\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\Units of force

Kilogram-force,
newton dyne Pound-force poundal
kilopond
1N ≡ 1 kg⋅m/s2 = 105 dyn ≈ 0.10197 kp
≈ 0.22481 lbf ≈ 7.2330 pdl
1 dyn = 10-5 N ≡ 1 g⋅cm/s 2
≈ 1.0197×10−6 kp
≈ 2.2481×10  lbf ≈ 7.2330×10−5 pdl
−6

1 kp = 980665 dy
= 9.80665 N ≡ gn × 1 kg ≈ 2.2046 lbf ≈ 70.932 pdl
n
1 lbf ≈ 4.448222 N ≈ 444822 dyn ≈ 0.45359 kp ≡ gn × 1 lb ≈ 32.174 pdl
1 pdl ≈ 0.138255 N ≈ 13825 dyn ≈ 0.014098 kp ≈ 0.031081 lbf ≡ 1 lb⋅ft /s2
The value of gn as used in the official definition of the kilogram-force (9.80665 m/s 2) is used here for all
gravitational units.

Three approaches to units of mass and force or weight

Force Weight Mass

nd
2 law of a
m=F /a F=W ∙ F=m∙ a
motion g
System BG GM EE M AE CGS MTS SI
Acceleration 2 2 2 2 2 2
ft/s m/s ft/s m/s ft/s Gal m/s m/s2
(a)
Pound-
Mass (m) Slug hyl kilogram pound gram tonne kilogram
mass
Force (F), Pound Pound-
Kilopond kilopond poundal dyne sthène Newton
weight (W) (lb) force
Pound Pound-
Poundal
per force
Pressure Technical Standard per
square per barye pieze Pascal
(p) atmosphere atmosphere square
inch square
foot
(lb/in2) inch

Standard prefixes for the metric units of measure (multiples)

Prefix pet
N/A decta Hecta kilo mega giga tera exa zetta yotta ronna quetta
name a
Prefix
da h k M G T P E Z Y R Q
Symbol
Factor 100 101 102 103 106 109 1012 1015 1018 1021 1024 1027 1030

Standard prefixes for the metric units of measure (submultiples)

Prefix name N/A deci centi milli micro nano pico femto atto zepto yocto ronto quecto
Prefix symbol d c m μ n p f a z y r q
Factor 100 10−1 10−2 10−3 10−6 10−9 10−12 10−15 10−18 10−21 10−24 10−27 10−30

the English System of Units

There are several systems of units, each containing units for properties such as length, volume,
weight, and time. In the English system the units are defined in an arbitrary way.

Length: inch (in), foot (ft), yard (yd), mile (mi)

12 in = 1 ft 5280 ft = 1 mi
3 ft = 1 yd 1760 yd = 1 mi
Volume: fluid ounce (oz), cup (c), pint (pt), quart (qt), gallon (gal)
2 c = 1 pt 32 oz = 1 qt
 2 pt = 1 qt 4 qt = 1 gal
Weight: ounce (oz), pound (lb), ton
16 oz = 1 lb 2000 lb = 1 ton
Time: second (s), minute (min), hour (h), day (d), year (y)
60 s = 1 min 24 h = 1 d
60 min = 1 h 3651/4 d = 1 y

The Metric System

The Metric System is based on the fundamental units of measure for length, volume, and mass.

Length: meter (m)

Volume
liter (L)
:
Mass : gram (g)

Base units in the Metric System can be converted into units that are more appropriate for the
quantity being measured by adding a prefix to the name of the base unit. The common metric
prefixes are given below.

Metric System Prefixes

Prefix Symbol Meaning

femto- f x 1/1,000,000,000,000,000 (10-15)
pico- p x 1/1,000,000,000,000 (10-12)
nano- n x 1/1,000,000,000 (10-9)
micro- � x 1/1,000,000 (10-6)
milli- m x 1/1,000 (10-3)
centi- c x 1/100 (10-2)
deci- d x l/10(10-1)
kilo- k x 1,000 (103)
mega- M x 1,000,000 (106)
giga- G x 1,000,000,000 (109)
tera- T x 1,000,000,000,000 (1012)

The base units of length and volume are linked in the metric system. By definition, a liter is
equal to the volume of a cube exactly 10 cm tall, 10 cm long, and 10 cm wide. Because the
volume of this cube is 1000 cubic centimeters and a liter contains 1000 milliliters, 1 milliliter is
equivalent to 1 cubic centimeter.

1 mL = 1cm3

The base units of volume and weight are also linked. The gram was originally defined as the
mass of 1 mL of water at 4 degrees Celsius.

1g = 1mL H2O at 4 �C

Mass Versus Weight

Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object, so the mass of an object is constant.
Weight is a measure of the force of attraction of the earth acting on an object. The weight of an
object is not constant.

Mass is a more fundamental quantity than weight. There is no English equivalent to the
verb weigh that can be used to describe what happens when the mass of an object is measured.
You are therefore likely to encounter the terms weigh and weight for operations and quantities
that are more accurately associated with the term mass.

SI Units of Measure

In 1960 the International System of Units was proposed as a replacement for the Metric

System. The seven base units for the SI system are given below.

SI Base Units

Physical Quantity Name of Unit Symbol

length meter m
mass kilogram kg
time second s
temperature kelvin K
electric current ampere D
amount of substance mole mol
luminous intensity candela cd

Derived Si Units

The units of every measurement in the SI system must be derived from one or more of the seven
base units. Some of the common derived SI units used in chemistry are given below.

Common Derived SI Units in Chemistry

Physical Quantity Name of Unit Symbol

density kg/m3
electric charge coulomb C (A � s)
electric potential volt V (J/C)
energy joule J (kg-m2/s2)
force newton N (kg-m/s2)
frequency hertz Hz (s-1)
pressure pascal Pa (N/m2)
velocity (speed) meters per second m/s
volume cubic meter m3

Non-SI Units

Strict adherence to SI units would require changing directions such as "add 250 mL of water to a
1-L beaker" to "add 0.00025 cubic meters of water to an 0.001-m 3 container." Because of this, a
number of units that are not strictly acceptable under the SI convention are still in use. Some of
these non-SI units are given below.

Non-SI Units in Common Use

Physical Quantity Name of Unit Symbol
volume liter L (10-3 m3)
length angstrom D (0.1 nm)
pressure atmosphere atm (101.325 kPa)
torr mmHg (133.32 Pa)
energy electron volt eV (1.601 x 10-19 J)
temperature degree Celsius EC (K - 273.15)
concentration molarity M (mol/L)

unit Conversions

Length
1 m = 1.094 yd 1 yd = 0.9144
Volume
1 L = 1.057 qt 1 qt = 0.9464
Mass
1 g = 0.002205 lb 1 lb = 453.6 g