LESSON # 1.

Physical Quantities
and
Units
 PHYSICAL QUANTITIES AND UNITS

By the end of this presentation you will have learned:

- that physical quantities have a numerical value and a unit;

- what the Systeme International (S.I.) base quantities and their units are;
- what derived units are;
- how to check the homogeneity of physical equations using S.I. base units.
A physical quantity is something which can be measured.
Examples of physical quantities: mass; current; acceleration; time etc……

The ideas in physics are built on the relationship between quantities, and the quantities
themselves are defined by us (humans) to express our ideas in ways that can be quantified
and measured. (In physics, there is not much point in talking about something unless it can
be measured, or has the potential to be measured). New ideas often require new quantities
to be defined.
Quantities are measured in units, which are also defined by us eg. mass is measured in
kilograms; current is measured in amperes; acceleration is measured in metres per second
squared; time is measured in seconds etc. …………………..

An equation expresses the mathematical relationship between quantities eg. F = m x a

tells us how the force applied to a mass is related to the acceleration it creates.

When asked to write an equation, always write it in terms of quantities (not

units).
Units are only used with a numerical value.
Quantity Symbol Unit Abbreviation Equation
CHARGE Q coulomb C

CURRENT I ampere A I = Q/t

Potential V volt V V = W/Q

Difference (‘W’ is energy transferred)

Resistance R ohm Ω R= V/I

The example of electrical quantities and their units, given above, is one that was constantly
drummed into you in Y11!

Each quantity has a shorthand way of writing it (the symbol) and so does each unit (the
abbreviation).
Base Quantities Explain what is meant by the ‘length’ between two points.
Explain what is meant by the ‘time’ between two events.
It is very difficult to explain the above quantities, in terms of anything else, even though we
have an understanding of what they mean.
For this reason, these quantities are examples of what are called ‘base quantities’, and
their associated units are called ‘base units’.
Base quantity Symbol Base unit Abbreviation
mass m kilogram kg
length l meter m
Don’t get the symbol ‘m’ for
time t second s
the quantity ‘mass’ confused
temperature (absolute) T kelvin K with the abbreviation ‘m’ for
electrical current I ampere A the unit ‘metre’!
amount of substance n mole mol
luminous intensity IV candela cd
Derived Quantities All other quantities that we use are mathematical combinations of
the base quantities ie. they are derived from the base quantities.

eg. density = mass__ The units behave, mathematically, in the

same way as the quantitities.
volume
length cubed
Units of kg__
kg
Note: equation written in density m3
quantities. m-3
Remember: 1/x is the same as x-1

The units on the left-hand side of the equation must always be the same as the units on the
right –hand side. This is known as ‘homogeneity’ and can be used as a check (but not a
proof) that an equation is correct.
Derived Quantities All other quantities that we use are mathematical combinations of
the base quantities ie. they are derived from the base quantities.

eg. density = mass__ The units behave, mathematically, in

volume the same way as the quantitities.

Units of kg__
kg m-3
density m3

Derived quantities must involve multiplying or dividing base

quantities.
A derived quantity cannot be obtained by simply adding or subtracting fundamental quantities.

eg. adding or subtracting two masses will just give another mass………
…. and you cannot add or subtract a mass and a volume – you will have learned this as
not being able to add two apples to two pears – it does not make sense!
Derived Defining equation Units of each Base units for
quantity quantity derived quantity
combined.
velocity velocity = displacement displacement: m m = m s-1
time time: s s
acceleration acceleration = change in velocity velocity: m s-1 = ms-2
time time: s s
force force = mass x acceleration mass: kg kg x ms-2 = kg ms-2 * 1 kg ms-2 =
acceleration: 1N
(N : Newton)
momentum momentum = mass x velocity mass: kg kg x m s-1 = kg m
velocity: s-1
The units behave, mathematically, in the same way as the quantitities..........

So work out what the base units should be for each of the derived quantities above:

* Often, when base units are combined to give a derived

unit, the derived unit is given a different name.
Definitions & equations

A definition is a direct translation from a mathematical equation to English (or your

preferred language!)………..

…..and an equation is a direct translation from English to mathematics.

eg. density = mass__

volume The definition of density would be:
‘The density of an object is its mass per unit volume’.

The word ‘per’ indicates that

the quantity before the ‘per’ is
divided by the quantity after.

If you cannot translate the English into mathematics, then you have not written a definition.
 Write the word equations which derive from the following definitions:

1. Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with time. acceleration = change in velocity
time

2. Potential difference is the energy transferred per unit charge.

potential difference = energy transferred

charge

3. Power is the rate at which energy is transferred.

power = energy transferred

time

4. Pressure is the normal force per unit area exerted on a surface. pressure = force
area

S.I. quantities and
units
S.I. units also have
multiples (to measure
large values) and
sub-multiples (to
measure small values), so
that the numerical values
used are not
inconveniently too large or
too small.
eg. My mass is 65 kg which is
a much more convenient
way of expressing it than eg.
65 000 000 μg (also sounds
better!)
The quantities and units used so far are S.I. (Systeme
International) quantities and units ie. the system adopted around
the world. Previous to the existence of S. I. units, these may have
varied from one country/culture to another, hindering
international scientific cooperation.
Prefix Symbol Power of ten
pico p x 10-12
nano n x 10-9
micro μ x 10-6
milli m x 10-3
centi c x 10-2
deci d x 10-1
kilo k x 103
mega M x 106
giga G x 109
tera T x 1012
Thank You!