CritABCD
0.2 · Preface · Measurement

Can it be measured?

Physical quantities, ratings, scalars and vectors.

SL+HLEasier12 minFree
Hook

How much does a mosquito bite hurt? Ask five friends, get five numbers. Ask five friends the mass of one book, get one. Why?

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Can it be measured?

THE MEASURABILITY TESTstep 1 of 3
Is everything measurable? Can it be measured?
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Which is a physical quantity?

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"20 m s⁻¹" is…

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What must every physical quantity have?

Apply

A friend says "the concert was 9 out of 10". Is that a physical quantity? Explain.

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Remember earlier lessons
From lesson 0.1

Which unit belongs to energy?

From lesson 0.1

In E = mc², which quantity is squared?

Summary card

Key points

  • • Physical quantity: measurable, independent of the person.
  • • It needs a number and a unit.
  • • Direction is optional: with it, a vector; without, a scalar.
  • • Ratings and indices are not physical quantities.

Key terms

Scalar
:
size and unit only
Vector
:
size, unit and direction
Rating / index
:
a personal score

Common errors

  • • Saying a scalar has a direction.
  • • Writing a number without a unit.
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