INTRODUCTION TO

ENGINEERING
CALCULATIONS
Units and Dimensions

A dimension is a property that can be measured such

as length, time, mass, temperature,

What are the dimensions of mass flux (mass flow rate

per unit area perpendicular to the flow)?
1 dm dimensions are m
G
A dt L2 t

A unit is a means of expressing the dimensions, such

as feet or centimeters for length.

For this course all units must be explicitly shown at

every step of the calculation
 SYSTEMS OF UNITS

Every system of units has

1. fundamental dimensions - a base set from which
all others can be derived - dimensions of mass,
length, time, temperature, electric current, light
intensity.
2. multiple units - multiples or fractions of the
basic units - used for convenience (1 kilometers
instead of 1 000 meters, 3 hours instead of 10 800
seconds)
3. Derived units, which are special combinations
of units (force 1 kg•m/s2=1 N) or units used to
describe combination dimensions (volume liter =
10-3 m3)

All systems use basic units defined in terms of

measurable physical constants.

1 meter is the distance equal to 1.65076373x106

wavelengths in vacuum of the radiation corresponding
to the transition between two levels of the krypton 86
atom

Most engineering problems use one of three systems

of units
 SI (Systeme Internationale, mks) meter, kilogram,
second

 CGS centimeter, gram, second

 American Engineering foot, pound mass, second

SI System

Base units:

Quantity Unit Symbol

Mass kilogram kg
Length meter m
Time second s
Mole gram-mole mol or g-
mole
Temperature kelvin K
Electric current ampere A
Light intensity candela cd
Multipliers for SI unit

Large quantities Small Quantities

Prefix Symbol multiplier Prefix Symbol multiplier
Deca D 10 deci d 10-1
Hecta h 100 centi c 10-2
Kilo k 103 milli m 10-3
Mega M 106 micro μ 10-6
Giga G 109 nano n 10-9
Tera T 1012 pico p 10-12

Derived Units in the SI System

Quantity Unit Symbol
cubic meter m3
Volume
Liter 1 000 cm3
Newton = kg∙m∙s-2 N
Force
dyne = 1 g∙cm/s2 dyne
Pressure Pascal = N∙m-2 Pa
Joule = N∙m J
Work, Energy erg = 1 dyne∙cm erg
gram-calorie or cal = 4.184 J cal
Power Watt = J∙s-1 W
Molar concentration Molar = mol∙dm-3 or mol∙L-1 M
American Engineering Units

 Mass: pound (lbm)

 Length: foot (ft)
 Temperature: (degree) Rankine (R)
 Time: second (s)

Multiples are based on tradition -- yds, inches, miles,

rods, acres, tons, etc.
 Force: pound-force (lbf) = 32.2 lbm∙ft/s2
 Pressure: pressure (psi) = 1 lbf/in2
 Energy: foot-pound-force = 1 ft∙lbf
 Power: horsepower (hp)
 Volume: gallon (gal)

Energy units expressed in terms of heat, such as the

BTU (British Thermal Unit): the heat required to raise
the temperature of 1 lb of water by 1 degree Rankine
or the gram calorie (cal): the heat required to raise the
temperature of 1 g of water by 1 degree Kelvin
Force
The conversion between the defined unit of force (N,
dyne, lbf) and natural units (kg∙m∙s-2, lbm∙ft/s2) is so
commonly used the it is given a special name and
symbol gc

kg⋅m g⋅cm lb m⋅ft

s2 s2 s2
gc =1 =1 =32 . 174
N dyne lb f

gc is a conversion factor. When we multiply or divide

by gc in the SI system the units change but not the
magnitude

What is the force of 2 kg∙m∙s-2 equivalent to in

Newtons?

What is the force of 2 lbm∙ft/s2 equivalent to in lbf?

 Converting Units
To convert a quantity in terms of one unit to an
equivalent in new units, multiply by a "conversion
factor" (new unit/old unit)

Conversion factors are dimensionless (but not unit-

less) and numerically equivalent to unity.

Both the numerator of the conversion factor (2.54 cm)

and its denominator (1 in) have dimensions of length,
so the ratio is dimensionless. Both also describe the
same "magnitude" of length, so the ratio is equivalent
to one and can multiply both sides of an equation
without changing its nature.

When you apply a conversion factor, the old units

cancel out and the new units remain.

Steps
1. Write the given quantity and its units
2. Write the units of conversion factors that cancel
the old units and replace them by the desired ones
3. Fill in the values of the conversion factors
e.g. convert an acceleration of 5 cm/s2 to km/hr2

Carrying units through a calculation can be helpful in

figuring out a problem. Often, looking at the units
provides a clue as to what step needs to be taken next.
It also helps prevent mistakes, such as accidentally
multiplying when you mean to divide.

Mistakes made when applying conversion factors.

First, factors written out with the numbers upside

down. Usually because the arrangement of the
conversion factor table misinterpreted. To avoid this
mistake, think about the relative size of the units when
factor written down (i.e. inches are smaller than feet,
so the number on the inches side of the line should be
bigger).
The other common error has to do with units that are
raised to powers, such as "square feet" or "cubic
meters". The conversion factors for these need to be
raised to the same power as the unit; to go from cubic
feet to cubic inches, use the conversion from foot to
inches, but raise everything (numbers and units) to the
3rd power.

Convert 23 lbm∙ft∙min2 to SI units

"Dimensional" Equations

Often, equations and formulae are presented that are

unit specific, instead of forms that work with any set
of units. These are termed dimensional equations.
For instance, to calculate the power needed for a fan to
move a volume rate of air through a pressure
difference, the general formula is:
^∆p
V
P=
η

This formula can be used for any type of units.

For instance - pressure is 2x106 Pa, flow is 10ft3/hour,

and η (efficiency) is 0.75 (dimensionless) and want
answer in Watts.
ft 3 (
P=
( )
10
hr
6
2×10 Pa )

0.75

ft 3 ∙ Pa
7
P=2.67 × 10
hr

these units are mixed- convert to standard units- Watts

If we are going to do this same calculation over and

over again develop a special form of the equation just
for our use.
^ ∆ p .3048 3
V ^∆p
V
P=
η (
3600 )
W =7.87 ×10−6
η
W
Now the units of the formula are "built-in". A user
can be told "if you plug in quantity V in ft3/hour, and
quantity Δp in Pa, the answer P will be in Watts

Dimensional formulas encountered in many cases -

convenient when calculations standardized and
repetitious - must be used with the units provided - the
numerical constant in the formula has units attached -
though not written out.

liquid flow through a pipe can be approximated by:

where F is in gal/min, ∆P pressure difference between

entrance and exit of pipe in psi, and sg is the specific
gravity of the flowing fluid. Answer in gpm - we
didn't put gallons in anywhere - unit conversions
hidden in equation.

To use equation in other units need to determine the

hidden units. For the flow equation to get answer in
gal/min
therefore the constant has the units

.
Transforming a Dimensional Equation

To use the flow equation with different units, say

m3/second and Pascals - transform the dimensional
equation to the new set of units.
The constant (36.5) has units attached that make the
equation work - convert those attached units:
Units and Calculations

It is always good practice to attach units to all

numbers in an engineering calculation. Doing so
 attaches physical meaning to the numbers used,
 gives clues to methods for how the problem should
be solved, and
 reduces the possibility of accidentally inverting
part of the calculation.

Addition and Subtraction

 Values MAY be added if UNITS are the same.

 Values CANNOT be added if DIMENSIONS are
different.

EXAMPLES:
Multiplication and Division

Values may be combined; units combine in similar

fashion.

EXAMPLES:
density
energy (joule)
4.5 is a "dimensionless" quantity (in
this case a pure number)

Functions

Trigonometric functions can only have angular units

(radians, degrees). All other functions and function
arguments, including exponentiation, powers, etc.,
must be dimensionless.
EXAMPLES:

52 ft =¿

=
Dimensional Homogeneity

Every valid equation must be "dimensionally

homogeneous" (dimensionally consistent). All
additive terms must have the same dimension.
Consider an equation that describes the position of a
moving object:

length [=] length + velocity∙time + acceleration∙time2

[=] length + (length/time)∙time + (length/time2)∙time2
[=] length + length + length
so the equation is dimensionally homogeneous. But
just because an equation is homogeneous, doesn't
mean that it is valid!

 Not consistent --> Not Valid

 Consistent -\-> Valid
Dimensionless Quantities

When we say a quantity is dimensionless, we mean

one of two things. First, it may just be a number like
we get when counting.

EXAMPLES: Dimensionless Numbers

 π is a dimensionless number representing the ratio
of the circumference of a circle to its diameter
 2 prunes (counted)
 2lb =2.5
5lb

Second are combinations of variables where all the

dimension/units have "canceled out" so that the net
term has no dimension.

These are often called "dimensionless groups" or

"dimensionless numbers" and often have special
names and meanings. Most of these have been found
using techniques of "dimensional analysis" -- a way of
examining physical phenomena by looking at the
dimensions that occur in the problem without
considering any numbers.
Probably the most common dimensionless group used
in chemical engineering is the "Reynolds Number",
given by

This describes the ratio of inertial forces to viscous

forces (or convective momentum transport to
molecular momentum transport) in a flowing fluid. It
thus serves to indicate the degree of turbulence. Low
Reynolds numbers mean the fluid flows in "lamina"
(layers), while high values mean the flow has many
turbulent eddies.

Liquid methyl ethyl ketone at 20oC flows through a

pipe of inner diameter 2.067 inches at an average
velocity of 28.8 ft/min
At 20oC for MEK: density = 0.805 g/cm3
viscosity = 0.42 centipoise
Determine the Reynolds number.
1 cP = 0.00 x 10-3 kg/(m∙s)