Department of Geography

University of Victoria
WORKING WITH PHYSICAL QUANTITIES, DIMENSIONS & SI UNITS
IN PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
by Dr. Ian J. Walker
When working with data in earth science problems, it is obviously useful to know
the numerical value of the quantities that you are working with but it is also important to
understand the units and physical dimensions of the variable(s). This handout will
introduce you to working with physical quantities, SI units and dimensional analysis; an
invaluable skill when working with and manipulating mathematical equations in
geomorphology, hydrology, climatology or other physical geography applications.
What are quantities and dimensions?
A quantity is a measurable value of size, number, weight or amount of
something. All physical quantities on Earth have dimensions that can be expressed in
terms and combinations of 5 basic dimensions: mass (M), length (L), time (T), electrical
current (I), and temperature (). These 5 dimensions are considered basic because
they are easy to measure in experiments.
Dimensions are not the same as units. Rather, units express the system of
measurement for the various dimensions. For example, speed can measured in units of
metres per second (m s-1) or kilometers per hour (km hr-1) but the dimensions of speed
are always a length (L) divided by time (T), or simply L T-1. Similarly, the dimensions of
area are L x L or L2 and the units can be expressed in m2. This is a useful means of
working with physical quantities in that it enables you will to determine the "dimensions"
involved and the appropriate units of the quantity, especially in equations involving
many variables and parameters.
What are SI units?
SI stands for Systme Internationale or the International System convention of
measurement. The basis of measurement of SI units is the metric system in which all
units are based on a factor of ten. It is the only measurement system based on a
standard length derived from the size of the earth. The metre, the basic unit of
measurement of the metric system, is defined as 1 x 10-7 times the distance from the
equator of the earth to either pole. Because of the difficulty in actually measuring and
reproducing this unit, it was later defined more precisely by a relation to a wavelength of
visible light (e.g., 1 m = 1650763.73 wavelengths of orange light in the spectrum of
krypton 86!?!). More recently (1983), it was defined further as 1 metre = the distance
light travels in a vacuum in a fraction of a second (e.g., 3.34 x 10-9 seconds) very
precise indeed! The seven basic units of the SI system are listed in Table 1.

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Table 1: Fundamental quantities, dimensions and units of the SI system

Quantity

Unit

Symbol

length (L)

meter

mass (M)

kilogram

kg

time (T)

second

electric current (I)

ampere

thermodynamic temperature ()

kelvin

amount of a substance

mole

mol

luminous intensity

candela

cd

All other SI units are either derived from or related to these fundamental units.
Derived quantities (Table 2) are defined in terms of relations between the seven base
quantities. For instance, area is the square of length (LxL) and volume is the cube of
length (L3).
Table 2: Derived SI Units
SI derived unit
Derived quantity

Name

Symbol

area

square meter

m2

volume

cubic meter

m3

speed, velocity

meter per second

m s-1

acceleration

meter per second squared

m s-2

mass density

kilogram per cubic meter

kg m-3

specific volume

cubic meter per kilogram

m3 kg-1

amount-of-substance concentration

mole per cubic meter

mol m-3

luminance

candela per square meter

cd m-2

For convenience purposes, several SI derived units have been given special
names and symbols, as shown in Table 3.

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Table 3: SI derived units with special names

SI derived unit
Quantity

Name

Symbol

Expression in
terms of other
units

Expression in
terms of base
SI units

frequency

hertz

Hz

s-1

force

newton

kg m s-2

pressure, stress,
momentum flux

pascal

Pa

N m-2

kg m-1 s-2

work, energy

joule

Nm

kg m2 s-2

power

watt

J s-1

kg m2 s-3

charge

coulomb

sA
-1

electric potential

volt

WA

kg m2 s-3 A-1

electric resistance

ohm

V A-1

kg m2 s-3 A-2

Celsius
temperature

degree Celsius

Some SI units include and are derived from other SI units as shown in Table 4.
Table 4. SI units whose names and symbols include SI derived units with special
names and symbols
SI derived unit
Derived quantity

Name

Symbol

dynamic viscosity

pascal second

Pa s

moment of force

newton meter

Nm

momentum

newton second

Ns

surface tension

newton per meter

N m-1

heat flux density, irradiance, stream

power

watt per square meter

W m-2

heat capacity, entropy

joule per kelvin

J K-1

specific energy

joule per kilogram

J kg-1

Useful links:
http://www.physics.uoguelph.ca/tutorials/tutorials.htm
http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/units.html
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What is dimensional analysis?

Dimensional analysis is a way of managing the dimensions of physical quantities
in algebraic equations. A 'physically correct' equation must have the equality of
dimension. In other words, each term in the equation must have the same dimensions
to dimensionally correct. Ideally, all equations should be presented in dimensionless
form (i.e., units cancel out) to be dimensionally correct. However, many equations
produce values that have dimensions (and units) to provide a 'real' value.
For example, consider the dimensions on each side of the following equation for
calculating pressure (P):
P=

gh

where is density (kg m-3), g is gravitaitonal acceleration (m s-2), and h is height (m).
What are the dimensions of the equation?
LEFT SIDE: Recall that the units of pressure are pascals (Table 3) and have
dimensions of M L-1 T-2 (or respective units of kg m-1 s-2).
RIGHT SIDE: [M L-3 L T-2 L]1/2 or M1/2 L-1/2 T-1 (or respective units of kg1/2 m-1/2 s-1).
Thus, the dimensions of the equation are not balanced. Consider the formula for
determining force (F) using Newton's 2nd law of motion:
F=ma
where F is force (N or kg m s-2), m is mass (kg), and a is acceleration (m s-2).
LEFT SIDE: M L T-2
RIGHT SIDE: M L T-2
Thus, the dimensions of the force equation are balanced.
Aside from being able to detect whether there are algebraic (i.e., dimensional)
errors in an equation, there are practical advantages to using dimensionless
expressions of physical quantities. For instance, dimensionless parameters can be a
useful way to express quantitative data gathered under slightly different initial
conditions. For example, Reynolds Number (Re) expresses the ratio of inertial to
viscous force (i.e., relative amount of turbulence) in fluid flow and is described by:
Re = u L /
where u is velocity (m s-1), L is a length term (m), and is kinematic viscosity (m2 s-1).
Note that the dimensions on the right-hand side cancel out [(L T-1 L) / (L2 T-1) =
0]. This produces a value that can be used as a basis for comparison even though any
one of the state variables (e.g., velocity) may vary between cases. For example,
Reynolds number is often used for scaling fluid dynamics between different
environments (i.e., different lengths scales between field conditions and a wind tunnel
simulation). As long as Re can be matched between cases, dynamic similitude or
proper dimensional scaling of all forces involved is said to exist.
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Summary
SI units provide a standardized and internationally recognized convention for
measurement and expression of quantitative data. Furthermore, the metric (base 10)
system allows for more convenient use and conversion of units used to measure
physical quantities and dimensions in science (compared to the Imperial or English
System for example).
Macro-scale modelling of earth systems is often too complicated for analytical
solution because of the inherent complexity and multivariate nature of natural systems.
This can be overcome in part by clearly defining and measuring only a 'sub-system' of
interest (e.g., sediment transport system in fluvial environments). However, there often
exist external variables and controls that must be subsumed as 'parameters'.
In addition to theoretical considerations, studying earth systems often requires
empirical observation and controlled experimentation. Dimensional analysis is a useful
technique for obtaining quantitative data on relations between important variables and
for understanding responses of the system (or relations) to change. Remember that a
physically correct equation must show equality of dimension, or a balance in the
dimensions expressed by all quantities in the relation.
Basic terms & definitions
Mass: the quantity of matter in a body that gives it inertia measured by resistance to
applied force or acceleration (e.g., gravity)
Weight: force exerted on a mass by earths gravitational field w = mg MLT-1
Force: something that imposes a change in motion of a material body F=ma MLT2
Inertia: the property of a body that keeps it at rest or in motion OR the difficulty of
setting a body in motion
Momentum: the difficulty of stopping a body already in motion = mv MLT-1
Mass density: measure of fluids inertial resistance to acceleration = m/V ML-3
Specific density (specific weight): weight per unit volume = mg / V = g(m/V) = g
ML-3T-2
Pressure: force per unit area P=ma/A ML-1T-2
Work: force applied over a distance m a d ML2T-2
Discharge: volume of fluid moved per unit time, typically measured using the velocity
area method Q = V A L T-1 L2 = L3 T-1
Power: rate at which work is performed mad/t Fv ML2T-3
Energy: any phenomenon capable of conversion to work
Kinetic energy: the energy a mass contains by virtue of its motion mv2
ML2T-2
Potential energy: the energy a mass contains by virtue of its position mgd =
wz ML2T-2
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