PHYSICAL WORLD, Units and Measurements

Physics

Physics deals with the study of the basic laws of nature and their manifestation in different phenomena. The basic laws of physics are universal and are applied in widely different contexts and conditions.

Physics, Technology and Society

PHYSICAL WORLD, Units and Measurements

Science, Technology and Society have strong relationships among one on other. Science is the mother of technology and both of them are the reasons for the creation and development of the society.

Science and technology issues are actually discussed worldwide today. Progress in this has led to produce the ability to integrate different types of physical products.

Physics is a basic discipline in the category of natural sciences which also includes other disciplines like Chemistry and Biology. The word physics comes from a Greek word meaning nature.

 Fundamental forces in nature :

There are four fundamental forces in nature. They are the ‘gravitational force’, the ‘electromagnetic force’, the ‘strong nuclear force’, and the ‘weak nuclear force’. Unification of different forces/domains in nature is a basic quest  in physics.

Nature of physical laws :

(i) The physical quantities that remain unchanged in a process are called conserved quantities. Some of the general conservation laws in nature  include the laws of conservation of mass, energy, linear momentum, angular momentum, charge,  etc. Some conservation laws are true for one fundamental force but not  for the  other.

(ii) Conservation laws have a deep connection with symmetries  of nature. Symmetries of space and time, and other types of symmetries play a central role in modern theories of fundamental forces in nature.

1.Some physicists from different countries of the world and their major contributions

Name                                  Major Discovery           Country of

Origin

Archimedes                            Principle of buoyancy; Principle of the lever                          Greece

Galileo Galilei                        Law of inertia                                                                               Italy

Christiaan Huygens                Wave theory of light                                                                Holland

Isaac Newton                         Universal law of gravitation ; Laws of motion ;

Reflecting telescope                                                                U.K.

Michael Faraday                    Laws of electromagnetic induction                                         U.K.

James Clerk Maxwell             Electromagnetic theory;  Light – an electromagnetic wave    U.K.

Heinrich Rudolf Hertz           Generation of electromagnetic waves                                     Germany

J.C. Bose                                Short radio waves                                                                    India

W.K.Roentgen                       X-rays                                                                                      Germany

J.J. Thomson                           Electron                                                                                   U.K.

Marie sklodowska Curie        Discovery of radium and polonium;

Studies on natural radio activity                                              poland

Albert Einstein                       Explanation of photoelectric effect;Theory of relativity         Germany

Victor Francis Hess                Cosmic radiation                                                                     Austria

R.A. Millikan                          Measurement of electronic charge                                          U.S.A.

Ernest Rutherford                  Nuclear model of atom                                                            New Zealand

Niels Bohr                              Quantum model of hydrogen atom                                          Denmark

C.V. Raman                            Inelastic scattering of light by molecules                                India

Louis Victor de Broglie         Wave nature of matter                                                             France

M.N. Saha                              Thermal ionisation                                                                   India

S.N. Bose                               Quantum statistics                                                                   India

Wolfgang Pauli                      Exclusion principle                                                                  Austria

Enrico Fermi                          Controlled nuclear fission                                                       Italy

Werner Heisenberg                Quantum mechanics; Uncertainity principle                           Germany

Paul Dirac                              Relativistic theory of electron; Quantum statistics                 U.K.

Edwin Hubble                        Expanding universe                                                                 U.S.A.

Ernest Orlando Lawrence      Cyclotron                                                                                 U.S.A.

James Chadwick                    Neutron                                                                                    U.K.

Hideki Yukawa                      Theory of nuclear forces                                                         Japan

Homi Jehangir Bhabha          Cascade process of cosmic radiation                                       India

Lev Davidovich Landau        Theory of condensed matter; Liquid helium                           Russia

S.Chandrasekhar                    Chandrasekhar limit, structure and evolution of stars             India

John Bardeen                         Transistors ; Theory of super conductivity                             U.S.A.

C.H. Townes                          Maser; Laser                                                                            U.S.A.

Abdus Salam                           Unification of weak and electromagnetic interactions           Pakistan

 

Link between technology and physics

  Technology             Scientific principle (s)

Steam engine                                       Laws of thermodynamics

Nuclear reactor                                   Controlled nuclear fission

Radio and Television                        Generation, propagation and detection of electromagnetic waves

Computers                                          Digital logic

Lasers                                                   Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation

Production of ultra high                  Superconductivity

magnetic fields

Rocket propulsion                            Newton’s laws of motion

Electric generator                            Faraday’s laws of electromagnetic induction

Hydroelectric power                      Conversion of gravitational potential energy into electrical energy

Aeroplane                                         Bernoulli’s principle in fluid dynamics

Particle accelerators                      Motion of charged particles in electromagnetic fields

Sonar                                                Reflection of ultrasonic waves

Optical fibres                                    Total internal reflection of light

Non-reflecting coatings                Thin film optical interference

Electron microscope                      Wave nature of electrons

Photocell                                             Photoelectric effect

Fusion test reactor (Tokamak)     Magnetic confinement of plasma

Giant Metrewave Radio                  Detection of cosmic radio waves

Telescope ( GMRT)

Bose-Einstein condensate                     Trapping and cooling of atoms by laser beams and magnetic fields

Units and Measurements

Fundamental quantities

The physical quantities which are independent of other quantities are called fundamental quantities.

 Example: Mass, length, time etc.

Quantities are those which can be measured using an instrument. Any physical phenomenon or observation that can be measured using an instrument is called quantity.

Derived quantities

The physical quantities which are derived from fundamental quantities are known as derived quantities.

Example: Density, volume, speed, force etc.

The SI system of units

In 1971, General conference of weights and measures introduced a logical and rationalized system of units known as international system of units, abbreviated as SI in all languages. In this system, there are seven fundamental quantities and two supplementary quantities.

 

Fundamental quantities and their units

S. No.

Physical quantity

Unit

Symbol

1. Length Metre m
2. Mass Kilogram Kg
3. Time Second s
4. Temperature Kelvin K
5. Electric current Ampere A
6. Luminous intensity Candela Cd
7. Amount of substance Mole mol

 

Supplementary quantities and their units

S. No.

Physical quantity

Unit

Symbol

1. Plane angle radian rad
2. Solid angle Steradian Sr

 

Rules of writing unit

In writing the unit of any quantity, small letters must be used for symbol of unit. Eg., m, ms–1

Symbols are not followed by full stop.

If any unit is named after a scientist, its symbol should be initial capital letter. Eg., N(newton), W(watt), K(kelvin) etc.

The full name of a unit always begins with a small letter, even if it is named after a scientist. , 5 N or 5 newton.

Symbols do not take plural form.

Some practical units

There are some practical units which are simultaneously used with SI units.

(i)           1 fermi = 10–15 m

(ii)          1 angstrom  = 10–10 m

(iii)         1 nanometer (nm) = 10–9 m

(iv)         1 micron (mm) = 10–6 m

(v)          1 light year = 9.46 ´ 1015 m

(vi)         1 astronomical unit (AU) = 1.496 ´ 1011 m

(vii)        1 parsec = 3.03 ´ 1018 m

(viii)       1 amu = 1.66 ´ 10–27 kg

(ix)         1 quintal = 100 kg

(x)          1 tonne = 1000 kg

(xi)         1 lunar month = 27.3 days

(xii)        1 Shake = 10–8 s

The two supplementary SI units are defined as follows

(i)      Radian (rad) : 1 radian is the angle subtended at the centre of a circle by an arc equal in length to the radius of the circle.  Thus,

(ii)     Steradian (Sr) : 1 steradian is the solid angle subtended at the centre of a sphere by a surface of the sphere equal in area to that of a square, having each side equal to the radius of sphere.Thus,

Dimensions of a physical quantity

The dimensions of a physical quantity are the powers to which the unit of fundamental quantities are raised to represent that quantity.

Dimensions of fundamental quantities

S. No.

Quantity

Dimensional formula

1. Length [L]
2. Mass [M]
3. Time [T]
4. Electric current [A]
5. Temperature [K]
6. Luminous intensity [Cd]
7. Amount of substance [mol]

 

00. The supplementary quantities i.e., plane angle and solid angle have no dimensions.

 

Dimensional equation

The equation obtained by equating a physical quantity with its dimensional formula is called dimensional equation of the given physical quantity.  Example: Force = [MLT–2]

Dimensions of force are 1, 1 and –2 in mass, length and time respectively. Dimensional formula of force is [MLT–2].

“Force = [MLT–2]” is called dimensional equation.

Dimensional formulas of some physical quantities

S. No.

Physical quantity

Relation with other quantities

Unit

Dimensional formula

1. Force Mass ´ acceleration N [MLT–2]
2. Work Force ´ displacement J [ML2T–2]
3. Pressure Force/area Nm–2 [ML–1T–2]
4. Force constant Force/length Nm–1 [ML0T–2]
5. Gravitational constant, G Nm2 kg–2 [M–1L3T–2]
6. Impulse Force ´ time Ns [MLT–1]
7. Stress Force/area Nm–2 [ML–1T–2]
8. Strain [M0L0T0]
9. Modulus of elasticity Stress/strain Nm–2 [ML–1T–2]
10. Surface tension Force/length Nm–1 [ML0T–2]
11. Coefficient of viscosity Ns m–2 [ML–1T–1]
12. Latent heat J kg–1 [M0L2T–2]
13. Electric charge Current ´ time C [M0L0TA]
14. Electric potential Work/charge JC–1 or V [ML2T–3A–1]
15. Resistance Potential/current ohm(W) [ML2T–3A–2]
16. Capacitance Farad (F) [M–1L–2T4A2]
17. Inductance, L Henry (H) [ML2T–2A–2]
18. Magnetic field, B Tesla (T) [ML0T–2A–1]
19. Planck’s constant, h Js [ML2T–1]

 

Four types of physical quantities

(1)     Dimensional constants:

These are the physical quantities whose values are constant but they possess dimensions. Eg., Gravitational constant (G), Stefan’s constant (s) etc.

(2)     Dimensional variables:

These are the quantities whose values are variable and they possess dimensions. Eg., Volume, acceleration, force etc.

(3)     Dimensionless constants:

These are the physical quantities whose values are constant but they do not possess dimensions. Eg., 1, 2, 3, …… p etc.

(4)     Dimensionless variables:

These are quantities whose values are variable and they do not have dimensions. Eg., Angle, strain, relative density etc.

 

Principle of homogeneity of dimensions

According to this principle, the dimensions of all the terms occurring on both sides of the equations must be same.

 

Uses of Dimensional Analysis

(1)     Conversion of unit of a derived physical quantity from one system of unit to another system of unit is based on the fact that product of numerical value contained in and the unit of physical quantity remains constant i.e., larger unit has smaller magnitude.

or

Q = n1u1 = n2u2

                   where n1, n2 are numeric values and u1, u2 are the two units of measurement of the physical quantity Q.

(2)     To check the correctness of a physical relation. This is based on the principle of homogeneity of dimensions.

(3)     Deriving the relation among the physical quantities: We can derive an expression of a physical quantity if we know the various factors on which it depends, by using the principle of homogeneity.

Let physical quantity X depends on other quantities P, Q and R, then we can write X = K Pa Qb Rc.

Where K is a dimensionless constant, whose value can be determined by experiment or otherwise, but not by dimensions. By equating dimensions of both sides of equation, we can get required relation among the quantities.

Limitations of the dimensional analysis

By the method of dimensions, we cannot get any information about the dimensionless constant.

If a physical quantity depends on more than three factors, all having dimensions, the formula cannot be derived.

We cannot derive the formulas containing trigonometric functions, exponential functions, logarithmic functions etc.

The method of dimensions can’t be used to derive the relation like . [i.e., equations containing more than one term with + or – symbol on right side].

It gives no information whether a physical quantity is a scalar or vector.

 

Order of magnitude

It gives an idea about how big or how small a magnitude is. A number N can be expressed as:

N = n ´ 10x

If 0.5 < n £ 5, then N will be the order of magnitude of x.

The speed of light c, gravitational constant G and Planck’s constant h are taken as the fundamental units in a system. Find the dimensional formulas of length and time in this new system of units.

Solution

c = [LT–1]                                    … (i)

G = [M–1L3T–2]                … (ii)

h = [ML2T–1]                   … (iii)

From equation (i),                       c3 = [L3 T–3]

From equations (ii) and (iii)         Gh = [L5T–3]

Gh = [L5 T–3]

c5 = [L5 T–5]

Check the equation v2 = u2 + 2as is dimensionally correct or not. [Symbols have their usual meanings]

Solution

v2 = u2 + 2as

Dimensions of LHS = [LT–1]2 = [L2T–2]                                                                            . . . (i)

Dimensions of RHS = [LT–1]2 + [LT–2] [L] = [L2 T–2] + [L2 T–2]

= [L2 T–2]                                                                                              . . . (ii)

From (i) and (ii) it is clear that the given equation is dimensionally correct.

If the centripetal force depends on the mass (m), velocity (v) and radius of path (r) for an object, find the formula for it.

Solution

Let force F = k (mass)a (velocity)b (radius)c

Writing dimensions on both the sides,

[MLT–2] = k [M]a [LT–1]b [L]c

[M1L1T–2] = k [Ma Lb+c T–b]

Comparing the powers on both the sides

a = 1, b + c = 1 and – b = – 2

b = 2 Þ 2 + c = 1 Þ c = – 1

\ a = 1, b = 2, c = – 1

\ F = k m1 v2 r–1 or          k is a dimensionless constant.

The value of gravitation constant is G = 6.67 ´ 10–11 Nm2 kg–2 in SI units. Convert it into units of CGS system.

Solution

G = [M–1 L3 T–2]

Let

Let 1 corresponds to SI system and 2 to CGS system

n1 = 6.67 ´ 10–11, M1 = 1 kg, L1 = 1 m, T1 = 1 s, M2 = 1g = 10–3 kg, L2 = 1 cm = 10–2 m and T2 = 1 s

Now,

\ n2 = 6.67 ´ 10–11 [10–3] [106] [1] = 6.67 ´ 10–8

Thus, value of G in CGS system is 6.67 ´ 10–8 dyne cm2 g–2.

The velocity v of a particle depends upon the time t according to the equation Write the dimensions of a, b, c and d.

Solution

From principle of homogeneity,   [a] = [v]

or           [a] = [LT–1]

[bt] = [v]

or           [bT] = [LT–1]

or           [b] = [LT–2]

[d] = [t]

or           [d] = [T]

[c] = [v] [d + t] = [LT–1] [T]

[c] = [L]

Aliter

C = [L]

D = [T]

The frequency (f) of a stretched string depends upon the tension F (force, length l of the string and the mass per unit length m of string. Derive the formula for frequency.

Solution

Let f = k Fa lb mc

[T–1] = k [MLT–2]a [L]b [ML–1]c

[T–1] = k [Ma+c La+b–c T–2a]

Comparing the powers a + c = 0, a + b – c = 0, – 2a = – 1

Solving these equations we get  b = –1 and

or         , where k is a dimensionless constant.

Write the dimensions of a and b in the relation

Where P is power, x is distance and t is time

Solution

[x] = [L] Þ [x2] = [L2]

[b] = [L2]         [From principle of homogeneity]

[P] = [ML2T–3]

[a] = [M–1 T2]

Find the dimensions of where L is inductance and R is the resistance.

Solution

We know that [L] = [ML2T–2A–2] and [R] = [ML2T–3A–2]

Dimensions of  is same as that of time.

Express 1 parsec in terms of meter. Write its order of magnitude.

Solution

1 parsec = 3.08 ´ 1016 m ; Here 0.5 < 3.08 < 5       \ order of magnitude = 16

Write the order of magnitude of the following measurements

(i) 45,710,000 m             (ii) 92,850,000             (iii) 0.00000532 kg

Solution

(i)           45,710,000 m = 4.571 ´ 107 m

0.5 < 4.571 < 5                         \ order of magnitude = 7

(ii)          92,820,000 = 0.92 ´ 108 m

0.5 < 0.92 < 5                           \ order of magnitude = 8

(iii)         0.00000532 kg = 0.532 ´ 10–5

0.5 < 0.532 < 5                         \ order of magnitude = – 5

 

Significant Figures

Significant figures in the measured value of a physical quantity tell the number of digits in which we have confidence. Larger the number of significant figures obtained in a measurement, greater is the accuracy of the measurement.

“All accurately known digits in a measurement plus the first uncertain digit together form significant figures”.

For example, when we measure the length of a straight line using a meter scale and it lies between 8.6 cm and 8.7 cm, we may estimate it as 8.64 cm. This expression has three significant figures, out of these 8 and 6 are precisely known but last digit 4 is only approximately known.

Rules for counting significant figures

For counting significant figures, we use the following rules:

Rule 1 :  All non-zero digits are significant. For example x = 2567 has four significant figures.

Rule 2 :  The zeroes appearing between two non-zero digits are counted in significant figures. For example    6.028 has 4 significant figures.

Rule 3 :  The zeroes occurring to the left of last non-zero digit are NOT significant. For example 0.0042 has      2 significant figures.

Rule 4 : In a number without decimal, zeroes to the right of non-zero digit are NOT significant. However    when some value is recorded on the basis of actual measurement the zeroes to the right of non-zero          digit become significant. For example L= 20 m has two significant figures but x = 200 has only one        significant figure.

Rule 5 :  In a number with decimal, zeroes to the right of last non-zero digit are significant. For example
x = 14.00 has four significant digits.

Rule 6 :  The powers of ten are NOT counted as significant digit. For example 1.4 ´ 107 has only two

          significant digits 1 and 4.

Rule 7 : Change in the units of measurement of a quantity does not change the number of significant figures.   For example, suppose distance between two stations is 4067 m. It has four significant figures. The          same distance can be expressed as 4.067 km or 4.067 ´ 105 cm. In all these expressions, number of           significant digits is four.

 

          See the following table

Measured value

Number of significant digits

Rule number

12376 5 1
6024.7 5 2
0.071 2 3
410 m 3 4
720 2 4
2.40 3 5
1.6 ´ 10–17 2 6

 

Rounding off a digit

Certain rules are applied in order to round off the measurement.

          Rule 1 : If the number lying to the right of digit to be rounded off is less than 5, then the rounded digit is       retained as such. However if it is more than 5, then the digit to be rounded is increased by 1.

For example, x = 6.24 is rounded off to 6.2 to two significant digits and x = 8.356 is rounded off to 8.36 to three significant digits.

          Rule 2 : If the digit to be dropped is 5 followed by digits other than zero then the preceding digit is increased  by 1.

For example, x = 14.252 is rounded off to x = 14.3 to three significant digits.

          Rule 3 : If the digit to be dropped is simply 5 or 5 followed by zero, then the preceding digit is left              unchanged if it is even.

For example, x = 6.250 or x = 6.25 becomes x = 6.2 after rounding off to two significant digits.

          Rule 4 : If the digit to be dropped is 5 or 5 followed by zero, then the preceding digit is raised by one if it is  odd.

For example, x = 6.350 or x = 6.35 becomes x = 6.4 after rounding off to two significant digits.

         

 

 

 

See the following table

Measured value

After rounding off to three significant digits

Rule number

7.364 7.36 1
7.367 7.37 1
8.3251 8.33 2
9.445 9.44 3
9.4450 9.44 3
15.75 15.8 4
15.7500 15.8 4

 

Algebraic operations with significant figures

In addition, subtraction, multiplication or division, inaccuracy in the measurement of any one variable affects the accuracy of final result. Hence, in general, the final result has significant figures according to the rules given below.

(i) Addition and Subtraction:

The number of decimal places in the final result (of any of these two operations) has to be equal to the SMALLEST NUMBER OF DECIMAL PLACES in any of the terms involved in calculation.

          Example: 1.2 + 3.45 + 6.789 = 11.439 » 11.4

Here, the least number of significant digits after the decimal is one. Hence the result will be 11.4 (when rounded off to smallest number of decimal places).

          Example: 12.63 – 10.2 = 2.43 » 2.4

(ii) Multiplication and Division:

In these operations, the number of significant figures in the result is same as the SMALLEST NUMBER OF SIGNIFICANT FIGURES in any of the factors.

Example: 1.2 ´ 1.3 = 1.56 » 1.6

The least number of significant digits on the measured values is 2. Hence the result is 1.6 (when rounded off to smallest number of significant digits)

Example: 1.2 ´ 36.72 = 44.064 » 44

          Example:

Errors in measurement

          “Resolution” stands for least count or the minimum reading which an instrument can read.

          Accuracy: An instrument is said to be accurate if the physical quantity measured by it resembles very closely to its true value.

          Precision: An instrument is said to have high degree of precision, if the measured value remains unchanged, howsoever, large number of times it may have been repeated.

There are many causes of errors in measurement. Errors may be due to instrumental defects, ignoring certain facts, carelessness of experimenter, random change in temperature, pressure, humidity, etc. When an experimentar tries to reach accurate value of measurement by doing large number of experiments, the mean of a large number of the results repeated experiments is close to the true value.

 

Calculation of Magnitude of Errors

(i)      True value:

If a1, a2, a3 ……… an are the observed values of a measurement, then true value of measurement is the mean of these observed values.

(ii)     Absolute error:

The absolute errors in various individual measured values are found by subtracting the observed value from true value. Thus,

PHYSICAL WORLD, Units and Measurements

Da1 = a0 – a1, Da2 = a0 – a2, Da3 = a0 – a3 ………. Dan = a0 – an

The absolute error may be positive or negative or zero.

 

(iii)    Mean absolute error:

The arithmetic mean of the magnitudes of different values of absolute errors is known as the mean absolute error

(iv)    Relative error or fraction error:

The ratio of the mean value of absolute error to the true value is known as the ‘mean relative error’.

When expressed in terms of percentage, relative error is called “relative percentage error”. Hence

Propagation of Errors

Suppose we want to get the volume of a sphere, . This involves multiplication of radius three times. The measurement of radius has some error, then what will be error in calculating the volume of sphere? The error in final result depends on the individual measurement as well as the mathematical operations involved in calculating the result. To calculate the net error in the result, we should study the propagation of errors in the several mathematical operations.

(1)     Error in addition

          Let x = a + b. suppose ± Da is absolute error in a and ± Db is absolute error in b, then we have

(2)     Error in subtraction

Thus, the maximum possible error in subtraction of quantities is equal to the sum of their absolute errors.

% error in x is

(3)     Error in product

The maximum fractional error in x is . Thus the maximum fractional error in the product is equal to the sum of fractional errors in the individual quantities.

(4)     Error in quotient (or division)

As the terms  and  are small, their product  can be neglected. Thus maximum fractional error is given by

And maximum possible percentage error in x is

 

(5)     Error in the power of quantity

Let x = ap
Let

or,

or

Maximum percentage error in x is

The fractional error in the quantity raised to power ‘p’ is p times the fractional error in that quantity.

(6)     General case

          If  then the maximum possible fractional error in x is

And the maximum possible percentage error is

 

Illustrations

State the number of significant figures in the following

(i) 0.007 m2                    (ii) 2.64 ´ 1024 kg         (iii) 0.2370 g cm–3         (iv) 6.320 J

(v) 6.032 Nm–2    (vi) 0.0006032 m2         (vii) 2.000 m                (viii) 5100 kg   (ix) 0.050 cm

Solution

(i) one : 7                      (ii) three : 2, 6, 4           (iii) four : 2, 3, 7, 0       (iv) four : 6, 3, 2, 0

(v) four : 6, 0, 3, 2           (vi) four : 6, 0, 3, 2       (vii) four : 2, 0, 0, 0      (viii) four : 5, 1, 0, 0

(ix) two : 5, 0

 

f 5100 kg is a measured value, and so it has four significant figures. If it is simply a numerical value, 5100, then number of significant digits would be two.

Solve the following and express the result to an appropriate number of significant figures.

(i)           Add 6.2 g, 4.33 g and 17.456 g

(ii)          Subtract 63.54 kg from 187.2 kg

(iii)         75.5 ´ 125.2 ´ 0.51

(iv)

(v)

Solution

(i)      6.2 g + 4.33 g + 17.456 g = 27.986 g

The result should be rounded off to first decimal place due to 6.2 g

= 28.0 g

(ii)     187.2 kg – 63.54 kg = 123.66 kg

The result should be rounded off to first decimal place due to 187.2 kg

= 123.7 kg

(iii)    75.5 ´ 125.2 ´ 0.51 = 4820.826

The result should be rounded off to two significant digits due to 0.51

= 4800

(iv)

The result should be rounded off to three significant digits because of 2.13

= 0.115

(v)

The result should be rounded off to three significant digits because of 1.81 = 1.02 ´ 104

If L = 2.5 ´ 104 and B = 3.9 ´ 105 then B – L =

(A)    1.4 ´ 104             (B) 1.4 ´ 105                 (C) 3.6 ´ 104                 (D) 3.6 ´ 105

Solution

Given L = 2500 and B = 390000

Now B – L = 390000 – 25000 = 365000

= 3.65 ´ 105

= 3.6 ´ 105                   (rounded to one place of decimal)

The area enclosed by a circle of diameter 1.06 m to correct number of significant figures is
[take π = 3.14]

(A) 0.88 m2                                 (B) 0.088 m2                (C) 0.882 m2                 (D) 0.530 m2

Ans (C)

Area is  A = pr2 = 3.14(0.530)2 = 0.882026 m2

= 0.882 m2                        (rounded to three significant digits)

Object distance, u = (50.1 ±5) cm and image distance, v = (20.1 ± 0.2) cm then focal length is

(A) (12.4 ± 0.4) cm                                                         (B) (12.4 ± 0.1) cm

(C) (14.3 ± 0.4) cm                                                         (D) (14.3 ± 0.1) cm

Ans (C)

Focal length is given by  or  or f = 14.345 cm = 14.3 cm

Df = 0.0299 ´ 14.3 = 0.428 = 0.4 cm

So focal length = (14.3 ± 0.4) cm

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