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SI base units
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The SI is founded on seven SI base units for seven base
Units quantities assumed to be mutually independent, as given in
Topics:
Table 1.
Introduction
Units Table 1. SI base units
Prefixes
SI base unit
Outside
Base quantity Name Symbol
Rules
length meter m
Background
mass kilogram kg
Units time second s
Bibliography
electric current ampere A
Constants, thermodynamic temperature kelvin K
Units &
Uncertainty amount of substance mole mol
home page luminous intensity candela cd
SI derived units
Other quantities, called derived quantities, are defined in
terms of the seven base quantities via a system of quantity
equations. The SI derived units for these derived quantities
are obtained from these equations and the seven SI base
units. Examples of such SI derived units are given in Table
2, where it should be noted that the symbol 1 for quantities of
dimension 1 such as mass fraction is generally omitted.
Table 2. Examples of SI derived units
SI derived unit
Derived quantity Name Symbol
area square meter m2
volume cubic meter m3
speed, velocity meter per second m/s
meter per second
acceleration m/s2
squared
wave number reciprocal meter m-1
mass density kilogram per cubic meter kg/m3
specific volume cubic meter per kilogram m3/kg
current density ampere per square meter A/m2
magnetic field strength ampere per meter A/m
amount-of-substance
mole per cubic meter mol/m3
concentration
luminance candela per square meter cd/m2
kilogram per kilogram,
which may be kg/kg =
mass fraction
represented by the 1
number 1
For ease of understanding and convenience, 22 SI derived units
have been given special names and symbols, as shown in
Table 3.
Table 3. SI derived units with special names and
symbols
SI derived unit
Expression
in terms of Expression
Derived other SI in terms of
quantity Name Symbol units SI base units
plane angle radian (a) rad - m·m-1 = 1 (b)
solid angle steradian (a) sr (c) - m2·m-2 = 1 (b)
frequency hertz Hz - s-1
force newton N - m·kg·s-2
pressure,
pascal Pa N/m2 m-1·kg·s-2
stress
energy,
work,
joule J N·m m2·kg·s-2
quantity of
heat
power, watt W J/s m2·kg·s-3
Table 3. SI derived units with special names and
symbols
radiant flux
electric
charge,
coulomb C - s·A
quantity of
electricity
electric
potential
difference, volt V W/A m2·kg·s-3·A-1
electromotive
force
capacitance farad F C/V m-2·kg-1·s4·A2
electric
ohm V/A m2·kg·s-3·A-2
resistance
electric
siemens S A/V m-2·kg-1·s3·A2
conductance
magnetic
weber Wb V·s m2·kg·s-2·A-1
flux
magnetic
tesla T Wb/m2 kg·s-2·A-1
flux density
inductance henry H Wb/A m2·kg·s-2·A-2
Celsius degree
°C - K
temperature Celsius
luminous
lumen lm cd·sr (c) m2·m-2·cd = cd
flux
illuminance lux lx lm/m2 m2·m-4·cd = m-2·cd
activity (of a
becquerel Bq - s-1
radionuclide)
absorbed
dose, specific
energy gray Gy J/kg m2·s-2
(imparted),
kerma
dose
sievert Sv J/kg m2·s-2
equivalent (d)
catalytic
katal kat s-1·mol
activity
(a)
The radian and steradian may be used advantageously in expressions for derived
units to distinguish between quantities of a different nature but of the same
dimension; some examples are given in Table 4.
(b)
In practice, the symbols rad and sr are used where appropriate, but the derived
unit "1" is generally omitted.
(c)
In photometry, the unit name steradian and the unit symbol sr are usually retained
in expressions for derived units.
Table 3. SI derived units with special names and
symbols
(d)
Other quantities expressed in sieverts are ambient dose equivalent, directional
dose equivalent, personal dose equivalent, and organ equivalent dose.
t= T- T0.
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Units SI prefixes
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Units
Units outside the SI
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Certain units are not part of the International System of
Units Units, that is, they are outside the SI, but are important and
Topics:
widely used. Consistent with the recommendations of the
Introduction International Committee for Weights and Measures
Units (CIPM, Comité International des Poids et Mesures), the units
Prefixes in this category that are accepted for use with the SI are
Outside given in Table 6.
Rules
Background Table 6. Units outside the SI that are accepted
for use with the SI
Units
Bibliography Name Symbol Value in SI units
Constants, minute (time) min 1 min = 60 s
Units & hour h 1 h = 60 min = 3600 s
Uncertainty
home page day d 1 d = 24 h = 86 400 s
degree (angle) ° 1° = ( /180) rad
minute (angle) 1 = (1/60)° = ( /10 800) rad
second (angle) 1 = (1/60) = ( /648 000)
rad
liter L 1 L = 1 dm3 = 10-3 m3
metric ton (a) t 1 t = 103 kg
neper Np 1 Np = 1
bel (b) B 1 B = (1/2) ln 10 Np (c)
1 eV = 1.602 18 x 10-19 J,
electronvolt (d) eV
approximately
unified atomic mass 1 u = 1.660 54 x 10-27 kg,
u
unit (e) approximately
1 ua = 1.495 98 x 1011 m,
astronomical unit (f) ua
approximately
(a)
In many countries, this unit is called "tonne.''
(b)
The bel is most commonly used with the SI prefix deci: 1 dB = 0.1 B.
(c)
Although the neper is coherent with SI units and is accepted by the CIPM, it
has not been adopted by the General Conference on Weights and Measures
(CGPM, Conférence Générale des Poids et Mesures) and is thus not an SI unit.
(d)
The electronvolt is the kinetic energy acquired by an electron passing through
a potential difference of 1 V in vacuum. The value must be obtained by
experiment, and is therefore not known exactly.
(e)
The unified atomic mass unit is equal to 1/12 of the mass of an unbound atom
of the nuclide 12C, at rest and in its ground state. The value must be obtained by
experiment, and is therefore not known exactly.
(f)
The astronomical unit is a unit of length. Its value is such that, when used to
describe the motion of bodies in the solar system, the heliocentric gravitation
constant is (0.017 202 098 95)2 ua3·d-2. The value must be obtained by
experiment, and is therefore not known exactly.
The liter in Table 6 deserves comment. This unit and its
symbol l were adopted by the CIPM in 1879. The alternative
symbol for the liter, L, was adopted by the CGPM in 1979 in
order to avoid the risk of confusion between the letter l and
the number 1. Thus, although both l and L are internationally
accepted symbols for the liter, to avoid this risk the preferred
symbol for use in the United States is L. Neither a lowercase
script letter l nor an uppercase script letter L are approved
symbols for the liter.
Other units outside the SI that are currently accepted for use
with the SI by NIST are given in Table 7. These units, which
are subject to future review, should be defined in relation to
the SI in every document in which they are used; their
continued use is not encouraged. The CIPM currently
accepts the use of all of the units given in Table 7 with the SI
except for the curie, roentgen, rad, and rem. Because of the
continued wide use of these units in the United States, NIST
still accepts their use with the SI.