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MP O Level Measurement Measurement Of Time

Measurement Of Time

Show/Hide Sub-topics (O Level)
  1. Physical Quantities
  2. Base Quantity
  3. Prefixes
  4. Scalar and Vector Quantities
  5. Measurement of Length
  6. Measurement of Time (You Are Here!)
  7. How To Read A Vernier Caliper
  8. How To Read A Micrometer Screw Gauge

SI unit of time is second (s). It is a scalar quantity.

The standard for unit of time, the second (s), is the exact duration of 9,192,631,770 cycles of the radiation associated with the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of cesium-133 atom.

Some of the more common clocks and watches can be found in the table below:

Type of clock/watchUse and accuracy
Atomic clockUsed to measure very shoty time intervals of about $10^{-10}$ seconds
Digital stopwatchUsed to measure short time intervals of minutes and seconds to an accuracy of $\pm 0.01 \text{ s}$
Analogue stopwatchUsed to measure short time intervals of minutes and seconds to an accuracy of $\pm 0.1 \text{s}$
Ticker-tape timerUsed to measure short time intervals of 0.02 s
WatchUsed to measure longer time intervals of hours, minutes and seconds
Pendulum clockUsed to measure longer time intervals of hours, minutes and seconds
Radioactive decay clockUsed to measure LONG time intervals of years to thousands of years

 

Clocks

Equipment: It can be read in hours, minutes and seconds.

How to use: The clock is set to commence at a particular time or the start time is noted. The time event is then allowed to occur, and at the end of the event, the end time is noted. The difference provides the required time interval.

Accuracy: ± 1 s

 

Stopwatches

Equipment: It reads up to 0.01 s

How to use: As the time event occurs, the stopwatch is started at the same time. At the end of the event, the stopwatch is stopped and the end time is noted. The reading provides the required time interval. Some precise stopwatches are connected electronically to the time event and hence, more accurate.

Accuracy: ± 0.1 s. (Allowance made to human reaction time limits the accuracy of the stopwatch to 0.1 – 0.4 s for laboratory experiments. Records that show up to 2 decimal places are not appropriate.)

 

Ticker Tape Timer

ticker-tape-timer

A ticker tape timer is a machine that produce a dot on a tape at a fixed time interval.

How to use: The tape is attached to an object and the state of motion of the object can be deduced from the dots on the tape.

 

Reading the tape from ticker tape timer

ticker tape

 

The procedure to deducing the state of motion from the resulting tape is best explained using an example. The figure above consists of 3 tapes, X, Y and Z, with a length of 1 m from the first dot to the last dot. The dots are made by a ticker tape timer with a time interval of 0.1 seconds.

For X, the dots are evenly spaced. Since the length is 1 m, the spacing between each dots is 0.2 m. We can calculate the speed of the object using $\text{Speed} = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Time}} = \frac{0.2}{0.1} = 2 \, m/s$ Hence, X represent the tape from an object that is moving at constant speed.

For Y, the spacing between the dots increases as time passes. Since the dots are made with a fixed time interval, the time in the formula above is fixed. We will get an increasing speed as the distance between the dots increases. Hence, Y represent the tape from an object that is accelerating.

For Z, the spacing between the dots decreases as time passes. Using the same reasoning as above, Z represent the tape from an object that is decelerating.

 

Next: How To Read A Vernier Caliper
Previous: Measurement of Length


Back To Measurement of Physical Properties (O Level)

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Filed Under: Measurement, O Level Tagged With: American high school diploma, O Level

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What Others Are Saying:

  1. Sherry scribbled

    December 16, 2015 at 7:25 AM

    Maybe an animated example would help?

    Reply to Sherry
  2. King IQ scribbled

    September 9, 2015 at 7:08 PM

    I would be thankful to you if you will add some question to solve because in this way we could also practice. Well these notes are great! Keep it up!

    Reply to King IQ
  3. Junaid scribbled

    March 23, 2014 at 6:25 PM

    (y) So Nice.! IS there any way of downloading ur note’s?

    Reply to Junaid
  4. suleman arif scribbled

    February 27, 2014 at 2:55 AM

    Definition of human error?

    Reply to suleman arif
    • Mini Physics scribbled

      March 1, 2014 at 6:36 PM

      I believe that you meant human reaction time instead of human error? I feel that human reaction time is self-explanatory.

      Reply to Mini Physics
  5. suleman arif scribbled

    February 27, 2014 at 2:40 AM

    Please also tell about ticker-tape timer

    Reply to suleman arif
    • Mini Physics scribbled

      March 1, 2014 at 6:35 PM

      Done. 🙂

      Reply to Mini Physics

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