Unit Consistency and

Conversions

Objectives
Differentiate fundamental and derived quantities
Identify SI and British systems of standards for

measurement and express measurement of

physical quantities in both SI and British.

FUNDAMENTAL AND DERIVED

QUANTITIES

FUNDAMENTAL AND DERIVED

QUANTITIES
Fundamental Quantities
They cannot be reduced any further
Example: length, mass, time, & temperature
Derived Quantities
Combination of fundamental quantities
Example: average speed & acceleration

Fundamental Units
In kinematics (mathematical description of motions),

we measure the position of an object as a function of

time. Hence the fundamental quantities are length
and time.
In dynamics, we need to include one more
fundamental quantity, inertial mass, such as in the
equation F = ma
In thermodynamics, the concept of thermal
equilibrium introduces another fundamental quantity,
temperature.
We will be using Systme International (SI) units
which are: length (meter), time (second), mass (kg),
temperature (Kelvin).
All other quantities in this course can be built upon
these fundamental units.

Basic SI Units
QUANTITY

UNIT

Length

meter (m)

Time

second (s)

Mass

kilogram (kg)

Temperature

kelvin (K)

Electric current

ampere (A)

Luminous intensity

candela (cd)

LETS PLAY UNLI!

List derived quantities as many as you can!

SYSTEMS OF UNITS
A complete set of units, both fundamental and
derived.
For each fundamental quantity there is an
arbitrarily chosen (but properly standardized)
fundamental unit.

SYSTEMS OF UNITS
mks meter, kilogram, second
cgs centimeter, gram, second
fps foot, pound, second (British
Gravitational system)
mks sytem was adopted by International
Electrotechnical Commission to be put into
universal use on January 1, 1940.

Dimensional analysis
Balancing units on both sides of an equation is

called dimensional analysis.

Example: Distance travelled= speed x time
d=vt
m = (m/s) s
** Both sides of an equation must have the same
unit (in this case, it is meter), if they dont, then
your equation is incorrect.

Dimensionally Consistent
Equation
Two terms may be added or equated only if they

have the same units.

Example: d = vt (body moving with constant

speed v)

CAUTION: Always use units in calculations

Unit Consistency and

Conversions
The use of equations to express relationships

among physical quantities

Represented by algebraic symbols = a number

and a unit

Example: distance, time, and acceleration

Example of using dimensional

analysis to answer a question
Which of the following is a possible formula for

the period (T) of a pendulum?

(a) T = 2 gl
(b) T = 2 g / m
(c) T = 2 l / g
Given :
T = period in seconds,
g = 9.8m / s2
l = length of pendulum in meters
m = mass in kg

SAMPLE CONVERSION
PROBLEMS
The official world land speed record is 1228.0

km/h, set on October 15, 1997, by Andy Green in

the jet engine car Thrust SSC. Express this
speed in meters per second.
The world's largest cut diamond is the First Star

of Africa
(mounted in the British Royal Sceptre and kept in
the Tower of
London). Its volume is 1.84 cubic inches. What is
its volume in
cubic centimeters? In cubic meters? (1 in =2.54 cm)

SEATWORK
1)

Starting with the definition 1 in. = 2.54 cm, find the

number of (a) kilometers in 1.00 mile and (b) feet in 1.00
km
2) How many nanoseconds does it take light to travel 1.00 ft
in vacuum?
3) The following conversions occur frequently in physics
and are very useful. (a) Use 1 mi = 5280 ft and 1 h = 3600
s to convert 60 mph to units of ft/s. (b) The acceleration of
a freely falling object is 32 ft/s2. Use 1 ft = 30.48 cm to
express this acceleration in units of m/s2 (c) The density of
water is 1.0 g/cm3. Convert this density to units of kg/m3.
4) While driving in an exotic foreign land you see a speed
limit sign on a highway that reads 180,000 furlongs per
fortnight. How many miles per hour is this? (One furlong is
1/8 mile, and a fortnight is 14 days. A furlong originally