International System Of Units : Welcome, young scholars, to the realm of measurement and units! In the fascinating world of science, precise measurements are essential for understanding the properties of matter and the forces that govern our universe. To ensure consistency and accuracy in measurements, scientists around the world use the System of International Units (S.I. Units). By the end of our journey, you'll have a deeper understanding of how measurements are standardized and expressed in the language of science.
All such quantities which we come across during our scientific studies are called Physical quantities. Evidently, the measurement of any physical quantity consists of two parts.
1. The number
2. The unit
A unit is defined as the standard of reference chosen to measure any physical quantity.
Different types of units of measurements have been in use in different parts of the world e.g. kilograms, ponds etc. for mass; milk, furlongs, yards etc. for distance. To have a common system of units throughout the world, French Academy of Science, in 1791, introduced a new system of measurements called metric system in which the different units of a physical quantity are related to each other as multiples of powers of 10. E.g. 1 kg = 10 3 m, 1 cm = 10 –2 m etc. This system of units was found to be so convenient that scientists all over the world adopted this system for scientific data.
Physical Quantity |
Symbol |
S.I. Unit |
Symbol |
Length |
l |
Metre |
m |
Mass |
m |
Kilogram |
Kg |
Time |
t |
Second |
s |
Electric Current |
I |
Ampere |
A |
Temperature |
T |
Kelvin |
K |
Luminous intensity |
I u |
Candela |
cd |
Amount of the substance |
n |
Mole |
mol |
The units of all other physical quantities are derived from those of above basic quantities. The units thus obtained are called the derived units. Some common physical quantities and their derived units are shown below.
Physical Quantity |
Description |
Unit |
Symbol |
Area |
Length square |
Square metre |
m 2 |
Volume |
Length cube |
Cubic metre |
m 3 |
Density |
Mass per unit volume |
kilogram per cubic metre |
kg m –3 |
Force |
Mass × Acceleration |
Newton |
Kg ms –2 = N |
Pressure |
Force per unit area |
Pascal (newton per square metre) |
Nm –2 = kg m –1 , s –2 |
Work, Energy |
Force × Distance |
Joule |
Nm = kg m 2 s –2 |
The S.I. System recommends the multiples such as 10 3 , 10 6 , 10 etc. and fraction such as 10 –3 , 10 –6 , 10 –9 etc. i.e. the powers are the multiples of 3. These are indicated by special prefixes. These along with some other fractions or multiples in common use, along with their prefixes are given below in Table and illustrated for length (m)
Prefix |
Symbol |
Multiplication Factor |
Example |
deci |
d |
10 –1 |
1 decimetre (dm) = 10 –1 m |
centi |
c |
10 –2 |
1 centimetre(cm) = 10 –2 m |
milli |
m |
10 –3 |
1 millimetre (mm) = 10 –3 m |
micro |
μ |
10 –6 |
1 micrometre( μ m) = 10 –6 m |
nano |
n |
10 –9 |
1 nanometre (nm) = 10 –9 m |
pico |
p |
10 –12 |
1 picometre (pm)=10 –12 n |
femto |
f |
10 –15 |
1 femtometre(fm) = 10 –15 m |
Atto |
a |
10 –18 |
1 attometre (am) = 10 –18 m |
deka |
da |
10 1 |
1 dekametre(dam) = 10 1 m |
hecto |
h |
10 2 |
1 hectometre (hm) = 10 2 m |
kilo |
k |
10 3 |
1 kilometre(km) = 10 3 m |
mega |
M |
10 6 |
1 megametre(Mm) = 10 6 m |
giga |
G |
10 9 |
1 gigametre(Gm) = 10 9 m |
tera |
T |
10 12 |
1 terametre (Tm) = 10 12 m |
peta |
P |
10 15 |
1 petametre (Pm) = 10 15 m |
exa |
E |
10 18 |
1 exametre (Em) = 10 18 m |
1. Length: 1 foot = 12 inches
1 inch = 2.54 cm
1 Å = 10 –10 m
2. Mass: 1 Ton = 1000 kg
1 Quintal = 100 kg
1 kg = 1000 g
1 gram = 1000 milli gram
1 a.m.u. = 1.67 × 10 –24 g
3. Volume: 1 litre = 1 dm 3 = 10 –3 = 10 3 cm 3 = 10 3 mL = 10 3 cc
1 millilitre = 1 cm 3 = 10 –6 m 3
= 1 cc
4.
Energy:
1 calorie
=
4.184 joules
4.2 joules
1 joule = 10 7 ergs
1 litre atmosphere (L-atm) = 101.3 joule
1 electron volt (eV) = 1.602 × 10 –19 joule
5. Pressure: 1 atmosphere (atm) = 760 torr
= 1.01325 bar
= 760 mm of Hg
= 76 cm of Hg
= 1.013 × 10 5 Pascal (Pa)
= 1.013 × 10 5 N/m 2
6.
Temperature:
°C + 273.15 = K;
Q1. Convert 2 atm into cm of Hg.
Sol. 2 atm = 2 × 76 cm of Hg = 152 cm of Hg
{1 atmosphere = 76 cm of Hg}
Q2. Convert 2 dm 3 into mL
Sol. 20 dm 3 = 20 litre = 20 × 1000 mL = 2 × 10 4 mL
{1 dm 3 = 1 litre = 1000 mL}
Q3. Convert 59°F into °C.
Sol.
°C =