P1A: Physical Quantities and Measurement Techniques

Question 1

What are the common prefixes for units?

Answer 1

Prefix (symbol) Meaning
centi(c) divide by 100
milli (m) divide by 1000
kilo (k) times 1000
mega(M) times 1,000,000
giga(G) times 1,000,000,000

Question 2

How do we measure pendulums?

Answer 2

Measuring 10 oscillations and divided the total time by 10 to find the time period for one swing

Question 3

What are the two types of quantities in physics?

Answer 3

Scalar and Vector

Question 4

What are vector quantities?

Answer 4

Measurements that have a specific direction and magnitude (size)

Question 5

What are scalar quantities?

Answer 5

Measurements that have a magnitude (size) but no direction

Question 6

What is displacement?

Answer 6

Displacement is how far you move from your original location. If you run a 400m lap around the pitch, your displacement will be 0 as you returned to your original position