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SI Units and Conversion

There are seven base SI units used to describe physical quantities: metre (length), kilogram (mass), second (time), kelvin (temperature), mole (amount of substance), ampere (electric current), and candela (luminous intensity). Prefixes are used with unit symbols to indicate multiplication or division by powers of 10. Quantities can be converted between units using the definitions of prefixes and relationships between base units. For example, 2000 micrometres can be converted to nanometres by using the definitions that 1 micrometre = 10-6 metres and 1 nanometre = 10-9 metres.

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47 views

SI Units and Conversion

There are seven base SI units used to describe physical quantities: metre (length), kilogram (mass), second (time), kelvin (temperature), mole (amount of substance), ampere (electric current), and candela (luminous intensity). Prefixes are used with unit symbols to indicate multiplication or division by powers of 10. Quantities can be converted between units using the definitions of prefixes and relationships between base units. For example, 2000 micrometres can be converted to nanometres by using the definitions that 1 micrometre = 10-6 metres and 1 nanometre = 10-9 metres.

Uploaded by

Deadly Chiller
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SI Units

There are seven SI base units.


Physical Quantity Name of Unit Symbol for Unit
Length Metre 𝑚
Time Second 𝑠
Mass Kilogram 𝑘𝑔
Temperature Kelvin 𝑘
Amount of Substance Mole 𝑚𝑜𝑙
Electric Current Ampere 𝐴
Luminous Intensity Candela 𝑐𝑑

There are quantities that are derived from the base units.
Derived Quantity Derived Unit Name of Unit
Speed 𝑚𝑠 −1 Metre per second
Resistance 𝑚2 𝑘𝑔𝑠 −3 𝐴−2 Ohm
Frequency 𝑠 −1 Hertz
Force 𝑚𝑘𝑔𝑠 −2 Newton
Electric Charge 𝑠. 𝐴 Coulomb
Pressure 𝑚 . 𝑘𝑔. 𝑠 −2
−1
Pascal
Power 𝑚2 . 𝑘𝑔. 𝑠 −3 Watt

Group 2 MATH 1115 Sem 1 2019/2020


SI Prefixes
Prefixes are placed before basic unit symbols to represent either multiplication or
division by powers of 10.

Prefix Symbol Multiplying Factor


yotta Y 1024
zetta Z 1021
exa E 1018
peta P 1015
tera T 1012
giga G 109
mega M 106
kilo k 103
hector h 102
deka da 101
- - 100
deci d 10−1
centi c 10−2
milli m 10−3
micro 𝜇 10−6
nano n 10−9
pico p 10−12
femto f 10−15
atto a 10−18
zepto z 10−21
yocto y 10−24

Group 2 MATH 1115 Sem 1 2019/2020


Unit Conversions
Example: Diamond is a crystalline form of carbon in which the distance between
adjacent carbon atoms is 0.154 nm. What is this interatomic distance expressed in
picometres?
From the definition of the prefix ‘nano’, 1 𝑛𝑚 = 10−9 𝑚.
From the definition of the prefix ‘pico’, 1 𝑝𝑚 = 10−12 𝑚.
And so we have,
1
1𝑚= −12
𝑝𝑚 = 1012 𝑝𝑚
10
Which then leads to
0.154 𝑛𝑚 = 0.154 × 10−9 𝑚
= 0.154 × 10−9 × 1012 𝑝𝑚
= 0.154 × 10(−9+12) 𝑝𝑚
= 0.154 × 103 𝑝𝑚
= 154 𝑝𝑚 (𝑜𝑟 1.54 × 102 𝑝𝑚 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛)

Example: Express 20 𝑑𝑚 to 𝑘𝑚.


We need to establish 1 𝑑𝑚 is in terms of 𝑘𝑚.
We convert both to the base unit ‘𝑚’.
From the definitions of the prefixes, we know that
1 𝑑𝑚 = 10−1 𝑚 ⟹ 1 𝑚 = 10 𝑑𝑚
1 𝑘𝑚 = 103 𝑚 ⟹ 1 𝑚 = 10−3 𝑘𝑚
Now we have two expressions for 1 𝑚 and so we equate both:
⟹ 10 𝑑𝑚 = 10−3 𝑘𝑚
10−3
1 𝑑𝑚 = 𝑘𝑚
10

Group 2 MATH 1115 Sem 1 2019/2020


1 𝑑𝑚 = 10−3−1 𝑘𝑚
1 𝑑𝑚 = 10−4 𝑘𝑚
Thus, 20 𝑑𝑚 = 20 × 10−4 𝑘𝑚
= (2.0 × 10) × 10−4 𝑘𝑚
= 2 × 10−3 𝑘𝑚

Example: Convert 100𝑔 to 𝜇𝑔.


1 𝜇𝑔 = 10−6 𝑔
1
⟹1𝑔= −6
𝜇𝑔 = 106 𝜇𝑔
10

We have established what 1 𝑔 is in terms of 𝜇𝑔, so

100 𝑔 = 100 × 106 𝑔


= 1 × 102 × 106 𝑔
= 1 × 108 𝑔

Example: Convert 2000𝜇𝑚 to 𝑚𝑚.


1 𝜇𝑚 = 10−6 𝑚 ⟹ 1 𝑚 = 106 𝜇𝑚
1 𝑚𝑚 = 10−3 𝑚 ⟹ 1 𝑚 = 103 𝑚𝑚

So 106 𝜇𝑚 = 103 𝑚𝑚
103
⟹ 1𝜇𝑚 = 𝑚𝑚
106
1𝜇𝑚 = 10−3−6 𝑚𝑚
1𝜇𝑚 = 10−3 𝑚𝑚
Thus, 2000𝜇𝑚 = 2000 × 10−3 𝑚𝑚
= 2 × 103 × 10−3 𝑚𝑚
= 2 𝑚𝑚

Group 2 MATH 1115 Sem 1 2019/2020


Conversion of Areas
Example: Convert an area of 48 𝑐𝑚2 to 𝑚2 .
1 𝑐𝑚 = 10−2 𝑚
So 1 𝑐𝑚2 = (10−2 𝑚)2 = (10−2 )2 𝑚2 = 10−4 𝑚2
Therefore, 48 𝑐𝑚2 = 48 × 10−4 𝑚2 = 4.8 × 10−3 𝑚2

Example: Convert 0.08 square metres to square cm.


We have been asked to convert 0.08 𝑚2 to 𝑐𝑚2 .
1𝑚 = 102 𝑐𝑚 ⟹ (1𝑚)2 = (102 𝑐𝑚)2 ⟹ 1𝑚2 = 104 𝑐𝑚2
0.08𝑚2 = 8.0 × 10−2 𝑚2 × 104 𝑐𝑚2
= 8.0 × 10−2+4 𝑐𝑚2
= 8.0 × 102 𝑐𝑚2

Conversion of Volumes

Example: Convert a volume of 1 𝑑𝑚3 (1 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒) to 𝑚3 and 𝑐𝑚3 .


i) 1 𝑑𝑚 = 10−1 𝑚
So 1 𝑑𝑚3 = (10−1 𝑚)3 = (10−1 )3 𝑚3 = 10−3 𝑚3

ii) 1 𝑑𝑚 = 10 𝑐𝑚
So 1 𝑑𝑚3 = (10 𝑐𝑚)3 = 103 𝑐𝑚3

Group 2 MATH 1115 Sem 1 2019/2020


Example: Convert 2000 𝜇𝑚3 to 𝑛𝑚3 .
1 𝜇𝑚 = 10−6 𝑚 ⟹ 1 𝑚 = 106 𝜇𝑚
1 𝑛𝑚 = 10−9 𝑚 ⟹ 1 𝑚 = 109 𝑛𝑚
109
Therefore, 106 𝜇𝑚 = 109 𝑛𝑚 ⟹ 1 𝜇𝑚 = = 103 𝑛𝑚
106

And, 1 𝜇𝑚3 = (103 𝑛𝑚)3 = 109 𝑛𝑚3 .


So, 2000 𝜇𝑚3 = 2000 × 109 𝑛𝑚3 = 2.0 × 103 × 109 𝑛𝑚3 = 2.0 × 1012 𝑛𝑚3 .

Conversion of Compound Units

Example: Convert 30 𝑘𝑚 𝑠 −1 to 𝑚 𝑠 −1 .
1 𝑘𝑚 = 103 𝑚
So 1 𝑘𝑚 𝑠 −1 = 103 𝑚 𝑠 −1
And 30 𝑘𝑚 𝑠 −1 = 30 × 103 𝑚 𝑠 −1 = 3.0 × 104 𝑚 𝑠 −1

Example: Convert 10 𝑘𝑚 ℎ𝑟 −1 to 𝑚 𝑠 −1 .
1 𝑘𝑚 = 103 𝑚
1 ℎ𝑟 = 3600 𝑠 = 3.6 × 103 𝑠
𝑘𝑚 103 𝑚 1 𝑚
1 = =
ℎ𝑟 3.6 × 103 𝑠 3.6 𝑠
𝑘𝑚 1 𝑚
10 = 10 × = 2.78 𝑚 𝑠 −1 (2 𝑑. 𝑝. )
ℎ𝑟 3.6 𝑠

Group 2 MATH 1115 Sem 1 2019/2020


Example: Convert 50 𝑚𝑔 𝑙 −1 to 𝜇𝑔 𝑚𝑙 −1 .
1
1 𝑚𝑔 = 10−3 𝑔 ⟹ 1 𝑔 = −3
𝑚𝑔 = 103 𝑚𝑔
10
1
1 𝜇𝑔 = 10−6 𝑔 ⟹ 1 𝑔 = −6 𝜇𝑔 = 106 𝜇𝑔
10
106
1 𝑚𝑔 = 3 𝜇𝑔 = 103 𝜇𝑔
10
1 𝑙 = 103 𝑚𝑙
𝑚𝑔 103 𝜇𝑔 𝜇𝑔
1 = 3 =1
𝑙 10 𝑚𝑙 𝑚𝑙
So 50 𝑚𝑔 𝑙 −1 = 50 𝜇𝑔 𝑚𝑙 −1 .

Group 2 MATH 1115 Sem 1 2019/2020

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