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Appendix

The International System of Units (SI)

U nits in the International System of Units fall into two classifications: base and derived. Base units are fundamental and not reducible. Table A.1 lists the base units
of interest in the discipline of materials science and engineering. Derived units are expressed in terms of the base units, using mathematical signs for multiplication and division. For example, the SI units for density are kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m3). For some derived units, special names and symbols exist; for example, N is used to denote the newton, the unit of force, which is equivalent to 1 kg-m/s2. Table A.2 contains a number of the important derived units. It is sometimes necessary, or convenient, to form names and symbols that are decimal multiples or submultiples of SI units. Only one prefix is used when a multiple of an SI unit is formed, which should be in the numerator. These prefixes and their approved symbols are given in Table A.3. Symbols for all units used in this book, SI or otherwise, are contained inside the front cover.

Table A.1 The SI Base Units

Quantity Length Mass Time Electric current Thermodynamic temperature Amount of substance Name meter, metre kilogram second ampere kelvin mole Symbol m kg s A K mol

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A2 Appendix A / The International System of Units (SI) Table A.2 Some of the SI Derived Units
Quantity Area Volume Velocity Density Concentration Force Energy Stress Strain Power, radiant flux Viscosity Frequency (of a periodic phenomenon) Electric charge Electric potential Capacitance Electric resistance Magnetic flux Magnetic flux density
a

Name square meter cubic meter meter per second kilogram per cubic meter moles per cubic meter newton joule pascal watt pascal-second hertz coulomb volt farad ohm weber tesla

Formula m2 m3 m/s kg/m3 mol/m3 kg-m/s2 kg-m2/s2, N-m kg/m-s2, N/m2 m/m kg-m2/s3, J/s kg/m-s s1 A-s kg-m2/s2-C s2-C/kg-m2 kg-m2/s-C2 kg-m2/s-C kg/s-C, Wb/m2

Special Symbola N J Pa W Pa-s Hz C V F Wb (T)

Special symbols in parentheses are approved in the SI but not used in this text; here, the name is used.

Table A.3 SI Multiple and Submultiple Prefixes

Factor by Which Multiplied 10 106 103 102 103 106 109 1012
a 9

Prefix giga mega kilo centia milli micro nano pico

Symbol G M k c m n p

Avoided when possible.