BPS1323 Basic Engineering

Sciences

SI Unit

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

 Content

▪ SI Unit
▪ Unit density

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

 Learning Outcomes

• State the seven basic SI units and their symbols

• Understand prefixes to make units larger or smaller
• Solve simple problems involving length, area, volume
and mass
• Perform calculations involving density, mass, volume
and relative density

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

 SI Unit

▪ The system of units used in engineering and science is the

Systeme Internationale d’Unites (International system of
units), usually abbreviated to SI units, and is based on the
metric system.

▪ This was introduced in 1960 and is now adopted by the

majority of countries as the official system of measurement.

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

Seven Basic Units in the SI System

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

 Prefixes

SI units may be made larger or smaller by

using prefixes which denote multiplication
or division by a particular amount.

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

Eight most common multiples

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

 Length

Length is the distance between two points. The standard unit

of length is the metre, although the centimetre, cm, millimetre,
mm and kilometre, km, are often used.

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

 Area

• Area is a measure of the size or extent of a plane surface and is

measured by multiplying a length by a length. If the lengths are in
metres then the unit of area is the square metre, m2.

0.5m2 = 50cm x 50 cm = 2500cm2

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

 Volume

Volume is a measure of the space occupied by a solid and is

measured by multiplying a length by a length by a length. If the lengths are
in metres then the unit of volume is in cubic metres, m3

20 m3 = 2000 cm x 2000 cm x 2000 cm = 8 x 109 cm3

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

 Volume and Mass

• Another unit used to measure volume, particularly with

liquids, is the litre, L,
where 1 L = 1000 cm3

• Mass is the amount of matter in a body and is measured in

kilograms, kg.

where 1 kg = 1000 g or conversely, 1 g = 10-3 kg

and 1 tonne (t) = 1000 kg

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

 Density

• Density is the mass per unit volume of a substance. The

symbol used for density is  (Greek letter rho) and its units are
kg/m3.

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

 Relative Density

• The relative density of a substance is the ratio of the density

of the substance to the density of water.
• Relative density has no units, since it is the ratio of two similar
quantities.

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

 Example

Relative density :

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

 Example

A piece of metal 200mm long, 150mm wide and 10mm

thick has a mass of 2700 g. What is the density of the
metal? (Ans.: 9000 kg/m3)

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

 Example

A piece of metal 200mm long, 150mm wide and 10mm

thick has a mass of 2700 g. What is the density of the
metal? (Ans.: 9000 kg/m3)

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

 Example

Cork has a relative density of 0.25. Calculate

(a) the density of cork and
(b) the volume in cubic centimetres of 50g of cork. Take
the density of water to be 1000 kg/m3

SI Unit by Dr. HAA

Answer

SI Unit by Dr. HAA