Chapter 1

UNITS AND DIMENSIONS

Learning objective:After going through this chapter, students will be able to;
- understand physical quantities, fundamental and derived;
- describe different systems of units;
- define dimensions and formulate dimensional formulae;
- write dimensionalequations and apply these to verify various formulations.
1.1 DEFINITION OF PHYSICS AND PHYSICAL QUANTITIES
Physics: Physics is the branch of science, which deals with the study of nature and properties
of matter and energy. The subject matter of physics includes heat, light, sound, electricity,
magnetism and the structure of atoms.
For designing a law of physics, a scientific method is followed which includes the
verifications with experiments. The physics, attempts are made to measure the quantities with
the best accuracy.Thus, Physics can also be defined as science of measurement.
Applied Physics is the application of the Physics to help human beings and solving their
problem, it is usually considered as a bridge or a connection between Physics & Engineering.
Physical Quantities: All quantities in terms of which laws of physics can be expressed and
which can be measured are called Physical Quantities.
For example; Distance, Speed, Mass, Force etc.
1.2 UNITS: FUNDAMENTAL AND DERIVED UNITS
Measurement: In our daily life, we need to express and compare the magnitude of different
quantities; this can be done only by measuring them.
Measurement is the comparison of an unknown physical quantity with a known fixed
physical quantity.
Unit: The known fixed physical quantity is called unit.
OR
The quantity used as standard for measurement is called unit.
For example, when we say that length of the class room is 8 metre. We compare the length of
class room with standard quantity of length called metre.
Length of class room = 8 metre
Q = nu2
Physical Quantity = Numerical value × unit
Q = Physical Quantity
n = Numerical value
u = Standard unit
e.g. Mass of stool = 15 kg
Mass = Physical quantity
15 = Numerical value
Kg = Standard unit
Means mass of stool is 15 times of known quantity i.e. Kg.
Characteristics of Standard Unit: A unit selected for measuring a physical quantity should
have the following properties
(i)
It should be well defined i.e. its concept should be clear.
(ii)
It should not change with change in physical conditions like temperature,
pressure, stress etc..
(iii)
It should be suitable in size; neither too large nor too small.
(iv)
It should not change with place or time.
(v)
It should be reproducible.
(vi)
It should be internationally accepted.
Classification of Units: Units can be classified into two categories.
• Fundamental
• Derived
Fundamental Quantity:The quantity which is independent of other physical quantities. In
mechanics, mass, length and time are called fundamental quantities. Units of these
fundamental physical quantities are called Fundamental units.
e.g. Fundamental Physical Quantity
Fundamental unit
Mass
Kg, Gram, Pound
Length
Metre, Centimetre, Foot
Time
Second
Derived Quantity: The quantity which is derived from the fundamental quantities e.g. area
is a derived quantity.
Area = Length  Breadth
= Length  Length
= (Length)2
Speed =Distance / Time
=Length / Time
The units for derived quantities are called Derived Units.3
1.3 SYSTEMS OF UNITS: CGS, FPS, MKS, SI
For measurement of physical quantities, the following systems are commonly used:-
(i)
C.G.S system: In this system, the unit of length is centimetre, the unit of mass is
gram and the unit of time is second.
(ii) F.P.S system: In this system, the unit of length is foot, the unit of mass is pound and
the unit of time is second.
(iii) M.K.S: In this system, the unit of length is metre, unit of mass is kg and the unit of
time is second.
(iv) S.I System: This system is an improved and extended version of M.K.S system of
units. It is called international system of unit.
With the development of science & technology, the three fundamental quantities like
mass, length & time were not sufficient as many other quantities like electric current, heat
etc. were introduced.
Therefore, more fundamental units in addition to the units of mass, length and time
are required.
Thus, MKS system was modified with addition of four other fundamental quantities
and two supplementary quantities.
Table of Fundamental Units
Sr. No. Name of Physical Quantity Unit
Symbol
quantities
Length
Mass
Time
Temperature
Electric Current
Luminous Intensity
Quantity of Matter
units
Metre
Kilogram
Second
Kelvin
Ampere
Candela
Mole
m
Kg
s
K
A
Cd
mol

Advantage of S.I. system:

(i)
It is coherent system of unit i.e. the derived units of a physical quantities are easily
obtained by multiplication or division of fundamental units.
(ii) It is a rational system of units i.e. it uses only one unit for one physical quantity. e.g.
It uses Joule (J) as unit for all types of energies (heat, light, mechanical).
(iii) It is metric system of units i.e. it’s multiples & submultiples can be expressed in
power of 10.4
Definition of Basic and Supplementary Unit of S.I.
1. Metre (m): The metre is the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time
interval of 1/299 792 458 of a second.
2. Kilogram (Kg) : The kilogram is the mass of the platinum-iridium prototype which was
approved by the ConférenceGénérale des Poids et Mesures, held in Paris in 1889, and kept
by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures.
3. Second (s): The second is the duration of 9192631770 periods of the radiation
corresponding to the transition between two hyperfine levels of the ground state of Cesium-
133 atom.
4. Ampere (A) : The ampere is the intensity of a constant current which, if maintained in two
straight parallel conductors of infinite length, of negligible circular cross-section, and placed
1 metre apart in vacuum, would produce between these conductors a force equal to 2  10-
7Newton per metre of length.
5. Kelvin (K): Kelvin is the fraction 1/273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple
point of water.
6. Candela (Cd): The candela is the luminous intensity, in a given direction, of a source that
emits monochromatic radiation of frequency 540 x 1012 hertz and that has a radiant intensity
in that direction of 1/683 watt per steradian.
7. Mole (mol): The mole is the amount of substance of a system which contains as many
elementary entities as there are atoms in 0.012 kilogram of Carbon-12.
Supplementary units:
1. Radian (rad): It is supplementary unit of plane angle. It is the plane angle subtended
at the centre of a circle by an arc of the circle equal to the radius of the circle. It is
denoted by .
= l / r; is length of the arcand is radius of the circle
2. Steradian (Sr): It is supplementary unit of solid angle. It is the angle subtended at the
centre of a sphere by a surface area of the sphere having magnitude equal to the
square of the radius of the sphere. It is denoted by Ω.
Ω = ∆s / r2
SOME IMPORTANT ABBREVIATIONS
Symbol
Prefix
Multiplier Symbol
Prefix
Multiplier
D
c
m
µ
n
Deci
centi
milli
micro
nano
10-1
10-2
10-3
10-6
10-9
da
h
k
M
G
deca
hecto
kilo
mega
giga
101
102
103
106
1095
P
f
a
Pico
femto
atto
10-12
10-15
10-18
T
P
E
tera
Pecta
exa
1012
1015
1018
Some Important Units of Length:
(i)
1 micron = 10–6 m = 10–4 cm
(ii) 1 angstrom = 1Å = 10–10 m = 10–8 cm
(iii) 1 fermi = 1 fm = 10–15 m
(iv) 1 Light year = 1 ly = 9.46 x 1015m
(v) 1 Parsec = 1pc = 3.26 light year
Some conversion factor of mass:
1 Kilogram = 2.2046 pound
1 Pound = 453.6 gram
1 kilogram = 1000 gram
1 milligram = 1/1000 gram = 10-3 gram
1 centigram = 1/100 gram = 10-2 gram
1 decigram = 1/10 gram
1 quintal = 100 kg
1 metric ton = 1000 kilogram
1.4 DEFINITION OF DIMENSIONS
Dimensions: The powers, to which the fundamental units of mass, length and time
written as M, L and T are raised, which include their nature and not their magnitude.
For example
Area = Length x Breadth
= [ L1 ] × [L1 ] = [L2 ] = [M0L2T0]
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
When physical quantities are measured, the measured values are known only to
within the limits of the experimental uncertainty. The value of this uncertainty can
depend on various factors, such as the quality of the apparatus, the skill of the ex
perimenter, and the number of measurements performed.
Suppose that we are asked to measure the area of a computer disk label using
a meter stick as a measuring instrument. Let us assume that the accuracy to which
we can measure with this stick is 0.1 cm. If the length of the label is measured to
be 5.5 cm, we can claim only that its length lies somewhere between 5.4 cm and
5.6 cm. In this case, we say that the measured value has two signifificant fifigures.
Likewise, if the label’s width is measured to be 6.4 cm, the actual value lies be
tween 6.3 cm and 6.5 cm. Note that the signifificant fifigures include the fifirst esti
mated digit. Thus we could write the measured values as (5.5 0.1) cm and
(6.4 0.1) cm.
Now suppose we want to fifind the area of the label by multiplying the two mea
sured values. If we were to claim the area is (5.5 cm)(6.4 cm) 35.2 cm2, our an
swer would be unjustififiable because it contains three signifificant fifigures, which is
greater than the number of signifificant fifigures in either of the measured lengths. A
good rule of thumb to use in determining the number of signifificant fifigures that
can be claimed is as follows:
1.7
When multiplying several quantities, the number of signifificant fifigures in the
fifinal answer is the same as the number of signifificant fifigures in the least accurate
of the quantities being multiplied, where “least accurate” means “having the
lowest number of signifificant fifigures.” The same rule applies to division.
Applying this rule to the multiplication example above, we see that the answer
for the area can have only two signifificant fifigures because our measured lengths
have only two signifificant fifigures. Thus, all we can claim is that the area is 35 cm2,
realizing that the value can range between (5.4 cm)(6.3 cm) 34 cm2 and
(5.6 cm)(6.5 cm) 36 cm2.
Zeros may or may not be signifificant fifigures. Those used to position the deci
mal point in such numbers as 0.03 and 0.007 5 are not signifificant. Thus, there are
one and two signifificant fifigures, respectively, in these two values. When the zeros
come after other digits, however, there is the possibility of misinterpretation. For
example, suppose the mass of an object is given as 1 500 g. This value is ambigu
ous because we do not know whether the last two zeros are being used to locate
the decimal point or whether they represent signifificant fifigures in the measure
ment. To remove this ambiguity, it is common to use scientifific notation to indicate
the number of signifificant fifigures. In this case, we would express the mass as 1.5
103 g if there are two signifificant fifigures in the measured value, 1.50 103 g if
there are three signifificant fifigures, and 1.500 103 g if there are four. The same
rule holds when the number is less than 1, so that 2.3 10 4 has two signifificant
fifigures (and so could be written 0.000 23) and 2.30 10 4 has three signifificant
fifigures (also written 0.000 230). In general, a signifificant fifigure is a reliably
known digit (other than a zero used to locate the decimal point).
For addition and subtraction, you must consider the number of decimal places
when you are determining how many signifificant fifigures to report.