Physics Library
 An open source physics library
Encyclopedia | Forums | Docs | Random  

SI units and derivations

(Topic)

The seven SI base units are given in the table below. These units are assumed to be independent of each other.




base quantity SI base unitsymbol






length, position meter m



mass kilogram kg



time second s



current ampere A



temperature Kelvin K



amount of substance mole mol



intensity candela cd



There are many quantities that can be measured using units that are derived from the base units. Some of these are written in terms of the base units. Some examples are given in the table below.




quantity SI derived unit symbol






area square meter m2



volume cubic meter m3



speed, velocity meter per second m∕s



acceleration meter per second squared m∕s2



density kilogram per cubic meter kg∕m3



specific volume cubic meter per kilogram m3∕kg



concentration mole per cubic meter mol∕m3



wave number reciprocal meter m−1



current density ampere per square meter A∕m2



magnetic field strength ampere per cubic meter A∕m3



luminance candela per square meter cd∕m2



Other derived units have their own names. Some examples are given in the table below.





quantity SI unit symbolderivation from other SI units








volume liter L or ℓ 10−3m3




plane angle radian rad




solid angle steradian sr




frequency hertz Hz s−1




force newton N kg ⋅ m∕s2




pressure, stress Pascal Pa N∕m2




energy, work joule J N ⋅ m




Power watt W J∕s




charge coulomb C A ⋅ s




potential difference volt V W∕A




resistance ohm Ω V∕A




temperature degree Celsius ∘C K + 273.15




Reference: National Institute of Standards and Technology, http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/


Anyone with an account can edit this entry. Please help improve it!

"SI units and derivations" is owned by Wkbj79.
(view preamble)
View style:
See Also: SI unit prefixes


Cross-references: resistance, charge, Power, work, energy, Pascal, force, frequency, solid, magnetic field strength, acceleration, velocity, speed, volume, square, temperature, mass, position, units

This is version 4 of SI units and derivations, born on 2007-07-01, modified 2008-02-23.
Object id is 252, canonical name is SIUnitsAndDerivations.
Accessed 2770 times total.

Classification:
Physics Classification: 06.20.Fn (Units and standards)

Pending Errata and Addenda

None.

Discussion

No messages.

Interact