Unit | General Awareness for SSC CGL PDF Download

Physical Quantity

Unit | General Awareness for SSC CGL

A physical quantity is a property of a body, substance, or phenomenon that can be quantified through measurement.

Measurement of a Physical Quantity

Measurement involves assigning a value to a physical quantity by comparing it with a standard or calibrated unit of that quantity. To determine the value or magnitude of a physical quantity, it is typically measured using different systems of units.

Errors in Measurement:

An error in measurement is the difference between the true value and the measured value of a quantity. There are three main types of measurement errors:

  • Absolute Error: The difference between the true value and the measured value.
  • Relative Error: The ratio of the absolute error to the mean value.
  • Percentage Error: The relative error multiplied by 100.

System of Units

Physical quantities are measured using four main systems of units:

  • CGS (Centimetre, Gram, Second)
  • FPS (Foot, Pound, Second)
  • MKS (Metre, Kilogram, Second)
  • SI (International System of Units)

Question for Unit
Try yourself:
Which type of error in measurement is calculated by finding the ratio of the absolute error to the mean value?
View Solution

Fundamental Quantities

Unit | General Awareness for SSC CGLFundamental quantities are those that are independent of each other, and their units are called fundamental units. The most widely accepted system is the SI system, adopted in 1971 by the Conference of Weights and Measures held in Geneva. There are seven fundamental quantities in the SI system, along with two supplementary fundamental units:

  • Radian (rad): Unit of plane angle.
  • Steradian (sr): Unit of solid angle.

Unit | General Awareness for SSC CGL

Derived Quantities

Derived quantities are those obtained using fundamental quantities, and their units are called derived units. Examples include velocity, force, work, density, and momentum.
Unit | General Awareness for SSC CGL

Unit of Length

The SI unit of length is the metre (m). One metre is the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second.

Other Units of Length

  • Light Year: The distance light travels in one year in a vacuum (1 light year = 9.46 × 1015 m).
  • Parsec (Parallactic Second): The distance at which an arc of one astronomical unit subtends an angle of one second (1 parsec = 3.085 × 1016 m).
  • Micron (µm): 10-6 m.
  • Astronomical Unit (AU): 1.49 × 1011 m.
  • Angstrom (Å): 10-10 m.
  • Nanometre (nm): 10-9 m.
  • X-unit: 10-14 m.
  • Fermi: 10-15 m.
  • Yard: 0.9144 m.

Units of Area

Area is related to the square of length. Some units of area include:

  • Barn: 10-28 m2.
  • Acre: 4047 m2.
  • Hectare: 10,000 m2.

Units of Volume

Volume is related to the cube of length. Some units of volume include:

  • 10 millilitres (mL) = 1 centilitre (cL) = 0.018 pint (0.021 US pint).
  • 100 centilitres (cL) = 1 litre (L) = 1.76 pints.
  • 10 litres (L) = 1 decalitre (daL) = 2.2 gallons (2.63 US gallons).
  • 1 cubic centimetre (cm3) = 1 millilitre (mL).
  • 1 barrel = 159 litres.

Unit of Mass

The SI unit of mass is the kilogram (kg). One kilogram is defined as the mass of 5.0188 × 1025 atoms of carbon-12.
Other Units of Mass:
Unit | General Awareness for SSC CGL

Unit of Time

The SI unit of time is the second. One second is defined as 1/86,400 of a mean solar day.
Other Units of Time:

  • 1 microsecond = 10-6 s
  • 1 picosecond = 10-12
  • 1 Lunar month = 29.5 day
  • 1 nanosecond = 10-9
  • 1 shake = 10-8 s

Important Prefixes to Units

Unit | General Awareness for SSC CGL

The document Unit | General Awareness for SSC CGL is a part of the SSC CGL Course General Awareness for SSC CGL.
All you need of SSC CGL at this link: SSC CGL
464 videos|571 docs|394 tests

Top Courses for SSC CGL

FAQs on Unit - General Awareness for SSC CGL

1. What are fundamental quantities in the system of units?
Ans. Fundamental quantities are the basic physical quantities that are independent of each other and do not need to be defined in terms of other physical quantities.
2. Can derived quantities be expressed in terms of fundamental quantities?
Ans. Yes, derived quantities are defined in terms of fundamental quantities. They are combinations of fundamental quantities through multiplication or division.
3. How are physical quantities measured in the system of units?
Ans. Physical quantities are measured using units that represent a specific amount of the quantity. These units are defined based on fundamental quantities.
4. What are some examples of derived quantities in the system of units?
Ans. Examples of derived quantities include velocity (m/s), acceleration (m/s^2), force (N), and energy (J).
5. Why is it important to use a standardized system of units in scientific measurements?
Ans. Using a standardized system of units ensures consistency and accuracy in scientific measurements, allowing for easy communication and comparison of results across different experiments and researchers.
464 videos|571 docs|394 tests
Download as PDF
Explore Courses for SSC CGL exam

Top Courses for SSC CGL

Signup for Free!
Signup to see your scores go up within 7 days! Learn & Practice with 1000+ FREE Notes, Videos & Tests.
10M+ students study on EduRev
Related Searches

Previous Year Questions with Solutions

,

practice quizzes

,

Free

,

past year papers

,

Exam

,

MCQs

,

Unit | General Awareness for SSC CGL

,

Viva Questions

,

Semester Notes

,

mock tests for examination

,

Objective type Questions

,

video lectures

,

study material

,

pdf

,

Summary

,

Unit | General Awareness for SSC CGL

,

Extra Questions

,

Sample Paper

,

Important questions

,

ppt

,

shortcuts and tricks

,

Unit | General Awareness for SSC CGL

;