PHYSICS LESSON 1

PHYSICAL QUANTITIES AND SYSTEM OF UNITS

Measurement is very important in physics while dealing with physical quantities. The purpose of
measurement is to acquire a number or numbers that accurately represent the values of the measured
physical quantities under consideration. However, it would be impossible to relate the experimentally
obtained numbers to their physical quantities without defining a standard, to which they could be
compared and then documented. For example, it would be insignificant to say that a certain quantity
has a mass of 300 g without having in mind a standard of mass for comparison. The standard of mass of
1.000 kg makes the comparison so clear because we understand then that 300 g are 300 parts of 1000
parts that make 1 kg. The same applies to length and time.

PHYSICAL QUANTITIES
A physical quantity is a property of a material or system that can be quantified by measurement. A
physical quantity can be expressed as the combination of a numerical value and a unit. For example,
the physical quantity mass can be quantified as n kg, where n is the numerical value and kg is the
unit. A physical quantity possesses at least two characteristics in common, one is numerical
magnitude and other is the unit in which it is measured.

There are two types of physical quantities with their examples listed below:

1. Fundamental (Base) Quantities:

Base quantities are those quantities that form the basis on which other quantities can be
established or expressed. They are distinct in nature and are not defined in terms of other
quantities. The seven examples of Base quantities according to the International System of
Quantities (ISQ) are
• Length
• Time
• Mass
• Electric Current
• Temperature
• Luminous Intensity
• Amount of Substance

2. Derived Quantities:
Derived quantities are those whose definitions are based on other physical quantities (base
quantities). They are expressed in terms of other quantities. In other words, Derived
quantities are obtained by a combination of certain basic quantities. For instance, Density is
a derived quantity since it is obtained from a combination of mass and volume of a
substance in terms of the ratio of mass to volume.
Examples of Derived Quantities are:
• Density
 • Area
• Volume
• Velocity
• Acceleration
• Weight
• Momentum
• Pressure
• Energy
• Work
• Power
• Surface Tension
• Young Modulus
• Impulse
• Moment etc.

SYSTEM OF UNITS
For the meaningful analyses of measured Physical Quantities, there are three systems of units that are
commonly used:

• The cgs System of units

• The mks System of units
• The ft-lb-s System of units
*The cgs system of units adopts the centimeter (cm) as a unit of Length, the gram (g) as the unit of
Mass, and the second (s) as the unit of Time.

*The mks system of units adopts the meter (m) as the unit of Length, the kilogram (kg) as the unit of
Mass, and the second (s) as the unit of Time.

The ft–lb–s system is also known as the BE (British Engineering System). It adopts the foot (ft) as unit for
length, the pound (lb) as unit for weight, and the second (s) for time.

THE S.I UNIT

All quantities in science consist of a number and a unit. The S.I unit system is a system of units used
throughout the scientific world and universally accepted for the standard measurement of physical
quantities. SI units are based on the units of base quantities
NOTE: The mks system is known as the SI system. This system at present is the most scientifically
recognized and widely used, and it adopts the meter (m) for length, the kilogram (kg) for mass, and the
second (s) for time.

TABLE OF BASE QUANTITIES AND THEIR SI UNITS

The table below shows the fundamental Quantities, their symbol of representation, their SI
units

QUANTITY S.I UNIT DIEMSIONAL

NAME COMMON NAME SYMBOL SYMBOL
SYMBOL
Length L, X, Y, or D Metre m L
Mass m Kilogram kg M
Time t second s T
Electric Current I Ampere A I
Temperature T, Ꝋ Kelvin k Θ
Amount of n mole mol N
Substance
Luminous Intensity Iv candela cd J
Plane angle α, β, γ, θ, φ, χ radian rad none
Solid Angle ω, Ω steradian sr none

TABLE OF SOME DERIVED QUANTITIES AND THEIR SI UNITS

DERIVED SYMBOL DERIVATION SI UNIT UNIT DIEMENSIONAL

QUANTITY NAME SYMBOL SYMBOL
Area A Length x Breadth metre square m² L²
Volume V Length x Breadth x Height mᶾ L3
Density ρ Mass/Volume Kilogram per Kg/mᶾ M L−3
metre cube
Velocity V Displacement/Time Meter per m/s L T−1
second
Acceleration a Change in Velocity/Time Metre per m/s² L T−2
second square
Weight W Mass x Gravitational Newton N M L T−2
Acceleration
momentum P Mass x Velocity kilogram Kgm/s M L T−1
meters per
second
pressure P Force/Area Newton per N/m² or M L−1 T−2
meter square or Pa
Pascal
Energy E Force x Distance Newton-meter Nm or M L2 T−2
Joule
Work W Force x Distance Newton-meter Nm M L2 T−2
Power P Work done/Time Newton meter Nm/s or
per second Watt
Surface Tension γ Energy change/Change in Newton per N/m or M T−2
Area metre J/m2
Young Modulus E, Y Stress/Strain Mega Pascal or MPa or M L−1 T−2
Newton per N/m²
millimeter
square
Impulse I Force x time Newton- Ns M L T−1
seconds