Frequently Asked Questions
A physical quantity is a property of a system that can be measured and expressed numerically with a unit, such as length, mass, and time.?
A unit is a standard reference chosen to measure a physical quantity, e.g., metre for length, kilogram for mass.?
Physical quantities that are independent of other quantities, e.g., length, mass, time, electric current, temperature, amount of substance, luminous intensity.?
There are seven SI base quantities: length, mass, time, electric current, thermodynamic temperature, amount of substance, luminous intensity.?
Metre (m), kilogram (kg), second (s), ampere (A), kelvin (K), mole (mol), candela (cd).?
Quantities defined using base quantities (e.g., velocity, force); their units are combinations of base units (e.g., \(m\ s^{-1},\ kg\ m\ s^{-2}\).?
SI supplementary units are: radian (rad) for plane angle and steradian (sr) for solid angle.?
It is internationally accepted, coherent, and based on seven base units with well-defined standards, simplifying scientific communication.?
A system where derived units are obtained from base units without additional numerical factors, e.g., \(1\ N = 1\ kg\ m\ s^{-2}\).?
It is the expression of a physical quantity in terms of base dimensions, like \([M^aL^bT^c]\) for mass, length, and time powers.?
Velocity has dimensional formula \([LT^{-1}]\).?
Force has dimensional formula \([MLT^{-2}]\).?
In a physically meaningful equation, the dimensions of all terms on both sides must be the same.?
To check the dimensional consistency of equations, derive relations between quantities, and convert from one system of units to another.?
It cannot determine dimensionless constants (like 1/2, 2p), and it fails if quantities of different dimensions are added.?