Table I.

Basic Units
defined by Confrence Gnrale des Poids et Mesures (CGPM) in the latest
SI-brochure of 1998.
Quantity

Unit

Length

meter

Mass

kilogram

kg

Time

second

Electric current

ampere

Temperature

kelvin

Quantity of substance mole

Luminosity

candle

Symbol Definition

mol

cd

1983, 17th CGPM: The path travelled by

light in vacuum during a time interval of
1/299792458 seconds. This fixes the speed
of light to exactly 299792458 m/s.
1901, 3rd CGPM: Mass of the platinumiridium prototype at BIPM in Sevres.
1968, 13th CGPM: One second equals
9192631770 periods of the radiation due
to the transition between the two hyperfine
levels of the ground state of Cesium 133.
1948, 9th CGPM: Given two parallel,
rectilinear conductors of negligible
circular cross-section positioned 1 m apart
in vacuum, one ampere is the electric
current which, passing through both of
them, makes them attract each other by the
force of 2.10-7 newtons per every meter of
length. This fixes the permeability of
vacuum to exactly 2*10-7 H/m.
1968, 13th CGPM: One degree K equals
1/273.16 of the thermodynamic
temperature of the triple point of water.
1971, 14th CGPM: The amount of a
substance composed of as many specified
elementary units (molecules, atoms) as
there are atoms in 0.012 kg of Carbon 12.
1979, 16th CGPM: The candle (or
candela) is the luminous intensity, in a
given direction, of a source that emits
monochromatic radiation of frequency
540.1012 hertz and that has a radiant
intensity in that direction of 1/683 W/sr.

Table II. Derived units with assigned names

defined by BIPM in the latest SI-brochure (1998) and its supplement (2000).

Unit

Symbol Equals

Definition / Note

Space and time:

Plane angle

radian

rad

The plane angle which, when centered in a circle, cuts off an arc
whose length is equal to the circle radius.

Solid angle

steradian

sr

The solid angle which, when centered in a sphere, cuts off a cap
whose surface equals that of a square having the radius as side.

Frequency

hertz

Hz

1 s-1

Force

newton

1 kg.m.s-2 [mass].[acceleration].

Pressure

pascal

Pa

1 N.m-2

[force]/[area]. Also: stress.

Energy

joule

1 N.m

[force].[length]. Also: Work, Heat

Power

watt

1 J.s-1

[energy]/[time]. Also: Radiant flux

celsius

1K

T [oC] = T [K] -273.15 (the offset is exact!).

coulomb

1 A.s

[number of events or cycles]/[time].

Mechanics:

Thermodynamics:
Temperature
Electromagnetism:
Charge

[current].[time].
-1

Potential

volt

1 W.A

Resistance

ohm

1 V.A-1

[potential]/[current].

-1

[current]/[potential].

Conductance

siemens

1 A.V

Capacitance

farad

1 C.V-1

Inductance
Magnetic flux

henry

weber

Wb

Magnetic flux density tesla

1 V.s.A

[power]/[current]. Only differences are measurable!

[charge]/[potential].
-1

-1

1 J.A

[potential]/[rate of change of current].

[energy]/[current].

-2

1 Wb.m

[magnetic flux]/[area]. Also magnetic induction.

lm

1 cd.sr

[luminosity].[solid angle].

Optics:
Luminous flux
Illuminance
Convergence

lumen
lux

lx

dioptry

-2

1 lm.m

dioptry 1 m

-1

[luminous flux]/[area].
Inverse of focal length.

Radioactivity and radiation:

Activity

becquerel

Bq

1 s-1

[number of decay events]/[time].

-1

Absorbed dose

gray

Gy

1 J.kg

[energy]/[mass].

Dose equivalent

sievert

Sv

1 J.kg-1

[energy]/[mass]. Absorbed dose re-normalized by biological effects.

katal

kat

1 mol.s-1

[quantity of substance]/[time].

Chemistry:
Katalytic activity

Table III a. SI Units prefixes

with examples of correct usage.

Prefix Symbol Factor

Yotta
Y
1024
Zetta
Z
1021
Exa
E
1018
Peta
P
1015
Tera
T
1012
Giga
G
109
Mega
M
106
Kilo
K, k 103
hecto
h
100
deca
da
10
deci
d
0.1

Examples of usage
0.2 YW, 1.23Y [W]
3.33 Zs, 3.33Z [s]
1.23 Ekg, 1.23E [kg]
7.5 Ps, 7.5P [s]
0.5 Tm, 0.5T [m]
1.2 G, 1.2G []
7 MW, 7M [W]
33 km, 33K [m]
Deprecated by SI
Deprecated by SI
Deprecated by SI

centi

0.01

Deprecated by SI

milli

m, k

10-3

22 mm , 1.2m [m]

micro
nano
pico

, u
n
p

10-6
10-9
10-12

2.7 uJ , 2.7 [J]

2.2 nF, 2.2n [F]
1.5 pA, 1.5p [A]

femto

10-15

4.8 fs, 4.8f [s]

atto

10-18

1.2 ag, 1.2a [g]

zepto
yocto

z
y

10-21
10-24

0.2 zm, 1.2z [m]

1 ys, 1y [s]

Origin
Greek 'octo' (eight, 10008)
French 'sept' (seven, 10007)
Greek 'six' (10006)
Greek 'five' (10005)
Greek 'teras' = monster
Greek 'gigas' = giant
Greek 'megas' = large
Greek 'kilioi' = thousand
Greek 'hekaton' = hundred
Greek 'deka' = ten
Latin 'decima pars' = one
tenth
Latin 'centesima pars' = one
hundredth
Latin 'millesima pars' = one
thousandth
Greek 'mikros' = small
Latin 'nanus' = dwarf
Spanish 'pico' = minimal
measure
Danish and Norvegian
'femten' = fifteen (10-15)
Danish and Norvegian 'atten'
= eighteen (10-18)
French 'sept' (seven, 1000-7)
Greek 'octo' (eight, 1000-8)

Table III b. Binary prefixes for Bytes

which are not a part of SI but which are in common use in informatics [see the note].

Prefix Symbol Factor Value

Examples

Kilo

KB

210

1024

12345 KB = 12 641 280 bytes

Mega

MB

220

1 048 576

420 MB fits in my PC's dynamic RAM

Giga

GB

1 073 741 824

16 GB flash-memory pen drive costs $20

Tera

TB

1 099 511 627 776

3.9 TB hard disks are a reality

Peta

PB

250

1 125 899 906 842 624

13.5 PB is the CIA total memory capacity

Exa

EB

1 152 921 504 606 846 976

1 EB is still a bit out of reach (AD 2010)

Zetta

ZB

270

1 180 591 620 717 411 303 424

How many ZB to hard-copy a human being ???

Yotta

YB

1 208 925 819 614 629 174 706 176

1 YYB is still nothing compared with the Universe

30
40

60

80

Table IV. Accepted non-SI units

compiled according to the US Federal Register (ref.4).

Unit

of

Symbol Equals

Degree of arc

plane angle

(/180) rad

Minute of arc

plane angle

'

(1/60) o

Second of arc

plane angle

"

(1/60)'

Minute

time

min

Hour

time

60 min

Day

time

24 h

Liter

volume

Gram

Definition / Note

60 s
Notice that the duration of a day is not linked to Earth motion!

L, l

0.001 m

Often used sub-units are deciliter (dl) and centiliter.(cl).

mass

0.001 kg

A tolerated anomaly: the basic unit of mass (kg) has a prefix.

Ton

mass

1000 kg

More precise term: metric ton.

Bit

information

The smallest, dimensionless quantum of information

Baud rate

info flux

Neper

ratio

Np

Bel

ratio

bit
Baud

1 bit.s

-1

[amount of information]/[time]

log(A/B)

Measure of a ratio A/B. The logarithms are in base 10.

0.5 Np

Mostly used as decibel (dB): 1 dB = (1/20) Np.

Table V. Accepted non-SI units with experimental values.

For the most recent values of these constantly improving units, see Constants of Physics.

Unit

of

Electronvolt

energy

Astronomical unit length

Atomic mass unit

mass

Symbol Equals
eV

1.60217733(49).10-19 J

Note
Energy to move an electron across a potential difference
of 1 V.

au, AU, ua 1.49597870(30).10+11 m Mean Earth-to-Sun distance. Also denoted as ua.

u

1.6605402(10).10-27 kg

1/12 of the rest mass of an unbound 12C atom in ground

state.

Table VI. Units deprecated by the SI

which are still in current use in most countries.

Unit
Nautical mile
Knot
Are
Hectar
Bar

of
length
velocity
area
area
pressure

Calory

energy

cal

4.1868 J

ngstrm

length

10-10 m

Barn

area

10-28 m2

Radioactivity and radiation:

Curie
Radioactivity

3.7*10+10 Bq

Rntgen

Radiation
dose

0.000258 Ci.kg-1

Rad

Radiation
dose
Equivalent
dose

rad

0.01 Gy

rem

0.01 Sv

Rem

Symbol
mile
knot
are
ha
bar

Equals
1852 m
1 mile.h-1
100 m2
100 are
100000 Pa

Note
A nautical unit.
10000 m2
Almost 1 atm =
101325 Pa (an
obsolete unit)
Note: the
conversion factor is
fixed by
convention.
Used in atomic and
molecular physics.
Used in particle
physics (collision
cross-sections).
Note: the
conversion factor is
fixed by
convention.
Note: the
conversion factor is
fixed by
convention.

Metric prefixes

Yotta = 1024 Symbol: Y

Zetta = 1021 Symbol: Z

Exa = 1018 Symbol: E

Peta = 1015 Symbol: P

Tera = 1012 Symbol: T

Giga = 109 Symbol: G

Mega = 106 Symbol: M

Kilo = 103 Symbol: k

Hecto = 102 Symbol: h

Deca = 101 Symbol: da

Deci = 10-1 Symbol: d

Centi = 10-2 Symbol: c

Milli = 10-3 Symbol: m

Micro = 10-6 Symbol:

Nano = 10-9 Symbol: n

Pico = 10-12 Symbol: p

Femto = 10-15 Symbol: f

Atto = 10-18 Symbol: a

Zepto = 10-21 Symbol: z

Yocto = 10-24 Symbol: y

Conversion factors for temperature

F = (oC)(9/5) + 32

C = (oF - 32)(5/9)

R = oF + 459.67

K = oC + 273.15

Conversion equivalencies for volume

1 US gallon (gal) = 231.0 cubic inches (in3) = 4 quarts (qt) = 8

pints (pt) = 128 fluid ounces (fl. oz.) = 3.7854 liters (l)
1 Imperial gallon (gal) = 160 fluid ounces (fl. oz.) = 4.546 liters (l)

Conversion equivalencies for distance

1 inch (in) = 2.540000 centimeter (cm)

Conversion equivalencies for velocity

1 mile per hour (mi/h) = 88 feet per minute (ft/m) = 1.46667 feet
per second (ft/s) = 1.60934 kilometer per hour (km/h) = 0.44704
meter per second (m/s) = 0.868976 knot (knotinternational)
Conversion equivalencies for weight

1 pound (lb) = 16 ounces (oz) = 0.45359 kilogram (kg)

Conversion equivalencies for force

1 pound-force (lbf) = 4.44822 newton (N)

Acceleration of gravity (free fall), Earth standard

9.806650 meters per second per second (m/s2) = 32.1740 feet

per second per second (ft/s2)
Conversion equivalencies for area

1 acre = 43560 square feet (ft2) = 4840 square yards (yd2) =

4046.86 square meters (m2)
Conversion equivalencies for pressure

1 pound per square inch (psi) = 2.03603 inches of mercury (in.

Hg) = 27.6807 inches of water (in. W.C.) = 6894.757 pascals (Pa)
= 0.0680460 atmospheres (Atm) = 0.0689476 bar (bar)

Conversion equivalencies for energy or work

1 british thermal unit (BTUInternational Table) = 251.996

calories (calInternational Table) = 1055.06 joules (J) =
1055.06 watt-seconds (W-s) = 0.293071 watt-hour (W-hr) =
1.05506 x 1010 ergs (erg) = 778.169 foot-pound-force (ft-lbf)
Conversion equivalencies for power

1 horsepower (hp550 ft-lbf/s) = 745.7 watts (W) = 2544.43

british thermal units per hour (BTU/hr) = 0.0760181 boiler
horsepower (hpboiler)

Conversion equivalencies for motor torque

Locate the row corresponding to known unit of torque along the left of the table.
Multiply by the factor under the column for the desired units. For example, to convert 2
oz-in torque to n-m, locate oz-in row at table left. Locate 7.062 x 10 -3 at intersection of
desired n-m units column. Multiply 2 oz-in x (7.062 x 10 -3 ) = 14.12 x 10-3 n-m.
Converting between units is easy if you have a set of equivalencies to work with.
Suppose we wanted to convert an energy quantity of 2500 calories into watt-hours.
What we would need to do is find a set of equivalent figures for those units. In our
reference here, we see that 251.996 calories is physically equal to 0.293071 watt
hour. To convert from calories into watt-hours, we must form a unity fraction with
these physically equal figures (a fraction composed of different figures and different
units, the numerator and denominator being physically equal to one another), placing
the desired unit in the numerator and the initial unit in the denominator, and then
multiply our initial value of calories by that fraction.
Since both terms of the unity fraction are physically equal to one another, the fraction
as a whole has aphysical value of 1, and so does not change the true value of any
figure when multiplied by it. When units are canceled, however, there will be a change

in units. For example, 2500 calories multiplied by the unity fraction of (0.293071 w-hr /
251.996 cal) = 2.9075 watt-hours.

The unity fraction approach to unit conversion may be extended beyond single steps.
Suppose we wanted to convert a fluid flow measurement of 175 gallons per hour into
liters per day. We have two units to convert here: gallons into liters, and hours into
days. Remember that the word per in mathematics means divided by, so our initial
figure of 175 gallons per hour means 175 gallons divided by hours. Expressing our
original figure as such a fraction, we multiply it by the necessary unity fractions to
convert gallons to liters (3.7854 liters = 1 gallon), and hours to days (1 day = 24
hours). The units must be arranged in the unity fraction in such a way that undesired
units cancel each other out above and below fraction bars. For this problem it means
using a gallons-to-liters unity fraction of (3.7854 liters / 1 gallon) and a hours-to-days
unity fraction of (24 hours / 1 day):

Our final (converted) answer is 15898.68 liters per day.