UNITS AND DIMENSIONS

UNITS AND DIMENSIONS

Unit is defined as the numerical
standard used to measure the
qualitative dimension of a
physical quantity. When mass or
force, length and time are
accepted as basic quantities, then
all other quantities are secondary
or derived quantities in terms of
this basic quantities.
 UNITS AND DIMENSIONS
• Unit is defined as the numerical standard used
to measure the qualitative dimension of a
physical quantity. When mass or force, length
and time are accepted as basic quantities,
then all other quantities are secondary or
derived quantities in terms of this basic
quantities
 Physical Quantities and Units

• Physical quantity -specifying

how it is measured or by
stating how it is calculated
from other measurements

•Units –measurement of
physical quantities (standardized
values)
 Physical Quantities and Units
• Examples:
• Mass of person is 65 kg
• Length of a table is 3 m
• Area of a hall is 100 sq.meter
• Temperature of room is 300 K
FUNDAMENTAL UNITS AND DERIVED
UNITS
• The units in which the fundamental
quantities are measured are called as
fundamental or basic units. The three
primary units basic to mechanics are
length, time and mass.
• The derived units are the units of derived
physical quantities, which are expressed in
terms of the fundamental units. Examples:
Area, Volume, Force, Velocity, etc.
 Characteristics of Units
• Well – defined
• Suitable size
• Reproducible
• Invariable
• Indestructible
• Internationally acceptable
 Major Systems of Units
CGS System of Units
This system was first introduced in france
It is also known as Gaussian system of units
It is based on centimeter, gram and second as
the fundamental units of length, mass and
time.
 Major Systems of Units
MKS System of Units
This system was first introduced in france
It is also known as French system of units
It is based on meter, kilogram and second as
the fundamental units of length, mass and
time.
 Major Systems of Units
FPS System of Units
This system was first introduced in Britain
It is also known as British system of units
It is based on foot, pound and second as the
fundamental units of length, mass and time.
 Major Systems of Units
International System of Units
In 1971, General conference on weight and
measures held its meeting and decided a
system of units for international usage
The SI units consist of seven fundamental
units and two supplementary units
Major Systems of Units
 SI Units
• Length. The meter is defined as 1 650
763.73 wavelengths of a certain radiation of
the krypton-86 atom at 15˚C and 76 cm of
mercury.
• Mass. The kilogram is defined as the mass
of a platinum Iridium cylinder of diameter
equal to its height kept at the International
Bureau of weights and measures near Paris,
France.
 SI Units
• Time. The second is defined as the duration
of 9 192 631 770 periods of the radiation of
a certain state of the cesium-133 atom.
 Rules for SI Units

1. A symbol is never written with a plural “s”.

2. Full name of unit always starts with small
letter even if named after a person
 Rules for SI Units
• 3. Symbol for unit named after a scientist
should be in capital letter

• Symbol for other units are written in small

letter
 Rules for SI Units
• One space is left between the last digit of the
numerical and the symbol of a unit

• No space is used between the symbol for units

 Rules for SI Units
For numbers less than unity, zero must be put
on the left of the decimal, e.g., 0.30 m. For large
numbers exceeding five figures, one space every
after three digits counting from the right end
must be left blank without any commas, e.g., 1
500 375 is the correct way of writing the
number
 Rules for SI Units
For numbers less than unity, zero must be put
on the left of the decimal, e.g., 0.30 m. For large
numbers exceeding five figures, one space every
after three digits counting from the right end
must be left blank without any commas, e.g., 1
500 375 is the correct way of writing the
number
 Rules for SI Units

• The exponential power represented for a unit

having a prefix refers to both the unit and its
prefix.
 Rules for SI Units
Represent the numbers in terms of the
base or derived units by converting all
prefixes of, while performing calculations.
The final result should then be expressed
using a single prefix.
 Rules for SI Units
In general, avoid the use of a prefix in
the denominator of the composite
units. Exception for this is the base unit,
kilogram. For example, do not write 𝑁/𝜇
𝑚, but rather 𝑀𝑁/𝑚.
Compound prefixes should not be used,
e.g.,
 DIMENSIONS
Dimensional formula is a formula in
which the given physical quantity is
expressed in terms of the fundamental
quantities raised to suitable power.
 DIMENSIONS
• In order to completely define a physical
quantity, the following are to be known:

1. The unit of the quantity;

2. The number of times the unit contained
in that quantity, i.e., the numerical value.
Area is represented by L2 and area has 2
dimensions in length. Volume is
represented by L3 and has 3 dimensions in
length.
DIMENSIONLESS QUANTITIES
• Dimensionless quantities are the
quantities that are the ratio of two
quantities having the same
dimensional formula.
 LAW OF DIMENSIONAL
HOMOGENEITY
• The law of dimensional homogeneity
states that all equations which describes
the physical processes must be
dimensionally homogeneous. In other
words, no equation in which the
separate terms have different
dimensions can be physically valid.
Dimensionally homogeneous equations
are also said to be dimensionally correct.
In a dimensionally correct, all the terms
in the left and the right side will have
the same dimensions.
 Example

• How many cu. m in a 3 cu. ft?

• •What is the equivalent temperature

in ºC of a 145 ºF?

• •Given the area of a square as 300 sq.

m. What is the area in sq. in?
 Example

• If a car is traveling at a speed of 28.0

m/s, is the driver exceeding the speed
limit of 55.0 mi/h?

• •The traffic light turns green, and the

driver of a high-performance car slams
the accelerator to the floor. The
accelerometer registers 22.0 m/s2.
Convert this reading to km/min2
 Example

• Show that the expression v = v0+at is

dimensionally correct, where v and
v0represent velocities, a is
acceleration, and t is a time interval