Outline

Material and Energy Balances • What is a quantity?

• Units
CHEN 2120 • Conversion of units
• Treatment of units
Class Meeting #2 • Dimensional equation
January 19th, 2007 • Dimensional calculations
• Scientific notation
“HOW TO THINK LIKE AN ENGINEER” • Significant figures
• Dimensional homogeneity
(Units, dimensions, conversions, and dimensional
calculations) • Dimensionless quantities
• Line fitting

Quantities Units
• What is a quantity? • Treat units like numbers!
• (2/5) x (5) = 2
5?
• (m/sec) x (sec) = m (the sec’s cancel just like #s)
5 what?
5 apples
• Units are as important to a quantity as the value
Quantity = “How many of what?” • The numerical values of two quantities may be
added or subtracted only if the units are the
same!
• A quantity has a value and a unit
5 apples + 2 apples = 7 apples
– Value = “How many”
5 apples + 2 oranges = (ridiculous!)
– Unit = “of what?”
5 meters + 5 cm = ?? (in a few slides)
– In “5 apples”, what is the value?
– What is the unit?

Units, continued Conversion of Units

• However, the units can always be combined by
multiplication or division: • How can we do the following calculation:
5.0 m + 5.0 cm = ?
(5 m) x (5 cm) = 25 m-cm (the “-” designates multiplication)
• First, we need the units to be identical in
(5 m) x (2 m) = 10 m2
order to add the two values
5x2=10 m2
• Note: the values are multiplied together and the • So, we need some relation between the
units are multiplied together two units. What relates m to cm?
• Another example: centimeters
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
(300 m)/(25 sec) = 12 m/sec 1.0
0 meters

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 Conversion factors, continued Conversion factors, continued
centimeters • 100 cm/m = 1
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
• Or, equivalently:
0 meters 1.0
0.01 m/cm = 1 (another conv. factor)
• 1 m is equivalent to 100 cm (How did I derive this?)
• Therefore: • So, the quantity 5 m can be written as:
1 m = 100 cm (5 m) x (1) = (5 m) x (100 cm/m)
• If you divide both sides by 1 m: = 500 m-cm/m
100 cm/m = 1 = 500 cm
• This is known as a conversion factor • Alternatively,
• Multiplying anything by this is the equivalent of (5 cm) x (1) = (5 cm) x (0.01 m/cm)
multiplying by the identity (1) and thus has no
effect on the overall quantity = 0.05 m

Conversion of units, continued Now you try… (Clicker Prob. 2.1)

• So,
• Convert 5.0 kg to oz.
5 m + 5 cm = ??
• 1 kg is equivalent to 35.3 oz.
500 cm + 5 cm = 505 cm

A) 0.14 oz.
OR 5 m + 0.05 m = 5.05 m B) 160 oz.
C) 176.5 oz.
D) 7.06 oz.

Now you try… (Clicker Prob. 2.1) Now you try… (Clicker Prob. 2.2)
• Convert 5.0 kg to oz. • You drive 73 miles from Rochester, NY to
Buffalo, NY (on the Canadian border). Then,
• 1 kg is equivalent to 35.3 oz.
you drive 62 km from Buffalo, NY to Toronto,
1 kg = 35.3 oz Æ 35.3 oz./kg = 1
ON. How far (in kilometers) do you drive total?
One km is equivalent to 0.62 mi.
• Conversion factor: 35.3 oz./kg
A) 180 km
B) 135 km
• 5.0 kg = (5.0 kg) x (35.3 oz./kg) C) 107 km
= 177 oz. (answer C) D) Not possible to calculate!

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 Now you try… (Clicker Prob. 2.2) Now you try… (Clicker Prob. 2.2)
• D = 73 mi + 62 km
• You drive 73 miles from Rochester, NY to • Conversion factors:
Buffalo, NY (on the Canadian border). Then, 0.62 mi/km OR 1.61 km/mi (inverses)
you drive 62 km from Buffalo, NY to Toronto, (1)

ON. How far (in kilometers) do you drive total? • D = (73 mi) x (1.61 km/mi) + 62 km
One km is equivalent to 0.62 mi. • D = 118 km + 62 km = 180 km
(1)

• OR, D = 73 mi + (62 km) x (0.62 mi/km)

• D = 73 mi + 62 km
• D = 73 mi + 38 mi = 111 mi
• Conversion factors:
0.62 mi/km OR 1.61 km/mi (inverses) • Is 180 km equal to 111 mi?
• (180 km) x (0.62 mi/km) = 111 mi YES!

More complicated… Even more complicated!!

• Convert 22 m/sec to yd/hr • Convert 62 kg-ft3/sec4 to lb-cm3/min4
• Need two conversion factors: • Yikes!
– Meters to yards: 1.094 yd/m • Conversion factors:
– Seconds to hours: 3600 sec/hr 2.20 lb/kg
• Often, we like to write in this format: 30.48 cm/ft
60 sec/min
22 m 1.094 yd 3600 sec
= 87,000 yd/hr
sec m hr

Even more complicated!! Now you try… (Clicker Prob. 2.3)

• Convert 5 N to lb-cm/min2
• 1 N = 1 kg-m/s2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
62 kg-ft3 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 60 sec 30.5 cm 30.5 cm 30.5 cm 2.20 lb
sec4 min min min min ft ft ft kg A) 8.2x105 lb-cm/min2
B) 6.6x104 lb-cm/min2
5.0x1013 lb-cm3
=
min4 C) 4.0x106 lb-cm/min2
D) 6.6x106 lb-cm/min2
*This is known as dimensional analysis, and is very very
important for engineering calculations!!!

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 Now you try… (Clicker Prob. 2.3) Dimensional Calculations
• Convert 5 N to lb-cm/min2 • Example: A man and his dog are walking on a
• 1 N = 1 kg-m/s2 glacier. The man is wearing snowshoes, the
dog is not. The glacier can support a pressure
5 kg-m 2.20 lb 100 cm 60 sec 60 sec 4.0x106 lb-cm
= of at most a pound per square inch before the
s2 kg m min min min2
snow will collapse. The man weighs 80 kg, each
snowshoe has a surface area of 150 in2, the dog
• We will need the following conversion factors: weighs 640 ounces, and each of his paws has a
2.20 lb/kg surface area of 40 cm2. Will the dog and/or the
100 cm/m man fall through the glacier?
60 sec/min

Example Scientific Notation

• Pressure = weight/area (P = w/A) • Good review of it in book
• Man: w = 80 kg, A = (2*150) in2 = 300 in2
P = (80 kg)/(300 in2) x (2.20 lb/kg)
= 0.59 psi
• Dog: w = lb, A = (4*40) = 160 cm2
P = (640 oz)/(160 cm2) x (1 lb/32 oz) x (2.54 cm/in)2
= 1.84 psi
• Since the glacier can not support a pressure of
greater than 1 psi, the dog will fall through and
the man will not (aww… poor Fido).

Significant Figures
• Good review of it in book