Topic 1.1: Physical Quantities & Measurement Techniques

Five identical spheres are placed between two blocks in order to measure their diameter. What is the diameter of a single sphere?

• 2.2 cm

• 2.0 cm

• 2.1 cm

• 2.3 cm

A student wants to take a particularly accurate measurement of the volume of liquid in a measuring cylinder. Which of the following procedures would make her measurement less accurate?

• Putting her eyes level with the height of the measurement to be taken

• Reading the liquid level from the bottom of the meniscus

• Using the largest measuring cylinder she could find

• Using a set-square to make sure the cylinder is perfectly vertical

A student is timing the rate of cooling of a beaker of water. On a repeat run of the investigation, the student forgets to zero the stopwatch. The readings on the stopwatch at the start time and the end time are shown in Fig. 1.1.

Calculate how long it took the beaker to cool.

• 11 minutes

• 11 minutes and 8 seconds

• 12 minutes

• 12 minutes and 8 seconds

Identify the physical quantity that is not scalar.

• speed

• time

• weight

• energy

Identify the physical quantity that is scalar.

• weight

• distance

• velocity

• acceleration

A particularly diligent student wants to measure the volume of some liquid for an experiment. She has two measuring cylinders available, a large 250 ml one and a small 50 ml one. The liquid will t into either of the two measuring cylinders. As expected, the liquid forms a meniscus where it touches the sides of either measuring cylinder. Which cylinder should the student use to get the most accurate result, and from where should she measure the liquid level?

• A

• B

• C

• D

A geologist wants to measure the volume of a particularly interesting pebble she has found in a river. She uses the apparatus shown below.

What is the volume of the pebble?

• 11 cm³

• 23 cm³

• 6 cm³

• 17 cm³

Which of the diagrams below correctly shows two forces , W and X with their resultant?

• 
• 
• 
• 

A small cylinder is rolled along a ruler and completes two full turns as shown in the diagram.

What is the circumference of the cylinder?

• 4.4 cm

• 5.1 cm

• 8.8 cm

• 10.2 cm

A list of various quantities is shown.

How many of these quantities are vectors?

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5