Units of Measurement

SI Base Units

The name Système International d'Unités (International System of Units)) with the
international abbreviation SI is a single international language of science and technology
first introduced in 1960. SI is a coherent system based on the seven independent physical
quantities (base units) and derived quantities (derived units). Note that since 1995
supplementary units have been abandoned and moved into the class of derived SI units.

Basic SI Units
quantity Basic SI
Physical quantity Unit Symbol
symbol Unit Name
length l,b,d,h,r,s,etc. metre m
mass m kilogram kg
time t second s
electric current I ampere A
thermodynamic temperature T kelvin K
amount of substance n mole mol
luminous intensity Iv candela cd
Table 1. SI base units.

Other physical quantities are derived from the basic units. The derived SI units are
obtained by the multiplication, division, integration and differentiation of the basic units
without the introduction of any numerical factors. The system of units so derived is said
to be coherent.

Supplementary Dimensionless SI Units

Expression
Quantity
Physical Quantity SI Unit Name Unit Symbol in SI base
symbol
units
plane angle α , β , γ , θ , Φ radian rad m m-1
solid angle ω,Ω steradian sr m2 m-2
Table 2. SI supplementary units. (classification removed, see notes)

Definitions of the SI Base Units

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Length: metre (m)
The metre is the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of
1/299 792 458 of a second.

Mass: kilogram (kg)

The kilogram is equal to the mass of the international prototype of the kilogram: a piece
of platinum-iridium alloy kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures,
Sévres, France.

Time: second (s)

The second is the duration of 9 192 631 770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the
transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the cesium-133 atom.

Electric current: ampere (A)

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 metre
apart in vacuum, would produce between these conductors a force equal to 2 x 10-7
newton per metre of length.

Thermodynamic temperature: kelvin (K)

The kelvin is 1/273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water.

The unit kelvin and its symbol K should be used to express both thermodynamic
temperature and an interval or a difference of temperature.

In addition to the thermodynamic temperature (symbol T) there is also the Celsius

(symbol t) defined by the equation t=T-T0 where T0=273.15 K. Celsius temperature is
expressed in degree Celsius (symbol C). The unit 'degree Celsius' is equal to the unit
'kelvin', and a temperature interval or a difference of temperature may also be expressed
in degrees Celsius. (The word degree and the sign o must not be used with kelvin or K).

Amount of substance: mole (mol)

The mole is the amount of substance of a system which 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 particle.

In this definition, it is understood that the carbon 12 atoms are unbound, at rest and in
their ground state.

Luminous intensity: candela (cd)

The candela is the luminous intensity, in a given direction, of a source that emits
monochromatic radiation of frequency 540 x 1012 hertz and that has a radiant
intensity in that direction of 1/683 watt per steradian.

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 Units of Measurement

Derived SI Units with Special Names

Expression
Physical Quantity Unit Alternative
SI Unit in SI base
Quantity symbol Symbol expressions
units
frequency v, f hertz Hz s-1 -
force F newton N kg m s-2 J m-1
pressure p pascal Pa kg m-1 s-2 N m-2
energy (all E, U, V,
joule J kg m2 s-2 Nm=CV=VAs
forms) W,etc.
power P watt W kg m2 s-3 J s-1 = VA
electric charge Q coulomb C As -
electric potential E, φ, ζ, Φ,
volt V kg m2 s-3 A-1 J A-1 s-1 = J C-1
difference η, etc.
electrical
C farad F A2 s4 kg-1 m-2 C V-1
capacitance
electrical
R ohm Ω kg m2 s-3 A-2 V A-1
resistance
electrical
G siemens S A2 s3 kg-1 m-2 A V-1 = Ω-1
conductance
magnetic flux Φ weber Wb kg m2 s-2 A-1 V s = T m2
magnetic
B tesla T kg s-2 A-1 Wb m-2 = N A-1 m-1
induction
inductance L, M henry H kg m2 s-2 A-2 V A-1 s = Wb A-1
luminous flux Φ lumen lm cd sr -
illumination E lux lx cd sr m-2 lm m-2
activity (of a
A becquerel Bq s-1 -
radionuclide)
absorbed dose D gray Gy m2 s-2 J kg-1
dose equivalent H sievert Sv m2 s-2 J kg-1

3
catalytic activity z katal kat mol s-1 -
Celsius degree
t °C K -
temperature Celsius
α,β,γ,θ,
plane angle radian rad m m-1 dimensionless
Φ
solid angle ω,Ω steradian sr m2 m-2 dimensionless
Table 3. SI derived units with special names.

The special names and symbols of the 22 SI derived units with special names and
symbols given in table 3 above may themselves be included in the names and symbols of
other SI derived units, as shown in table 5.

SI Derived Units

Expressed in Terms of SI Derived Units with Special Names

Derived Quantity Expression in SI Alternative SI
Name
quantity symbol base units expressions
angular velocity ω radian per second s-1 rad s-1
angular radian per second
α s-2 rad s-2
acceleration squared
angular
L joule second kg m2 s-1 Js
momentum
momentum P newton second kg m s-1 Ns
dynamic
η pascal second kg m-1s-1 Pa s
viscosity
surface tension γ, σ newton per metre kg s-2 N m-1 = J m-2
moment of force υ newton metre kg m2 s-2 Nm=J
heat flux density, watt per square
Q kg s-3 W m-2
irradiance metre
heat capacity,
S joule per kelvin kg m2 s-2 K-1 J K-1 = C V K-1
entropy
specific heat
joule per kilogram
capacity, c m2 s-1 K-1 J kg-1 K-1
kelvin
specific entropy
specific energy E joule per kilogram m2 s-2 J kg-1

4
thermal watt per metre
λ kg m2 s-3 K-1 W m-1 K-1
conductivity kelvin
electric S m-1 = Ω-1 m-1
σ, κ siemens per metre A2 s3 kg-1 m-3
conductivity = A V-1 m-1
Ω m = m S-1
electric resistivity ρ ohm metre kg m3 A-2 s-3
= V m A-1
joule per cubic J m-3 = N m-2
energy density u kg m-1 s-2
metre = C m-3
electric field
E volt per metre kg m s-3 A-1 V m-1
strength
electric charge coulomb per cubic
ρ A s m-3 C m-3
density metre
electric flux coulomb per
σ A s m-2 C m-2
density square metre
permittivity ε farad per metre A2 s4 kg-1 m-3 F m-1
permeability μ henry per metre kg m s-2 A-2 H m-1
Um, Hm,
molar energy joule per mole kg m2 s-2 mol-1 J mol-1
etc.
molar entropy,
Sm, Cc,m, joule per mole
molar heat kg m2 s-2 mol-1 K-1 J mol-1 K-1
Cp,m kelvin
capacity
exposure coulomb per
- A s kg-1 C kg-1
(x and γ rays) kilogram
absorbed dose
- gray per second m2 s-3 Gy s-1 = J kg-1 s-1
rate
radiant intensity P' watt per steradian kg m2 s-3 sr-1 W sr-1
watt per square
radiance L kg s-3 sr-1 W m-2 sr-1
metre steradian
catalytic
katal per cubic
(activity) - mol m-3 s-1 kat m-3
metre
concentration
Table 5. SI derived units expressed in terms of SI derived units with special names.

The above table shows some derived quantities and units expressed in terms of SI units
with special names. Some derived quantities like moment of force (newton metre) and

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thermodynamic energy (joule) are both quantities of energy (kg m2 s-2) but are very often
expressed differently.

Note on degree Celsius. The derived unit in Table 3 with the special name degree
Celsius and special symbol °C needs comment. The way temperature scales used to be
defined, it remains common practice to express a thermodynamic temperature, symbol T,
in terms of its difference from the reference temperature T0 = 273.15 K. This temperature
difference is called a Celsius temperature, symbol t, and is defined by the quantity
equation

t= T- T0.

The unit of Celsius temperature is the degree Celsius, symbol °C. The numerical value of
a Celsius temperature t expressed in degrees Celsius is given by

t/°C = T/K - 273.15.

It follows from the definition of t that the numerical value of a given temperature
difference or temperature interval will be the same for both degree Celsius and the kelvin.