Chapter (1) Units and Dimensions

CHAPTER 1
UNITS AND DIMENSIONS
1.1 Introduction
Science and engineering are based on measurements and comparisons. Thus, we need rules about
how things are measured and compared, and we need experiments to establish the units for those
measurements and comparisons. One purpose of physics (and engineering) is to design and conduct
those experiments. For example, physicists strive to develop clocks of extreme accuracy so that any time
or time interval can be precisely determined and compared. You may wonder whether such accuracy is
actually needed or worth the effort. Here is one example of the worth: Without clocks of extreme
accuracy, the Global Positioning System (GPS) that is now vital to worldwide navigation would be
useless.

1.2 Units
There are three systems of units, International System (SI or MKS), Gaussian System (CGS) and
British System. Table 1-1 illustrates the four units of basic quantities. A metric system of units has b

eviated SI). Table 1-2 illustrates the units of basic

physical quantities.
Table 1-1 Different Systems of Units

Systems of Units
Quantity
SI or MKS System Gaussian or GCS System British System
Length Meter (𝑚) cm Foot (𝑓𝑡)
Mass Kg g slug
Time Sec Sec Sec
Temperature Kelvin (°𝐾) °𝐾 Fahrenheit (℉)

Length

We can identify length as the distance between two points in space. In 1120, the king of England
decreed that the standard of length in his country would be named the yard and would be precisely equal
to the distance from the tip of his nose to the end of his outstretched arm. Similarly, the original standard
for the foot adopted by the French was the length of the royal foot of King Louis XIV. Neither of these
standards is constant in time; when a new king took the throne, length measurements changed! The
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Chapter (1) Units and Dimensions

French standard prevailed until 1799, when the legal standard of length in France became the meter (m),
defined as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole along one particular
longitudinal line that passes through Paris. Notice that this value is an Earth-based standard that does not
satisfy the requirement that it can be used throughout the Universe. As recently as 1960, the length of the
meter was defined as the distance between two lines on a specific platinum–iridium bar stored under
controlled conditions in France. Current requirements of science and technology, however, necessitate
more accuracy than that with which the separation between the lines on the bar can be determined. In the
1960s and 1970s, the meter was defined as 1 650 763.73 wavelengths1 of orange-red light emitted from
a krypton-86 lamp. In October 1983, however, the meter was redefined as the distance traveled by light
in vacuum during a time of 1/299 792 458 second. In effect, this latest definition establishes that the
speed of light in vacuum is precisely 299 792 458 meters per second. This definition of the meter is valid
throughout the Universe based on our assumption that light is the same everywhere.

Table 1-2 Basic Physical Quantities and Their Units

Quantity Unit Name Symbol

Length Meter m

Mass Kilogram kg

Time Second s

Electric current Ampere A

Temperature Kelvin K

Amount of substance Mole mol

Luminous intensity Candela Cd

Mass

The SI fundamental unit of mass, the kilogram (kg), is defined as the mass of a specific
platinum–iridium alloy cylinder kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures at Sèvres,
France. This mass standard was established in 1887 and has not been changed since that time because
platinum–iridium is an unusually stable alloy. A duplicate of the Sèvres cylinder is kept at the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

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Chapter (1) Units and Dimensions

Time

Before 1967, the standard of time was defined in terms of the mean solar day. (A solar day is the
time interval between successive appearances of the Sun at the highest point it reaches in the sky each
day.) The fundamental unit of a second (s) was defined as (1/60) (1/60) (1/24) of a mean solar day. This
definition is based on the rotation of one planet, the Earth. Therefore, this motion does not provide a
time standard that is universal.
In 1967, the second was redefined to take advantage of the high precision attainable in a device
known as an atomic clock, which measures vibrations of cesium atoms. One second is now defined as
9 192 631 770 times the period of vibration of radiation from the cesium-133 atom.
The SI system is based on powers of ten. Some of the most frequently used prefixes for various
powers of ten and their abbreviation are listed in table 1-3.

Table 1-3 SI Prefixes and Symbols

Factor Decimal Representation Prefix Symbol

1018 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 exa E

1015 1,000,000,000,000,000 peta P
1012 1,000,000,000,000 tera T
109 1,000,000,000 giga G
106 1,000,000 mega M
103 1,000 kilo k
102 100 hecto h
1
10 10 deka da
100 1
10-1 0.1 deci d
10-2 0.01 centi c
10-3 0.001 milli m
10-6 0.000 001 micro 
10-9 0.000 000 001 nano n
10-12 0.000 000 000 001 pico p
10-15 0.000 000 000 000 001 femto f
10-18 0.000 000 000 000 000 001 atto a

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Chapter (1) Units and Dimensions

1.3 Dimensional Analysis

In physics, the word dimension denotes the physical nature of a quantity. The distance between
two points, for example, can be measured in feet, meters, or furlongs, which are all different ways of
expressing the dimension of length. The quantities that are independent of other quantities are called
fundamental quantities. The units that are used to measure these fundamental quantities are called
fundamental units. And the quantities that are derived using the fundamental quantities are called
derived quantities. The units that are used to measure these derived quantities are called derived units.
The symbols we use in this book to specify the dimensions as illustrated in table 1-4.

Table 1-4 Basic Physical Quantities and Their Dimensions

Basic quantity Dimension

Length L

Mass M

Time T

Uses of Dimensional Analysis

 To find the dimensions of dimensional constants.

 To check the correctness of a physical relation/formula.
 To establish the relationship between some related physical quantities.

Limitations of dimensional analysis

1. Dimensionless quantities cannot be determined by this method. Constant of proportionality cannot be

determined by this method. They can be found either by experiment (or) by theory.
2. This method is not applicable to trigonometric, logarithmic and exponential functions.
3. In the case of physical quantities which are dependent upon more than three physical quantities, this
method will be difficult.

From these basic physical quantities, we can derive the dimensions of some Common Physical
Quantities as illustrated in table 1-5.

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Chapter (1) Units and Dimensions

Table 1-5 Most Common Physical Quantities and Their Dimensions

Physical quantity Dimension Units

Area L2 m2

Volume L3 m3

Density ML-3 kg/ m3

Linear density ML-1 kg/ m

Velocity LT-1 m/s

Acceleration LT-2 m/s2

Force MLT-2 kg. m/ s2

Torque ML2T-2 kg. m2/ s2

Pressure ML-1T-2 kg/ m s2

Work or energy ML2T-2 kg. m2/ s2

Power ML2T-3 kg. m2/ s3

Intensity MT-3 kg/ s3

Velocity gradient T-1 S-1

Volumetric rate L3T-1 m3/s

Momentum MLT-1 kg. m/ s

Coefficient of viscosity ML-1T-1 Kg/m s

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Chapter (1) Units and Dimensions

Example (1.1):
A body is falling from rest under gravity. Find the relation between the distance traveled by the body
and between the gravitational acceleration and time elapsed.
Solution:

[ ] [ ][ ] [ ]
( ) ( )

Example (1.2):
If the viscous force between any two layers in a viscous fluid is given by , where η is the

coefficient of viscosity and dυ/dh is the velocity gradient. Find the dimension of η.
Solution:

[ ][ ]
[ ]
[ ][ ]
( )( )
[ ]
( )( )

Example (1.3):
Show that is dimensionally correct, where x and xo are the final and initial

distances, vo is the velocity, a is the acceleration and t is the time.

Solution:
[ ] [ ]

[ ] [ ] [ ][ ] [ ] [ ][ ] ( ) ( )( )

[ ] [ ]
is dimensionally correct

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Chapter (1) Units and Dimensions

PROBLEMS
1. N ’ represented by;

where, F is the magnitude of the gravitational force exerted by one small object on another, M and m
are the masses of the objects, and r is a distance. Find the dimension of the gravitational constant G.

2. Use dimensional analysis to determine how the linear speed of particle traveling in a circle depends on
some or all of the following properties; the radius of the circle, the angular frequency with which the
particle orbits about the circle and the mass of particle. There is no dimensionless constant involved in
the relation.

3. The relationship between kinetic energy K and momentum P is [K= P2/2m], where m stands for mass.
What is the SI unit of momentum?

4. Shows which of the following equations are dimensionally correct;

( ) , where Fb is force, ρ is density, V is volume and g is gravitational acceleration.
( ) , where P is pressure, Pa is the atmospheric pressure, ρ is density, g is gravitational
acceleration and h is the height.

5. Verify the truth of the relation , where dV/dt is the volumetric rate of flow of a liquid of

viscosity coefficient η flowing through a tube of radius a and length L due to pressure difference P.

6. Find the relation between the velocities of transverse waves produced from the vibration of thin
homogeneous string and between the tension in the string and mass per unit length of it.

7. Obtain an expression for the viscous force acting on a sphere of radius r moving in a viscous fluid
with velocity v, if the coefficient of viscosity is η.