Units and dimensions

AS Physics
A Rohrs
SI (Systeme International d’Unites) Units
 System starts with a series of base units

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These units cannot

be expressed
in terms of any other unit.
Paper 21, Nov 2013, Q1 (a)

Example past paper question:

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Note: A gap should never be shown between a prefix and the

unit to which it refers (e.g. milligrams must be written mg and not m g).
Paper 23, Nov 2012, Q1 (a)(b)
Paper 23, Nov 2012, Q1 (a)(b)
SI derived units
-> comes from a defining equation

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SI derived units
You need to be able to:
express derived units as products or quotients of the SI
base units

derived units = a combination of one or more base units.

The base units may be multiplied together or divided by
one another, but never added or subtracted.
Paper 21, Nov 2013, Q1 (b)(i)
Paper 21, June 2013, Q1 (b)
Paper 21, June 2012, Q1 (a)
Paper 22, June 2013, Q1 (a)
Paper 23, June 2013, Q1 (a)
A*
No units
 Note:
Occasionally, a physical quantity (such as tensile strain)
has no units.
This might be because it is the ratio of two other quantities
which both have the same unit.
In cases like these, learners should be discouraged from
giving the unit as ‘1’.
It should be stated clearly, when necessary, that the
quantity has ‘no units’.
Homogeneity of equations
 If you are asked whether or not equations are
homogenous, show that both sides have the same base
units.
Paper 21, Nov 2013, Q1 (b)(ii)
Paper 21, Nov 2013, Q1 (b)(ii)
Paper 22, Nov 2012, Q1 (a)
Paper 22, Nov 2012, Q1 (a)
Paper 21, June 2012, Q1 (b)
Paper 21, June 2012, Q1 (b)
Paper 22, June 2013, Q1 (b)(i)
Paper 22, June 2013, Q1 (b)(i)
Paper 23, June 2013, Q1 (b))
Paper 23, June 2013, Q1 (b))
Paper 22, June 2011, Q2 (a)(i)
Paper 22, June 2011, Q2 (a)(i)
You will know this towards
end of syllabus…

Paper 21, June 2013, Q 1(c)

You will know this towards
end of syllabus…

Paper 21, June 2013, Q 1(c)

 Calculations in Physics

Before doing a calculation Rounding

+ Before plugging values into a
formula
convert each prefix and each
value to SI units
and then calculate.
Round your answer off to the least
amount of significant figures in
your calculation, or one more sig
fig than your least amount of sig fig
in your calculation.

e.g. If an object travels

1200 cm in 3 s, calculate
the speed.

Speed = 12 ÷ 3 = 4 ms-1