UNIT – 1

UNITS AND DIMENSIONS

PHYSICAL QUANTITIES -:
• All the quantities in terms of which laws of physics are described & whose
measurement is necessary are physical quantities.
OR
• A quantity that can be measured is called as physical quantity.
• It is also known as measurable quantity.
• Examples – length, mass, velocity, area, volume, density, temperature etc.
NON- PHYSICAL QUANTITIES
• A quantity that cannot be measured is called as non-physical quantity.
• It is also known as non-measurable quantity.
• Examples -: building, bus, road, t.v., radio etc.
DEFINITION OF SOME PHYSICAL QUANTITIES -:
1. MASS – Mass of a body is defined as the quantity of matter in the body, which can
never be zero.
2. LENGTH – Length of an object may be defined as the distance of separation between
any two points at the extreme end of the object.
3. TIME – It is very difficult to define time precisely. According to Einstein, “Time is what
a clock reads”.
4. DISTANCE – Distance of an object is defined as the total or complete path or actual
path travelled by an object.
5. DISPLACEMENT – Displacement of a body is defined as the shortest distance between
the final position & the initial position of the motion of the body.
6. SPEED – Speed of a body is defined as the distance covered by the body in one second.
7. VELOCITY – Velocity of a body is defined as the time rate of change of displacement.
8. ACCELERATION - Acceleration of a body is defined as the rate of change of velocity.
9. FORCE – (Qualitatively) Force is defined as that pull or push which produces or tends
to produce, destroys or tends to destroy motion in a body, increases or decreases the
speed of the body or changes its direction of motion.
10. MOMENTUM – (Qualitatively) Momentum of a body is defined as the amount of
motion contained in a body.
11. WORK – (Qualitatively) Work is said to be done if a force acting on a body, displaces
a body through a certain distance & the force has some component along the
displacement.
12. POWER – The rate at which work is done is called power.
13. ENERGY – It is ability of the body to do some work.
CLASSIFICATION OF PHYSICAL QUANTITIES

PHYSICAL QUANTITIES

FUNDAMENTALQUANTITIES DERIVED QUANTITIES

FUNDAMENTAL QUANTITIES -:
• A physical quantity which does not depend on any other physical quantity for its
measurement is known as fundamental (Basic) quantity.
OR
• Those quantities which can neither be derived from one another nor they can be
resolved (broken) into anything more basic are called fundamental quantities.
• There are 7 fundamental quantities.
• Examples- mass, length, time, temperature, current, luminous intensity, amount
of substance.
DERIVED QUANTITIES -:
• The physical quantities which are expressed in terms of more than one
fundamental quantities are called as derived quantities.
OR
• The physical quantity that depends upon other physical quantities for its
measurement is known as derived quantity.
• Except 7 fundamental quantities, all other quantities are derived quantities.
• Examples -: area, volume, force, momentum etc.
SUPPLEMENTARY QUANTITIES -:
• Plane angle (𝜃)
• Solid angle (Ω)
UNITS -:
• The chosen standard of measurement of a quantity which has essentially the same
nature as that of the quantity is called the unit of the quantity.
OR
• Internationally accepted reference standard to measure a physical quantity.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A UNIT -:
• It should be invariable.
• It should be of convenient size.
• It should be easily available.
• It should be non- perishable.
SYSTEMS OF UNITS -:
There are 3 major systems of units.
1. F.P.S. SYSTEM -:
• In this system the basic units of length, force (instead of mass) & time chosen as
the fundamental quantities are foot, pound & second respectively.
• It is also known as British system.
2. CGS SYSTEM -:
• In this system the basic units of length, mass & time chosen as the fundamental
quantities are centimeter, gram & second respectively.
• It is also known as French or Gaussian system.
3. MKS SYSTEM -:
• In this system the basic units of length, mass & time chosen as the fundamental
quantities are meter, kilogram & second respectively.
• It is also known as Metric system.
S.I. UNITS -: (THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS)
Each of above 3 systems of units is sufficient only to describe all physical
quantities in mechanics. However for the description of physical quantities in field of
electricity, thermodynamics & optics introduction of some additional basic units is
necessary. Therefore the systems of units mentioned above are not complete & coherent.
• The 11th General Conference On Weights & Measures which met in Paris in 1960,
introduced a new system of units called S.I. System, which covers all fields of
science & technology.
• The S.I. system consist of 3 classes of units.
1. Base units – The units of fundamental quantities are called Base units or fundamental
units.
QUANTITY UNIT SYMBOL
Length(l) meter m
Mass(m) kilogram kg
Time(t) second s
 Electric current(i) ampere A
Temperature(T) kelvin K
Luminosity candela Cd
Amount of substance mole mol

2. Supplementary units – The units of Supplementary quantities are called

Supplementary units.
QUANTITY UNIT SYMBOL
Plane angle Radian rad
Solid angle steradian sr

3. Derived units – The units of derived quantities are called derived units.
Derived units can be obtained by simple multiplication & or division of base and
supplementary units.
Examples -
QUANTITY UNIT SYMBOL
Area (meter)2 m2
momentum (kilogram.meter)/second kgm s-1

PREFIXES FOR LARGER & SMALLER UNITS IN POWERS OF TEN

SUB MULTIPLES (SMALLER) MULTIPLES (LARGER)
PREFIX ABBREVIATION VALUE PREFIX ABBREVIATION VALUE
deci- d 10-1 Deca- D 101
centi- c 10-2 Hecta- H 102
milli- m 10-3 Kilo- k 103
micro- 𝜇 10-6 Mega- M 106
nano- n 10-9 Giga- G 109
pico- p 10-12 Tera- T 1012
femto- f 10-15 Peta- P 1015
atto- a 10-18 Exa- E 1018

DIMENSIONS -:
• Dimensions of a physical quantity are the powers to which the fundamental units
be raised in order to represent that quantity.
DIMENSIONAL FORMULA -:
• Dimensional formula of a physical quantity is the formula which tells us how and
which of the fundamental units have been used for the measurement of that
quantity.
QUANTITY DIMENSION
Mass [M ] or [M1L0T0]
1

Length [L1] or [M0L1T0]

Time [T1] or [M0L0T1]
Temperature [K1] or [M0L0T0K1A0]
Current [A1] or [M0L0T0K0A1]

• The pure numbers (1, 2, 3…𝜋, 𝑒 𝑒𝑡𝑐) & all trigonometric functions have no
dimensions.
DETERMINATION OF DIMENSIONS OF A PHYSICAL QUANTITY -:
Dimensions of a physical quantity can be determined as follows –
1. Write the formula for the quantity, with the quantity of L.H.S. of the equation.
2. Convert all the quantities on R.H.S. into the fundamental quantities mass, length &
time.
3. Substitute M, L & T for mass, length & time respectively.
4. Collect terms of M, L & T in a square bracket without commas in between them & find
their resultant powers which give the dimensions of the quantity in mass, length & time
respectively.
Examples-
1. Volume = length × breadth × thickness
= [𝐿 ] × [𝐿 ] × [𝐿 ]
= [L3] or [M0L3T0]
So, the dimensions of volume are 0, 3 & 0 in mass, length & time respectively.

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
2. 𝐕𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 =
𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞
[𝐿1 ]
= [𝑇 1 ]
= 𝐿 𝑇 −1 ]
[ 1
So, the dimensions of velocity are 0, 1 & -1 in mass, length & time respectively.
DIMENSIONAL EQUATION -:
• An equation written in the following manner is called dimensional equation.
Volume = [M0L3T0]
PRINCIPLE OF HOMOGENEITY -:
• It states that the dimensional formula of every term on the two sides of a correct
relation must be same.
• Two quantities in addition or subtraction should have same dimension.
• Quantities on either side of an expression or equation should have the same
dimension.
• Using this principle we can check the correctness of a physical equation.
Uses of dimensional analysis -:
1. To convert the values of a physical quantity from one system to another.
2. To check the correctness of a given relation.
3. To derive a relation between various physical quantities.
All these uses are based upon the “Principle of Homogeneity”.
CHECKING THE DIMENSIONAL CORRECTNESS OF PHYSICAL RELATIONS -:

Let us check the correctness of the relation

𝑆 = 𝑢𝑡 + 1⁄2 𝑎𝑡 2
L.H.S.
Dimensional formula of S or [𝑆] = [𝐿1 ]

R.H.S.
Dimensional formula of ut or [𝑢𝑡 ] = [𝑢] [𝑡 ]
= [𝐿1 𝑇 −1 ] [𝑇1 ]
= [𝐿1 ]
Dimensional formula of 𝟏⁄𝟐 𝒂𝒕𝟐 or [1⁄2 𝑎𝑡 2 ] = [𝑎] [𝑡 2 ]
= [𝐿1 𝑇 −2 ] [𝑇 2 ]
= [𝐿1 ]
So L.H.S. = R.H.S.
Since the dimensional formulae of all the terms involved in the above relation are[𝐿1 ].
So the given relation is dimensional correct.