1

Chapter 2: Units and Dimensions

Learning Objectives: To understand the units & dimensions and how to convert from one-unit
system to another.

This chapter addresses why do we need to learn about units & dimensions, what are the available
dimensions and unit systems and how to convert the unit.

A. Fundamental concept
Dimensions: concepts of measurements.

Basic dimensions: mass, length, time and temperature.

Derivative: derived from the basics (via multiplication or division), e.g. velocity (length/time)

Units: the means of expressing the dimensions.

• System of Units

– System International (SI): meter, kilogram, second

– CGS: centimeter, gram, second

– American Engineering Systems (AES): foot, pound-mass, second

Basic measurements

Can (+), (-) or (=) ONLY for similar units: eg: 1 m + 1 m = 2 m (OK); 1 ft + 1 m (NOT OK), 1 kg + 1 m
(Not OK)

Can (x) or (÷) for non-similar units, e.g., 1m/1s = 1m/s (√ )

 2

Converting of Units: Quantity in a unit term to its equivalent in another unit.

Equation must be dimensionally consistent

Dimension, quantity and units

Identifying dimension, unit and quantity

 3

Converting units

B. Examples
 4

A supersonic air craft consumes 5,320 imperial gallons of kerosene per hour of flight and
flies an average of 14 hours per day. It takes 7 tons of crude oil to produce one ton of
kerosene. The density of kerosene is 0.965 g/cm3. How many planes is required to
consume the entire annual production of 4.02×109 metric tones of crude oil per year?
First step: calculate the production capacity of kerosene per year from crude oil production data and
kerosene density data.

Second step: calculate the total fuel consumption per plane per year from fuel consumption data
per plane
 5

A supersonic aircraft consumes 5,320 imperial gallons of kerosene per hour of flight and flies
an average of 14 hours per day. It takes 7 tonnes of crude oil to produce one tonne of
kerosene. If the Malaysian crude oil production is 600,000 barrel per day, how many planes
to consume the entire annual Malaysian crude oil production? Given, 1 barrel = 200 liters
and density of kerosene is 0.965 g/cm3.

First step: calculate the production capacity of kerosene per year from crude oil production data and
kerosene density of 0.965 g/cm3 and conversion of crude to kerosene data.

Second step: calculate the total fuel consumption per plane per year

Third step: calculate the total number of planes

 6

C. Class activities
1. Convert the following quantities to the ones designated:

760 miles/h to m/s

921 kg/m3 to Ibm/ft3

5.37 x 103 kJ/min to hp

25 psig to psia

2. Calculate

The weight (in Ibf) of a 25 lbm object

The mass (in kg) of an object that weighs 25 N

The weight in dynes of a 10-ton object (not metric tons)

 7

3. Using a single dimensional equation, estimate the number of golf balls it would take to fill
your classroom. Given the classroom of having a size of 25ft (L) x 20ft(W) x 12ft(H). The ball
is having a diameter of 42.3 mm.

4. A professor once claimed that if all the reports she had graded in her career were stacked on
top of one another, they would reach from earth to the moon. Assume that an average
report is the thickness of about 10 sheets of printer paper and use single dimensional
equation to estimate the number of reports the professor would have had to grade for her
claim to be valid. Given the thickness of 10 sheets printer paper=1.2 mm and the distance
from earth to the moon=238,857 miles.

5. A waste treatment pond is 50 m long and 15 m wide, and has an average depth of 2 m. The
density of the waste is 85.3 lbm/ft3. Calculate the weight of the pond contents in kg, using a
single dimensional equation for your calculation.

6. Five hundred lbm of nitrogen is to be charged into a small metal cylinder at 25oC, at a
pressure such that the gas density is 11.5 kg/m3. Estimate the required cylinder volume.
 8

7. You are trying to decide which of two automobiles to buy. If the cost of gasoline is RM
8.55/gal, and if the cars actually deliver their rated mileage, estimate how many miles you
have to drive for the lower fuel consumption of the second car to compensate for the higher
cost of this car?

Type Price Rated unleaded petrol

mileage

A-made RM 14 500 28 miles/gal

K-made RM 21 700 19 km/L