SYSTEM OF MEASUREMENT

A SYSTEM OF MEASUREMENT IS A COLLECTION OF UNITS OF MEASUREMENT AND RULES

RELATING THEM TO EACH OTHER. SYSTEMS OF MEASUREMENT HAVE HISTORICALLY BEEN
IMPORTANT, REGULATED AND DEFINED FOR THE PURPOSES OF SCIENCE AND COMMERCE.
SYSTEMS OF MEASUREMENT IN USE INCLUDE THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS (SI),
THE MODERN FORM OF THE METRIC SYSTEM, THE IMPERIAL SYSTEM, AND UNITED STATES
CUSTOMARY UNITS.

METRIC SYSTEM
THE METRIC SYSTEM IS AN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED DECIMALISED SYSTEM OF
MEASUREMENT. IT IS NOW KNOWN AS THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS (SI).

BASE UNITS
 THE METRE FOR LENGTH
 KILOGRAM FOR MASS
 SECOND FOR TIME
 AMPERE FOR ELECTROMAGNETISM
 KELVIN FOR TEMPERATURE
 CANDELA FOR LUMINOUS INTENSITY
 MOLE FOR QUANTITY

METRE
THE METER IS THE BASE UNIT OF LENGTH IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS (SI). THE
SI UNIT SYMBOL IS M. THE METRE IS DEFINED AS THE LENGTH OF THE PATH TRAVELLED
BY LIGHT IN A VACUUM IN 1/299 792 458  OF A SECOND.
THE METRE WAS ORIGINALLY DEFINED IN 1793 AS ONE TEN-MILLIONTH OF THE DISTANCE
FROM THE EQUATOR TO THE NORTH POLE – AS A RESULT, THE EARTH'S CIRCUMFERENCE IS
APPROXIMATELY 40,000 KM TODAY.
PREVIOUS DEFINITION: THE METRE IS THE LENGTH OF THE PATH TRAVELLED BY LIGHT IN
VACUUM DURING A TIME INTERVAL OF 1/299792458  OF A SECOND.
 2019 DEFINITION: THE METER, SYMBOL M, IS THE SI UNIT OF LENGTH. IT IS DEFINED BY
TAKING THE FIXED NUMERICAL VALUE OF THE SPEED OF LIGHT IN VACUUM C TO
BE 299792458 WHEN EXPRESSED IN THE UNIT M⋅S−1, WHERE THE SECOND IS DEFINED IN
TERMS OF THE CESIUM FREQUENCY ΔΝCS.
THE METRE MAY BE EXPRESSED DIRECTLY IN TERMS OF THE DEFINING CONSTANTS:
1 M = 9192631770/299792458C/ΔΝCS .

KILOGRAM
THE KILOGRAM (ALSO KILOGRAMME) IS THE BASE UNIT OF MASS IN THE METRIC SYSTEM,
FORMALLY THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS (SI), HAVING THE UNIT SYMBOL KG. IT IS A
WIDELY USED MEASURE IN SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND COMMERCE WORLDWIDE, AND IS
OFTEN CALLED A KILO. THE KILOGRAM IS ALMOST EXACTLY THE MASS OF
ONE LITER OF WATER.
PREVIOUS DEFINITION: THE KILOGRAM IS EQUAL TO THE MASS OF THE INTERNATIONAL
PROTOTYPE OF THE KILOGRAM.
 2019 DEFINITION: THE KILOGRAM, SYMBOL KG, IS THE SI UNIT OF MASS. IT IS DEFINED
BY TAKING THE FIXED NUMERICAL VALUE OF THE PLANCK CONSTANT H TO
BE 6.62607015×10−34 WHEN EXPRESSED IN THE UNIT J⋅S, WHICH IS EQUAL TO KG⋅M2⋅S−1,
WHERE THE METER AND THE SECOND ARE DEFINED IN TERMS OF C AND ΔΝCS.
FOR ILLUSTRATION, AN EARLIER PROPOSED REDEFINITION THAT IS EQUIVALENT TO THIS 2019
DEFINITION IS: "THE KILOGRAM IS THE MASS OF A BODY AT REST WHOSE EQUIVALENT
ENERGY EQUALS THE ENERGY OF A COLLECTION OF PHOTONS WHOSE FREQUENCIES SUM
TO [1.356392489652×1050] HERTZ."
THE KILOGRAM MAY BE EXPRESSED DIRECTLY IN TERMS OF THE DEFINING CONSTANTS:
1 KG = (299792458)2/(6.62607015×10−34)(9192631770)HΔΝCS/C2 .

THE SECOND (SYMBOL: S) IS THE BASE UNIT OF TIME IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF

UNITS (SI), COMMONLY UNDERSTOOD AND HISTORICALLY DEFINED AS 1⁄86400 OF A DAY – THIS
FACTOR DERIVED FROM THE DIVISION OF THE DAY FIRST INTO 24 HOURS, THEN TO
60 MINUTES AND FINALLY TO 60 SECONDS EACH. 
 PREVIOUS DEFINITION: THE SECOND IS THE DURATION OF 9192631770 PERIODS OF
THE RADIATION CORRESPONDING TO THE TRANSITION BETWEEN THE TWO HYPERFINE
LEVELS OF THE GROUND STATE OF THE CAESIUM-133 ATOM.
 2019 DEFINITION: THE SECOND IS DEFINED BY TAKING THE FIXED NUMERICAL VALUE
OF THE CAESIUM FREQUENCY ΔΝCS, THE UNPERTURBED GROUND-STATE HYPERFINE
TRANSITION FREQUENCY OF THE CAESIUM-133 ATOM, TO BE 9192631770 WHEN
EXPRESSED IN THE UNIT HZ, WHICH IS EQUAL TO S−1.
THE SECOND MAY BE EXPRESSED DIRECTLY IN TERMS OF THE DEFINING CONSTANTS:
1 S = 9192631770/ΔΝCS .

AMPERE
THE AMPERE (/ˈÆMPɪƏR, ÆMˈPɪƏR/ OR /ˈÆMPƐƏR/ (UK)[1][2],
SYMBOL: A), OFTEN SHORTENED TO "AMP", IS THE BASE UNIT OF ELECTRIC CURRENT IN
THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS (SI). IT IS NAMED AFTER ANDRÉ-MARIE AMPÈRE (1775–
1836), FRENCH MATHEMATICIAN AND PHYSICIST, CONSIDERED THE FATHER
OF ELECTRODYNAMICS.
 PREVIOUS DEFINITION: THE AMPERE IS THAT CONSTANT CURRENT WHICH, IF
MAINTAINED IN TWO STRAIGHT PARALLEL CONDUCTORS OF INFINITE LENGTH, OF
NEGLIGIBLE CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION, AND PLACED 1 M APART IN VACUUM, WOULD
PRODUCE BETWEEN THESE CONDUCTORS A FORCE EQUAL TO 2×10−7 NEWTON PER
METRE OF LENGTH.
 2019 DEFINITION: THE AMPERE IS DEFINED BY TAKING THE FIXED NUMERICAL VALUE
OF THE ELEMENTARY CHARGE E TO BE 1.602176634×10−19WHEN EXPRESSED IN THE
UNIT C, WHICH IS EQUAL TO A⋅S, WHERE THE SECOND IS DEFINED IN TERMS OF ΔΝCS.
THE AMPERE MAY BE EXPRESSED DIRECTLY IN TERMS OF THE DEFINING CONSTANTS AS:
1 A = EΔΝCS/(1.602176634×10−19)(9192631770).

KELVIN
THE KELVIN (K) IS THE BASE UNIT OF TEMPERATURE IN THE SI. IT IS NAMED AFTER THE
BELFAST-BORN, GLASGOW UNIVERSITY ENGINEER AND PHYSICIST WILLIAM THOMSON, 1ST
BARON KELVIN (1824–1907).
 PREVIOUS DEFINITION: THE KELVIN IS 1/273.16  OF THE THERMODYNAMIC
TEMPERATURE OF THE TRIPLE POINT OF WATER.
 2019 DEFINITION: THE KELVIN DEFINED BY TAKING THE FIXED NUMERICAL VALUE OF
THE BOLTZMANN CONSTANT K TO BE 1.380649×10−23  J⋅K−1 OR KG⋅M2⋅S−2⋅K−1, WHERE THE
KILOGRAM, METRE AND SECOND ARE DEFINED IN TERMS OF H, C AND ΔΝCS.
THE KELVIN MAY BE EXPRESSED DIRECTLY IN TERMS OF THE DEFINING CONSTANTS AS:
1 K = 1.380649×10−23/(6.62607015×10−34)(9192631770)HΔΝCS/K.

CANDELA
THE CANDELA (/KÆNˈDƐLƏ/ OR /KÆNˈDIːLƏ/; SYMBOL: CD) IS THE BASE UNIT OF LUMINOUS
INTENSITY IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS (SI); THAT IS, LUMINOUS POWER PER
UNIT SOLID ANGLE EMITTED BY A POINT LIGHT SOURCE IN A PARTICULAR DIRECTION..
THE WORD CANDELA IS LATIN FOR CANDLE. THE OLD NAME "CANDLE" IS STILL SOMETIMES
USED, AS IN FOOT-CANDLE AND THE MODERN DEFINITION OF CANDLEPOWER.

CANDELA
 PREVIOUS DEFINITION: THE CANDELA IS THE LUMINOUS INTENSITY, IN A GIVEN
DIRECTION, OF A SOURCE THAT EMITS MONOCHROMATIC RADIATION OF
FREQUENCY 540×1012 HZ AND THAT HAS A RADIANT INTENSITY IN THAT DIRECTION
OF 1/683  WATT PER STERADIAN.
 2019 DEFINITION: THE CANDELA IS DEFINED BY TAKING THE FIXED NUMERICAL VALUE
OF THE LUMINOUS EFFICACY OF MONOCHROMATIC RADIATION OF
FREQUENCY 540×1012 HZ, KCD, TO BE 683 WHEN EXPRESSED IN THE UNIT LM⋅W−1, WHICH IS
EQUAL TO CD⋅SR⋅W−1, OR CD⋅SR⋅KG−1⋅M−2⋅S3, WHERE THE KILOGRAM, METRE AND SECOND
ARE DEFINED IN TERMS OF H, C AND ΔΝCS.

MOLE (UNIT)
THE MOLE (SYMBOL: MOL) IS THE BASE UNIT OF AMOUNT OF SUBSTANCE  (SI), DEFINED AS
EXACTLY 6.02214076×1023 PARTICLES, E.G., ATOMS, MOLECULES, IONS OR ELECTRONS.
THE NAME MOLE IS AN 1897 TRANSLATION OF THE GERMAN UNIT MOL, COINED BY
THE CHEMIST WILHELM OSTWALD IN 1894 FROM THE GERMAN WORD MOLEKÜL (MOLECULE).
 PREVIOUS DEFINITION: THE MOLE IS THE AMOUNT OF SUBSTANCE OF A SYSTEM THAT
CONTAINS AS MANY ELEMENTARY ENTITIES AS THERE ARE ATOMS IN 0.012 KILOGRAM
OF CARBON-12. WHEN THE MOLE IS USED, THE ELEMENTARY ENTITIES MUST BE
 SPECIFIED AND MAY BE ATOMS, MOLECULES, IONS, ELECTRONS, OTHER PARTICLES, OR
SPECIFIED GROUPS OF SUCH PARTICLES.
 2019 DEFINITION:  ONE MOLE CONTAINS EXACTLY 6.02214076×1023 ELEMENTARY
ENTITIES. THIS NUMBER IS THE FIXED NUMERICAL VALUE OF THE AVOGADRO
CONSTANT, NA, WHEN EXPRESSED IN THE UNIT MOL−1 AND IS CALLED THE AVOGADRO
NUMBER.[7][49] THE AMOUNT OF SUBSTANCE, SYMBOL N, OF A SYSTEM IS A MEASURE OF
THE NUMBER OF SPECIFIED ELEMENTARY ENTITIES.
 THE MOLE MAY BE EXPRESSED DIRECTLY IN TERMS OF THE DEFINING CONSTANTS
AS:
1 MOL = 6.02214076×1023/NA .

ONE CONSEQUENCE OF THIS CHANGE IS THAT THE CURRENT DEFINED RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN THE MASS OF THE 12C ATOM, THE DALTON, THE KILOGRAM, AND THE
AVOGADRO NUMBER WILL NO LONGER BE VALID. ONE OF THE FOLLOWING MUST
CHANGE:
 THE MASS OF A 12C ATOM IS EXACTLY 12 DALTON.
 THE NUMBER OF DALTON IN A GRAM IS EXACTLY THE NUMERICAL VALUE OF THE
AVOGADRO NUMBER: (I.E., 1 G/DA = 1 MOL ⋅ NA).