit.
- The magnitude says how much; the unit says of what.
Every physical quantity has two parts: a number (its ____) and a unit.
The two parts are the magnitude (the number) and the unit.
Match each term to the definition the examiner marks.
Both halves of the first one score. A number with no unit is not a physical quantity, which is exactly how the Mars orbiter was lost.
A number alone means nothing
- "The speed is 90" — 90 what?
- $90\ \dfrac{\text{km}}{\text{h}}$, $90\ \dfrac{\text{m}}{\text{s}}$ and 90 mph are all different.
- Always write the unit too.
Saying "the speed is 90" — with no unit — gives a complete physical quantity.
Without a unit the number is ambiguous. "$90\ \dfrac{\text{km}}{\text{h}}$" is complete; "90" is not.
An answer of "5" to a question asking for a length is complete as long as the working is shown.
A physical quantity is a magnitude AND a unit. 5 metres, 5 centimetres and 5 kilometres are three different lengths, and the mark scheme asks for the unit.
"$90\ \dfrac{\text{km}}{\text{h}}$" is a complete quantity. "90" on its own is not.
Which statement gives a complete physical quantity?
A physical quantity needs both a magnitude (the number, 70) and a unit (kg). A number alone, or a unit alone, is not enough.
Estimate 估算 everyday sizes
- You should know roughly how big common things are.
- Learn these standard values by heart.
Select all the estimates that are about right.
All are right except the speed of sound: in air it is about $340\ \dfrac{\text{m}}{\text{s}}$. $3 \times 10^{8}\ \dfrac{\text{m}}{\text{s}}$ is the speed of light.
Put the method for an order-of-magnitude estimate in order.
An order-of-magnitude answer is only claiming the right power of ten, so carrying three significant figures through it is wasted work.
How to estimate
- Compare with something you know (a person $\approx 70\ \text{kg}$).
- Round to one figure — a car is about $1000\ \text{kg}$, not $1043$.
- Getting the power of ten right matters most.
Estimate the acceleration of free fall $g$ near the Earth's surface.
Near the Earth's surface $g \approx 9.81\ \dfrac{\text{m}}{\text{s}^2}$ — roughly $10\ \dfrac{\text{m}}{\text{s}^2}$.
A human hair is about 0.1 mm across. What is the order of magnitude of that width in metres, as a power of ten? (Give the exponent, e.g. -3)
0.1 mm = 1e-4 m. Convert the prefix before taking the power of ten; treating 0.1 mm as 0.1 is the standard slip.
Order of magnitude 数量级
- A good estimate has the right power of ten.
- $70\ \text{kg}$ ✓ · $7\ \text{kg}$ ✗
Put these masses in order, smallest first.
Ordering by size checks your sense of order of magnitude: $0.1\ \text{kg}$, then $1\ \text{kg}$, then $70\ \text{kg}$.
The scale of the universe
- The same idea runs from an atom to the Sun.
- Each step along the line is ten times bigger.
You've got it
- a physical quantity = a magnitude + a unit
- learn the standard estimates (human, apple, sound, light, $g$)
- a good estimate has the right order of magnitude
Next — the SI units these are all built from.