1.2 Physical Quantities and Units

Converting between SI and English units, and the common metric prefixes written out in scientific notation.

College Physics 2e, 1.2 Physical Quantities and Units

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7 exercises

1.2 Exercise 1

Some hummingbirds beat their wings more than 50 times per second. A scientist is measuring the time it takes for a hummingbird to beat its wings once. Which fundamental unit should the scientist use to describe the measurement? Which factor of 10 is the scientist likely to use to describe the motion precisely? Identify the metric prefix that corresponds to this factor of 10.

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1.2 Exercise 2

One cubic centimeter is equal to one milliliter. What does this tell you about the different units in the SI metric system?

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1.2 Exercise 4

The speed limit on some interstate highways is roughly 100 km/h. (a) What is this in meters per second? (b) How many miles per hour is this?

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1.2 Exercise 6

Show that $1 . \text{0 m}/\text{s} = 3 . \text{6 km}/\text{h}$ . Hint: Show the explicit steps involved in converting $1 . \text{0 m}/\text{s} = 3 . \text{6 km}/\text{h}.$

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1.2 Exercise 8

Soccer fields vary in size. A large soccer field is 115 m long and 85 m wide. What are its dimensions in feet and inches? (Assume that 1 meter equals 3.281 feet.)

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1.2 Exercise 10

Mount Everest, at 29,028 feet, is the tallest mountain on the Earth. What is its height in kilometers? (Assume that 1 kilometer equals 3,281 feet.)

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1.2 Exercise 12

Tectonic plates are large segments of the Earth’s crust that move slowly. Suppose that one such plate has an average speed of 4.0 cm/year. (a) What distance does it move in 1 s at this speed? (b) What is its speed in kilometers per million years?

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