To measure a physical quantity like length, mass and time, we require a 

standard of measurement. This

standard of measurement is called the unit of that physical quantity. For example, the unit of length is metre, and
a standard length of 1 metre has a precise definition. To measure the length of an object, we need to determine
how many times this standard length metre is contained in the length of the object. The comparison of a physical
quantity with a standard quantity is called measurement.

Table of Contents

 Physical Quantities
 Units
 Definition of Basic and Supplementary Units
 Dimensional Formula
 Units and Dimensions of Few Derived Quantities
 Principle of Homogeneity
 Solved Examples
 Practice Problems
 Frequently Asked Questions

Physical Quantities
Those quantities which can describe the laws of physics are called the physical quantity. A physical quantity is
one that can be measured. Thus, length, mass, time, pressure, temperature, current and resistance are
considered as physical quantities.

Classification of Physical Quantities

The physical quantities are classified into

(i) Fundamental quantities or base quantities

(ii) Derived quantities

The physical quantities that are independent of each other are called fundamental quantities. All the other
quantities which can be expressed in terms of the fundamental quantities are called the derived quantities.

Units
The reference standard used to measure the physical quantities is called the unit.

Properties of Unit

1. The unit should be of some suitable size

2. The unit must be well-defined
3. The unit should be easily reproducible, i.e., it should not change with place
4. The unit must not change with time
5. The unit should not change with physical conditions like temperature, pressure, etc.
6. The unit must be easily comparable experimentally with similar physical quantities.
Types of Units

(i) Fundamental Units

The units defined for the fundamental quantities are called fundamental units.

(ii) Derived Units

The units of all other physical quantities which are derived from the fundamental units are called the derived
units.

System of Units
(1) FPS System: In this system, the unit of length is foot, the unit of mass is pound, and the unit of time is
second.

(2) CGS System: In this system, the units of length, mass and time are centimetre, gram and second,
respectively.

(3) MKS System: In this system, the unit of length, mass and time are meter, kilogram and second, respectively.

(4) SI System: This system is widely used in all measurements throughout the world. The system is based on
seven basic units and two supplementary units.

Basic Units

Quantity Unit Symbol of the Unit

Length metre m

Mass kilogram kg

Time second s

Temperature kelvin K

Electric current ampere A

Number of particles mole mol

Luminous intensity candela cd

Supplementary Units

Plane angle radian rad

Solid angle Steradian sr

Definition of Basic and Supplementary Units

Basic Units

1. Metre (m): One metre is the distance travelled by light in the vacuum during a time interval of (1/299792458)
seconds.

2. Kilogram (kg): It is the mass of a platinum-iridium cylinder kept at the National Bureau of Weights and
Measurements, Paris.

3. Second (s): The second is the time taken by the light of a specified wavelength emitted by a caesium-133
atom to execute 9192631770 vibrations.

4. Ampere (A): One ampere is that current which, when passed through two straight parallel conductors of
infinite length and of negligible cross-section kept at a distance of 1 metre apart in the vacuum, produces
between them a force equal to 2 x 10-7 newton per metre length.
5. Kelvin (K): It is the fraction 1/273.6 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water.

6. Candela (cd): A candela is defined as 1/60 th of the luminous intensity of 1 square centimetre of a perfect black
body maintained at the freezing temperature of platinum (1773 0C).

7. Mole (md): One mole is the amount of substance that contains elementary units equal to the number of atoms
in 0.012 kg of carbon-12.

Supplementary Units

1. Radian (rad): The radian is the angle subtended at the centre of the circle by the arc whose length is equal to
the radius of the circle.

2. Steradian (Sr): The steradian is the solid angle subtended at the centre of a sphere by a spherical surface of
an area equal to the square of its radius.

Dimensional Formula
The dimensional formula of any physical quantity is the formula that tells which of the fundamental units have
been used for the measurement of that physical quantity.

How is dimensional formula written for a physical quantity?

(1) The formula of the physical quantity must be written. The quantity must be on the left-hand side of the
equation.

(2) All the quantities on the right-hand side of the formula must be written in terms of fundamental quantities like
mass, length and time.

(3) Replace mass, length and time with M, L and T, respectively.

(4) Write the powers of the terms.

Characteristics of Dimensions

(1) Dimensions do not depend on the system of units.

(2) Quantities with similar dimensions can be added or subtracted from each other.

(3) Dimensions can be obtained from the units of the physical quantities and vice versa.

(4) Two different quantities can have the same dimension.

(5) When two dimensions are multiplied or divided, it will form the dimension of the third quantity.

Dimensional Analysis
The dimensional formula can be used to

(1) Check the correctness of the equation.

(2) Convert the unit of the physical quantity from one system to another.

(3) Deduce the relation connecting the physical quantities.

Units and Dimensions of a Few Derived Quantities

Physical Quantity Unit Dimensional Formula

Displacement m M0L1T0

Area m2 M0L2T0
Volume m3 M0L3T0

Velocity ms-1 M0L1T-1

Acceleration ms-2 M0L1T-2

Density Kg m-3 M1L-3T0

Momentum Kg ms-1 M1L1T-1

Work/Energy/Heat Joule (or) Kg m2/sec2 M1L2T-2

Power Watt (W) (or) Joule/sec M1L2T-3

Angular Velocity rad s-1 M0L0T-1

Angular Acceleration rad s-2 M0L0T-2

Moment of Inertia Kg m2 M1L2T0

Force Newton (or) Kg m/sec2 M1L1T-2

Pressure Newton/m (or) Kg m-1/sec2 M1L-1T-2

Impulse Newton sec (or) Kg m/sec M1L1T-1

Inertia Kg m2 M1L2T0

Electric Current Ampere (or) C/sec QT-1

Resistance/Impedance Ohm (or) Kg m2/sec C2 ML2T-1Q-2

EMF/Voltage/Potential Volt (or) Kg m2/sec2 C ML2T-2Q-1

Permeability henry/m (or) Kg m/C2 MLQ-2

Permittivity Farad/m (or) sec2C2/Kgm3 T2Q2M-1L-3

Frequency Hertz (or) sec-1 T-1

Wavelength m L1
Principle of Homogeneity
According to the principle of homogeneity of dimensions, all the terms in a given physical equation must be the
same.

Ex. s = ut + (½) at2

Dimensionally

[L] = [LT-1.T] + [LT-2. T2] [L] = [L] + [L]

Defects of Dimensional Analysis

1. While deriving the formula, the proportionality constant cannot be found.
2. The equation of a physical quantity that depends on more than three independent physical quantities
cannot be deduced.
3. This method cannot be used if the physical quantity depends on more parameters than the number of
fundamental quantities.
4. The equations containing trigonometric functions and exponential functions cannot be derived

Points to Remember

 Those quantities which can describe the laws of physics are called the physical quantity. Example:
length, mass and time.
 Physical quantities can be classified as fundamental quantities and derived quantities.
 The reference standard used to measure the physical quantities is called the unit. Units are classified as
fundamental units and derived units.
 The SI system is the most commonly used system of units
 The SI is based on seven basic units and two supplementary units.
 The dimensional formula of any physical quantity is the formula that tells which of the fundamental units
have been used for the measurement of that physical quantity.
 The dimensional formula follows the principle of homogeneity

Solved Examples
(1) The diameter of a cylinder is measured using vernier callipers with no zero error. It is found that the zero of
the vernier scale lies between 5.10 cm and 5.15 cm of the main scale. The vernier scale has 50 divisions
equivalent to 2.45 cm. The 24th division of the vernier scale exactly coincides with one of the main scale
divisions. Then, the diameter of the cylinder is

a) 5.112 cm

b) 5. 124 cm

c) 5.136 cm

d) 5.148 cm

Answer: b) 5. 124 cm

Solution:

The least count of a vernier is given by

L.C. = 1 Main scale division/Number of divisions on the vernier scale

L.C. = 1 M.S.D./n

One main scale division = 0.05 cm

n = 50

L.C. = 0.05/50 = 0.001 cm

Diameter of the cylinder = Main scale reading + (Least count x Vernier scale reading)

= 5.10 + (24 x 0.001) = 5.124 cm