CHAPTER 1:

UNITS & DIMENSION

Edited by

Mohd Rosydi Zakaria

Prepared by
Nurjuliana Juhari
Mohamad Nazri Abdul Halim
School of Microelectronic Engineering

Objectives:
1. Ability to define and understand base

and derived quantities, distinguish

standard units and sistem of unit, and
fundamental quantities.
2. Ability to understand and apply
converting units within a system or
from one system of unit to another
3. Ability to understand and apply
Dimensional Analysis.

WHY STUDY PHYSICS?

Physics is the branch of science that describes

matter, energy, space, and time at the most

fundamental level.
The goal of physics is to develop theories based on
experiments
A physical theory, usually expressed
mathematically, describes how a given system
works
The theory makes predictions about how a system
should work
Experiments check the theories predictions
Every theory is a work in progress
Introduction

PHYSICAL QUANTITIES
- Physics is based on quantities known as physical quantities.
- Generally, physical quantity is a quantity that can be measured.
- Physical quantity is the product of numerical value and a unit.

(Physical quantity) = (numerical value) x (unit)

- Eg: length, mass, time, force and pressure.
- Physical quantities are divided into 2 groups:

Physical quantities

Definition

Base quantity

Contains of length, mass, time, electrical

current, temperature, quantity of matter &
luminous intensity

Derived quantities

The quantity which derived from base

quantity. Eg: force, energy, pressure, etc

Cont
Physical quantities are organized in a

dimensional system built upon base

quantities, each of which is regarded as
having its own dimension.
Physical Quantity are independent of each
other and cant be further resolve into any
other physical quantity.
In the SI system of units, there are seven
(7) base units, but other conventions
may
have
a
different number
of
fundamental units.

 The base quantities according to the International

System of Quantities (ISQ) and their dimensions are

listed in the following table:
Name

Symbol of
quantity

Symbol of
dimension

SI base unit

Length

meter (m)

Time

second (s)

Mass

kilogram (kg)

Electrical
current

Ampere (A)

Thermodynamic
temperature

Kelvin (K)

Amount of
substance

mole

Luminous
intensity

Iv

Candela (c)

Definition Units
"Units" is a physical quantity can be counted or measured using

standard size. Measured units are specific values of dimensions

defined by law or custom. Many different units can be used for a
single dimension, as inches, miles, and centimeters are all units
used to measure the dimension length.
Every measurement or quantitative statement requires a unit. If
you say youre driving a car 30 that doesn't mean anything.Am
youre driving it 30 miles/hour, 30 km/hour, or 30 ft/sec. 30 only
means something when youre attach a unit to it. What is the
speed of light in a vacuum? 186,000 miles/sec or 3 x 10 8 m/s. The
number depends on the units.
Derived units are constructed from combinations of the base
units.
For example, the SI unit of force is kgm/s 2 (which can also be
written kgms2 ); this combination of units is given a special
name, the newton (N), in honor of Isaac Newton. The newton is a
derived unit because it is composed of a combination of base
units.

Standard Unit
Thins in which quantity is measured.
The elements of substances and motion.
If unit becomes officially accepted, its called Standard Unit
Group of Unit and Combination is called SYSTEM OF UNITS.
All things in classical mechanics can be expressed in terms

of the fundamental quantities:

Length (L) , MASS (M), TIME (T)

Units are
not
optional!

Some examples of more complicated quantities:

Speed has the quantity of L / T (i.e. kmph or mph).
Acceleration has the quantity of L/T2.
Force has the quantity of ML / T2 (as you will learn).

-There are three primary unit systems in use today:

the International System of Units (SI units, from Le Systeme
International dUnites, more commonly simply called metric units)

the English Engineering System of Units (commonly

called English units)
the British Gravitational System of Units (BG)
SI = International Systems of Units
Includes: > base quantities kilogram and meter

>derived quantities m/h, m/s, N, J, etc.

The International System of Units (abbreviated SI from the
French Le Systme international d'units) is the modern form
of the metric system. It is the world's most widely used
system of units, both in everyday commerce and in science.
Based on International Committee for Weights and Measures
(CIPM), 1954 & 1960 seven base unit recommended.

Units

British Units:

SI (Systme International) Units

also called Metric System

MKS system

CGS SYSTEM

L = meters (m),

centimeter (cm)

M = kilograms (kg)

gram (g)

T = seconds (s)

seconds (s)

We will use mostly SI units, but you

may run across some problems using

British units. You should know how to
convert back & forth.

L = inches, feet, miles,

M = slugs (pounds),
T = seconds

SI derived units/Derived
Quantities
SI derived units are part of the SI system of

measurement units and are derived from the

seven SI base units.
Unit of derive quantity:
Physical

Quantity

Units

Volume

length

ms

speed

Length/time

m/s

Quantity

Name

Symbol
of
quantity

SI unit

Symbol of
dimension

Force, Weight

Newton

mkg/s2

LMT-2

Energy, Work,
Heat

Joule

m2kg/s2

L2MT-2

Power, radian
flux

Watt

m2kg/s3

L2MT-3

Frequency

Hertz

Hz

s-1

T-1

Pressure,
Stress

Pascal

Pa

m-1kg/s2

L-1MT-2

Electric charge
or flux

Coulomb

As

AT

Electrical
potential
difference,
Electromotive
force

Volt

m2kgs3A1

L2MT-3A-1

Quantity

Name

Symbol
of
quantity

SI unit

Symbol of
dimension

Electric
resistance,
Impedance,

Ohm

m2kgs3A2

L2MT-3A-2

Electric
capacitance

Farad

m kg s A

Magnetic flux
density,
magnetic
induction

Tesla

kgs2A1

MT-2A-1

Magnetic flux

Weber

m2kgs2A1

L2MT-2A-1

Inductance

Henry

m2kgs2A2

L2MT-2A-2

Reactance
2

1 4

L-2M-1T4A2

Example 1:
(a) Force, F =ma
Solution:
m mass (kg); a acceleration (m/s2)
Thus, F = kgms-2
Newtons second law, F = m a. [Note: Bold notation indicates a vector.] By
definition of the fundamental units, this yields 1 N = 1 kg m/s2.

(b) Momentum, p =mv

Solution:
m mass (kg); v velocity (m/s)
Thus,p = kgms-1

Systems of Units

Other systems of Units

Convert one system

of unit to another.
This done by using
conversion factors.
C.G.S (cm gram sec)
Eg 2:
1gcm-3 to MKS units?

MKS to C.G.S C.G.S to MKS

1m= 100cm

1cm= 10-2m

1kg= 1000g

1g= 10-3kg

1m2=104 cm2

1cm3= 10-4m2

1m3=106 cm3

1cm3=10-6m3

SI Prefixes
-To signify decimal multiples and submultiples of SI units.
- Prefix should be printed in roman (upright) type with no space
between the prefix and the unit symbol.
-SI uses prefixes for units to indicate power of ten factors.
Name

yotta

zetta

exa

peta

tera

giga

mega

kilo

hecto

dec
a

Symbol

da

Factor

1024

1021

1018

1015

1012

109

103

102

101

106

Name

deci

centi

milli

micro

nano

pico

femto

atto

zepto

yoc
to

Symbol

Factor

10-1

10-2

10-3

10-6

10-9

10-12

10-15

10-18

10-21

1024

A s an alternative to explicitly writing powers of ten, SI uses prefixes for units

to indicate power of ten factors.
- For example, 8 cm 3 = 2 cm 2 cm 2 cm.

Unit Conversions
Because units in different systems, or even different units in

the same system, can be used to express the same

quantity, it sometimes necessary to CONVERT the units of a
quantity from one unit to another.

Mathematically, to change units we use conversion

factors.
As example, in British Unit, 1 yard = 3 ft
Whenever a calculation is performed, always write out the

units with each quantity.

Converting between different systems of

Converting Units If the statement of a problem includes a mixture of
units
different units, the units must be converted to a single, consistent set
before the problem is solved.

Quantities to be added or subtracted must be expressed in the same

units.

Useful Conversion factors:

1 inch = 2.54 cm
1 m
= 3.28 ft
1 mile = 5280 ft
1 mile = 1.61 km

Example: convert miles per hour to meters per

second:
mi 1mi 5280 ft
1m
1hr
m 1m
1

0.447
hr hr
mi
3.28 ft 3600s
s 2s

Example:
A hall bulletin board has an area of 2.5 m 2. What is area

in cm2?
Solution:
The problem is conversion of area units (in the same SI
2
2
4
2
unit: mks cgs).
We
know
= 100cm.
10 cm
10that
cm1m

So,
2

1m

1m

Thus, 1m2 = 104cm2 (conversion factor)

Hence,

4
2
10
cm
4
2
2.5m 2

2
.
5

10
cm
1m 2

 How about in square inch, (inch)2?

Solution:
From conversion factor, 1 inch = 2.54 cm
2
2

1inch

2.54cm

1inch

6.4516cm 2

Thus, 1inch2 = 6.4516cm2 (conversion factor)

Hence,
2
1
inch
3
2
2.5 10 4 cm 2

3
.
875

10
inch
6.4516cm 2

Example:
Michel, an exchange student from France, is studying in the
United States. He wishes to buy a new pair of jeans, but the
sizes are all in inches. He does remember that 1 m = 3.28 ft
and that 1 ft = 12 in. If his waist size is 82 cm, what is his waist
size in inches?
Strategy Each conversion factor can be written as a fraction.
If 1 m = 3.28 ft, then
We can multiply any quantity by 1 without changing its
value. We arrange each conversion factor in a fraction and
multiply one at a time to get from centimeters to inches.

1.6

Solution

The total area of the alveoli in the human lung is about

70 m2 . What is the area in (a) square centimeters and
(b) square inches?
Strategy Look up the conversion factors between
meters,
centimeters, and inches. Since there are two powers of
meters to convert, we need to square the conversion
factors.

1.7

Solution

Dimension
In common usage, a dimension (Latin, "measured

out") is a parameter or measurement required to

define the characteristics of an object - i.e.
length, width, and height or size and shape.
A Dimension can be measured or derived.
The "fundamental dimensions" (length, time, mass,
temperature, amount) are distinct and are sufficient to
define all the others.
We also use many derived dimensions (velocity, volume,
density, etc.) for convenience.
Dimensions are basic types of units, such as time,
Many
different
unitsmass.
of length exist: meters, inches, miles, nautical miles,
length,
and
fathoms, leagues, astronomical units, angstroms, cubits, etc.
All have dimensions of length; each can be converted into any other.

DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS
Usually [M], [L], and [T] are used to stand for mass,
length, and time dimensions, respectively.
Equivalently, we can use the SI base units: kg for
mass, m for length, and s for time.

Slide 29

1.8

Example
Analyze the dimensions of the equation d = vt, where d
is distance traveled, v is speed, and t is elapsed time.
Strategy Replace each quantity with its dimensions.
Distance has dimensions [L].
Speed has dimensions of length per unit time [L/T].
The equation is dimensionally consistent if the
dimensions are the same on both sides.
Slide 30

1.8
Analyze the dimensions of the equation d = vt, where d
is distance traveled, v is speed, and t is elapsed time.
The right side has dimensions

Since both sides of the equation have dimensions of

length, the equation is dimensionally consistent.

Slide 31

Example
The force (F) to keep an object moving in a

circle can be described in terms of the

velocity, v, (dimension L/T) of the object, its
mass, m, (dimension M), and the radius of
the circle, R, (dimension L).
Which of the following formulas for F could
be correct ?
(a)

F = mvR

(b)

F m

(c)

Remember: Force has dimensions of ML/T2

mv 2
F
R

Solution
(a)

F = mvR

v
(b) F m

Consider for RHS, since [LHS] = MLT-2

For (a);
[mvR] = MLT-1L=ML2T-1 (incorrect)
For (b);
[mv2R-2] = ML2T-2L-2 = MT-2 (incorrect)
For (c);
[mv2R-1] = ML2T-2L-1 = MLT-2 (correct)
Answer is (c)

(c)

mv 2
F
R

Dimensions and Units

There is a difference between dimensions and units.
-A dimension is a measure of a physical variable (without numerical values),
while a unit is a way to assign a number or measurement to that dimension.
- For example, length is a dimension, but it is measured in units of feet (ft) or
meters (m).
- The latter two are similar, except for the choice of primary mass unit and use
of the degree symbol, as discussed below.

Units & Dimension

Many people arent sure of the difference. Lets try and get a set
of definitions we can use. Consider:
o 110mg of sodium
o 24 hands high
o 5 gal of gasoline

Significant Figures
The number of digits that matter in a measurement or

calculation.
When writing a number, all non-zero digits are significant.
Zeros may or may not be significant.
those used to position the decimal point are not significant.
those used to position powers of ten ordinals may or may not
be significant.
in scientific notation all digits are significant
Examples:
2 1 sig fig
40
could be 1 or 2 sig figs
4.0 x 101 2 sig figs
0.0031
2 sig figs
3.03
3 sig figs

Significant Figures
When multiplying or dividing, the answer should have the same

number of significant figures as the least accurate of the quantities in

the calculation.
When adding or subtracting, the number of digits to the right of the
decimal point should equal that of the term in the sum or difference
that has the smallest number of digits to the right of the decimal
point.
3.73 x 5.7 = 21.261
Examples:
2 x 3.1 = 6
Three significant figures .
Answer should have the lower of
3.1 + 0.004 = 3.1
the two or two significant
1
2
-1
4.0 x 10 2.04 x 10 = 1.6 X 10
figure.

Significant Notation
Its easy to write down measurement of ordinary-sized

object:
Radius of hydrogen is 0.000 000 000 053m & moon 384
000 000m (all those zero is quite cumbersome)
Value in scientific notation is a number with 1 digit to left
of the decimal and zero or more to the right of it
multiplied by power of ten.

Move decimal point until there

370
000
is only one6digit
to its
left m

0.000 007 5m ?

Since we moved the decimal point 6

steps, the6 m
power of ten Is 6
6.37x10

The number here equals the

number of significant figures

Summary

Units can be counted or measured.

The International System of Units (SI) is the

modern form of the metric system. Two system of SI

units are mks system and cgs system.
The SI includes base quantities and derived
quantities.
A Dimension is a parameter or measurement
required to define the characteristics of an object.
Unit conversion - units in different systems, or even
different units in the same system.
Significant figures - The number of digits that
matter in a measurement or calculation