UNITS / DIMENSION

 DIMENSION
◦Quantity that can be measured

 UNITS
◦It’s how you express dimension
 SYSTEMS OF MEASUREMENT
A set of units which can be used to specify
anything which can be measured and were
historically important, regulated and defined
because of trade and internal commerce.
 SYSTEM OF UNITS
 CGS –Centimeter-Gram-Second system
 American Engineering System

 MKS –Meter-Kilogram-Second system

 International System of Units (SI)
Système international d'unités)

 is the modern form of the metric system

 SI units is important in your expression of
physical and chemical measurements.
 Understanding and proper expression of
quantities are basic skills for any modern
educated person
 UNITS
 FUNDAMENTAL / BASIC
Set of units of physical quantities from which every
other unit can be generated.
 Seven Basic Quantities and Units
Quantity Unit Symbol
Length Meter m
Mass Kilogram kg
Time Second s
Electric current Ampere A
Temperature Kelvin K
Luminous
intensity Candela cd
Amount of
substance Mole mol
 Conversion
 lbm to lbf

gc = 32.174 (ft)(lbm) / (s2)(lbf)

 UNITS
 DERIVED

Combination of fundamental units by

multiplying or dividing dimensions
 Some derived quantities and their SI units
Quantity Unit Symbol
Area square meter m2
Volume cubic meter m3
Density kg per cubic meter kg m-3
Velocity meter per second m s-1
meter per second
acceleration per second m s-2
 Special symbols of some SI units
Quantity Unit Explanation
Force N Newton = kg m s-2
Pressure Pa Pascal = N m-2
Energy J Joule = N.m
Electric charge C Coulomb = A.s
Electric potential V Volt = J/C
Energy J Joule = N.m
Electric charge C Coulomb = A s
Electric potential V 1 V = 1 J/C
Power watt 1 watt = 1 J/s
Common units still in Use
Quantity Symbol Explanation
liter = 1 dm3, 1 dm =
Volume L
0.1 m
mL milliliter = 1/1000 L
number of moles
Molarity M dissolved in 1 liter
solution
number of moles
Molality m dissolved in 1 kg
solvent
 SI units prefixes and conversion
Prefix Symbol Multiply by
yotta Y 1024
zetta Z 1021
exa E 1018
peta P 1015
tera T 1012
giga G 109
mega M 106
hectokilo hk 105
myria ma 104
kilo k 103
hecto h 102
deka da 101
 SI units prefixes and conversion
Prefix Symbol Multiply by
deci d 10-1
centi c 10-2
milli m 10-3
decimilli dm 10-4
centimilli cm 10-5
micro µ 10-6
nano n 10-9
pico p 10-12
femto f 10-15
atto a 10-18
zepto z 10-21
yocto y 10-24
Prefix Symbol Multiply by
tera T 1012
giga G 109
mega M 106
kilo k 103
deci d 10-1
centi c 10-2
milli m 10-3
decimilli dm 10-4
centimilli cm 10-5
micro µ 10-6
nano n 10-9
pico p 10-12
Conversion
In conversion , there are just two simple steps:
1. Find a conversion factor between the given units
and the desired units, and write it as an
equation.

Example: whether you have miles and need

kilometers, or you have kilometers and need
miles, you can use either conversion factor
between miles and kilometers, namely 1 mi =
1.61 km or 1 km = 0.621 mi. Either equation will
work equally well.
2. Convertthat equation to a fraction with the desired
units on top and the given units on the bottom.
More formally, divide both sides by the value of the
side that contains the given units.
Example: To convert from miles to kilometers, you
need a fraction with the desired units (kilometers) on
top and the given units (miles) on the bottom. Based
on the above conversion factors, that fraction must be
either

1.61 km 1 km
------- or --------
1 mi 0.621 mi
1. The density of the lightest metal, lithium (Li), is
5.34 × 102 kg/m3. Convert
the density to g/cm3
2. A box containing 5 identical books weighs 6kg. If
the weight of the box is 600g, what is the weight
of each book?
3. A drawing on a transparency is 11.25
centimeters wide by 23.5 centimeters tall. The
width of the image of a drawing projected onto a
screen is 2.7 meters. How tall is the drawing on
the screen?
4. You have been hired to pour a circular pad of
concrete which measures 16 ft in diameter
and 8 inches deep cost per cubic yard is $85.
How much concrete in cubic yard? Cost of
concrete?
5. A barrier island is 1 km wide and 10 km long.
It loses 1.5m of its width per year to erosion
by a current. How long will the island take to
lose one-fourth of its width?
6. A Zoo uses 214,964 kilograms of meat per
year. If the meat costs $2.53 per kilogram,
how much does the meat cost per week?
Dimensional Analysis

 Dimensions & units can be treated algebraically

Dimensional Analysis

 Checking equations with dimensional analysis:

 Each term must have same dimension

 Two variables can not be added if dimensions are
different
 Multiplying variables is always fine

 Numbers (e.g. 1/2 or p) are dimensionless

Example 1.1
Check the equation for dimensional consistency:

Here, m is a mass, g is an acceleration, c is a

velocity, h is a length
Example 1.2
Consider the equation:

Where m and M are masses, r is a radius and v

is a velocity.
What are the dimensions of G ?
 Example 1.3
Given “x” has dimensions of distance, “u” has
dimensions of velocity, “m” has dimensions of
mass and “g” has dimensions of acceleration.

Is this equation dimensionally valid?

Is this equation dimensionally valid?