UNIVERSIDAD FRANCISCO DE PAULA SANTANDER

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
INDUSTRIAL PROCESS TECHNOLOGY
ENGLISH-II

Units of Measurement

The units of measurement are the units that are used to represent physical quantities like
length, mass, temperature, current, area, volume, intensity, etc. We use different
measurement units to represent the magnitude of the physical quantities including the
traditional units, the Metric System of units, the imperial system of units, and US customary
units. Units of measurement have also evolved and played a crucial role from the early ages
till the present. We use the measuring units to compare how large or small a physical
quantity is as compared to the basic standard quantity.

In this article, we shall explore the concept of metric and imperial units of measurement. We
will also discuss the various measurement units used for measuring length, mass, time,
temperature, and volume. Generally, we measure almost everything around us in our daily
lives such as how many hours we have worked and slept, the amount of water we drink, our
body weight, height, distance traveled on foot and by car. We shall solve various examples
using the different units of measurement for a better understanding of the concept.

What are Units of Measurement?

The units of measurement are the collection of standard and other units that are used to
measure various physical quantities. We have been using different units to measure these
quantities like length, mass, volume, current, temperature, etc. from the early ages. These
units of measurement have evolved since then and we have different systems of
measurement now which are more convenient and easy to use.
In the early days, when we didn't have any proper tools to measure the physical quantities,
we use some informal methods and units of measurement. For example, we used the body
parts to measure the length such as hand span, foot span, arm span, cubit, pace, etc. Since
the body parts vary from person to person, these methods of measurement did not give very
accurate results. So, gradually better units of measurement were invented.

Teacher: Nydia M. Rincón V

 UNIVERSIDAD FRANCISCO DE PAULA SANTANDER
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
INDUSTRIAL PROCESS TECHNOLOGY
ENGLISH-II

As a result, the metric system, also known as the International System of Units (called the
SI units - the modern form of the metric system), the Imperial system, and US customary
units were standardized across the world as the units of measurement to get more accurate
results.

Metric Units of Measurement

The metric units of measurement in mathematics are standard units defined to measure
length, height, weight, area, and capacity (volume). It is based on the decimal system as it
includes numbers in powers of 10. The modern form of the metric units are called the SI
units and are accepted worldwide. Each unit has a universally recognized size. Let us see
some of the commonly used SI units in the table below.

SI Units of Measurement

SI units of measurement are units of the international system of units, also known as the
metric system which is used across the world and each unit has a standard measure.

Physical Quantity SI Unit of Measurement Symbol

Length Meter m

Teacher: Nydia M. Rincón V

 UNIVERSIDAD FRANCISCO DE PAULA SANTANDER
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
INDUSTRIAL PROCESS TECHNOLOGY
ENGLISH-II

Physical Quantity SI Unit of Measurement Symbol

Mass Kilogram kg

Temperature Kelvin K

Time Second s

Capacity/Volume Litre L

Current Ampere A

Amount of Substance Mole mol

Unit of Measurement List

The table above shows the SI units but we use other units as well to measure the given
physical quantities. Let us list some of the commonly used to units of measurement below:

• Length - kilometer, meter (Am.)-metre (Br.), centimeter, millimeter

• Mass - kilogram, gram, milligram
• Capacity - kiloliter, litre, milliliter, centiliter
• Time - Minute, Hour, Second, Days, Week, Month, Year
• Temperature - Kelvin, Celsius, Fahrenheit
All the above units for a specific physical quantity can be expressed in terms of each other
using the conversion of the units of measurement.

Imperial Units of Measurement

Imperial units of measurement are the units from the British Imperial System (System of
Weights and Measures used in Great Britain). As we discussed the metric units, the imperial

Teacher: Nydia M. Rincón V

 UNIVERSIDAD FRANCISCO DE PAULA SANTANDER
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
INDUSTRIAL PROCESS TECHNOLOGY
ENGLISH-II

system uses different units to measure the physical quantities like length, mass, volume,
and area. Let us go through imperial units of measurement in the table below:

Physical Quantity Imperial Units

Length foot, inch, yard, mile

Mass ounce, pound, stone, ton

Capacity gallon, pint, quart, fluid ounce

Note: The imperial units of measurement can be expressed in terms of the metric units and
vice-versa as they are standard units.

Units of Measurement for Length

Length is a physical quantity that gives the measure of how long an object is. There are
different aspects of measuring length such as distance covered, height, etc. Units of
measurement for all the physical quantities belong to the same category. Each unit of
measuring length can be expressed in terms of each other using the conversion method as
these units have a standard value. Let us see the commonly used metric and imperial units
of measurement of length below along with their relations with one another.

System Units of Measurement Conversion

Centimeter (cm) 1 cm = 10 mm

Meter (m) 1 m = 100 cm

Metric Units
Kilometer (km) 1 km = 1000 m

Millimeter (mm) 1 mm = 0.001 m

Teacher: Nydia M. Rincón V

 UNIVERSIDAD FRANCISCO DE PAULA SANTANDER
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
INDUSTRIAL PROCESS TECHNOLOGY
ENGLISH-II

System Units of Measurement Conversion

Foot (feet) 1 foot = 12 inch

Inches (inch) 1 inch = 0.83333 feet

Imperial Units
Mile 1 mile = 5280 feet

Yard 1 yard = 3 feet = 36 inch

Units of Measurement for Mass

Mass is a physical quantity that tells how heavy or light an object is. It is also commonly
called the weight of the object. The SI unit of mass is the kilogram (kg). The table below
shows the different and commonly used units of measuring mass in the metric and imperial
systems along with their conversions:

System Units of Measurement Conversion

Milligram (mg) 1 mg = 0.001 g

Metric Units Gram (g) 1 g = 1000 mg

Kilogram (kg) 1 kg = 1000 g

Ounce (oz) 1 oz = 0.0625 lb

Imperial Units Pound (lb) 1lb = 16 oz

Ton 1 ton = 2000 lbs

Please note that there are other units of measurement of mass that are used such as tonnes,
stone, microgram imperial ton, etc. The above table shows the commonly used units only.

Teacher: Nydia M. Rincón V

 UNIVERSIDAD FRANCISCO DE PAULA SANTANDER
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
INDUSTRIAL PROCESS TECHNOLOGY
ENGLISH-II

Units of Measurement for Volume

Volume, also known as the capacity, gives the amount of space that an object occupies or
the maximum space the object has. The SI unit of volume is litre (L). We can also express
the units of measuring volume in terms of cubic length units such as centimeter cube (cm 3),
meter cube (m3), etc. Let us go through some of the commonly used units of measurement
of volume in the table below:

System Units of Measurement Conversion

Millilitre (ml) 1 m = 0.001 l

Litre (l) 1 l = 1000 ml

Metric Units
Kilolitre (kl) 1 kl = 1000 l

Cubic Centimeter (cm3) 1 l = 1000 cm3

Fluid ounce (fl. oz.) 1 fl. oz. = 1/20 pt

Imperial Units Gallon (gal) 1gal = 128 fl. oz.

Pint (pt) 1 pt = 16 fl. oz.

Units of Measurement for Temperature

Temperature is a physical quantity that describes how hot or cold an object or the weather
is. We have mainly three units of measurement of temperature, Celsius, Kelvin, and
Fahrenheit. Kelvin is the SI unit of measuring temperature. The table given below shows the
different units of measuring temperature and their conversion.

Units of Measurement Conversion

Celsius (C) 0°C = 273.15 K = 32°F

Teacher: Nydia M. Rincón V

 UNIVERSIDAD FRANCISCO DE PAULA SANTANDER
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
INDUSTRIAL PROCESS TECHNOLOGY
ENGLISH-II

Units of Measurement Conversion

Kelvin (K) 0 K = -273. 15°C = -459.57 °F

Fahrenheit (F) 0°F = -17.778°C = 255.372 K

Generally, for the conversion of temperature, we use the formula C/5 = (F - 32) / 9 = (K -
273.15) / 5. This formula helps to express the temperature in different units.

Units of Measurement of Time

Time is a measure that tells about the time taken to complete a process, travel from one
point to another. It is an ongoing process of continuous events. We measure time in three
units, seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. The table given below
describes these units and their relation with each other.

Units of Measurement Conversion

Second (s) 1 s = 1/60 min

Minute (min) 1 min = 60 s

Hour (hr) 1 hr = 60 min = 3600 s

Day 1 day = 24 hr

Week 1 week = 7 days

Month 1 month = 4 weeks

Year 1 year = 12 months

These units of measurement of time are standard and are followed across the world.

Teacher: Nydia M. Rincón V

 UNIVERSIDAD FRANCISCO DE PAULA SANTANDER
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
INDUSTRIAL PROCESS TECHNOLOGY
ENGLISH-II

Units of Measurement Chart

Now that we have discussed the different units of measurement used across different
systems of measurement, let us summarize the units in a chart below for a quick review:

Quantity Units of Measurement

Length Meter, Kilometer, Centimeter, Millimeter, Feet, Yard, Inch, Mile

Mass Gram, Milligram, Kilogram, Ounce, Pound, Ton

Volume Litre, Millilitre, Kilolitre, Gallon, Pint, Fluid Ounce

Time Second, Minute, Hour, Day, Month, Week, Year

Temperature Kelvin, Celsius, Fahrenheit,

Taken from: https://www.cuemath.com/measurement/

Teacher: Nydia M. Rincón V