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Physical Quantities and Units refer to measurement. Measurement involves counting, but we can only count numbers 1,2,3,4... of a particular item. - The other thing we can do is to count the number of times a physical quantity is greater or less for one case than in another case. - A complete specification of the method of counting specifies a unit.
SI units
- The SI units (adopted in 1960) represent a set of basic physical quantities. - Second(s). The second is defined as a number of the period of vibration of radiation from the cesium133 atom. - Metre (m). The distance travelled by light in vacuum during a time of 1/299 792 458 second. - Kilogramme (kg). Defined as the mass of a specific platinum-iridium alloy cylinder kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France.
SI Units
- Kelvin (K). The kelvin is defined as 1/273.16 of the temperature of the triple point of water. - Ampere (A). Defined as the constant current which, if maintained in two straight parallel conductors of infinite length, of negligible cross section, and placed one metre apart in vacuum, would provide between the conductors a force equal to 2 x 10-7 newton per metre of length. - Mole (mol). The amount of substance containing as many identical units as there are atoms in 12 grams of carbon-12.
Scalars are quantities which are fully described by a magnitude alone. Examples are all the SI base units which are all described by their numerical magnitudes. Vectors are quantities which are fully described by both a magnitude and a direction.
Parallelogram method