Measurements

Before humans created a standardized system of measurement, many cultures utilized local
traditions for measuring objects. These are as follows:
 The Cubit - This measurement originated in Egypt about 3000 B.C. It was used to build
pyramids.
 The Fathom - It is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems equal
to 6 feet (1.8288 m).
 The Hand-Span - It is the distance between the tip of the smallest finger and the tip of the
thumb. We still use this to measure the height of horses.

Need for Measurement

We all know that Physics is a branch of Science which deals with the study of nature and natural
phenomena.

Let’s say I drop a ball from a certain height; it falls freely on the ground.

Being a physics enthusiast to understand this natural phenomenon; I will search for answers to
the following questions:
 Why did this ball fall on the ground?
 At what speed does an object fall?
 Is the velocity of a ball constant?
 How much will it take for a ball to reach the ground?
 Is the velocity of a body directly related to its mass?
To get a precise answer to these questions, measuring the quantities like distance, velocity, and
time becomes essential.

A System of Units
The system of units is the complete set of units, both fundamental units, and derived units, for all
kinds of physical quantities. Each system is named with reference to fundamental units on which
it is based. The common system of units utilized in mechanics are as follows:
 The F.P.S or Foot-Pound System: A British engineering system of units that uses the foot
as the unit of measurement of length, and pound as the unit of mass and second as the
unit of time.
 The C.G.S or Centimeter-Gram-Second System: A Gaussian system that uses centimeter,
gram, and second as the three basic units for length, mass, and time respectively.
 The M.K.S or Meter-Kilogram-Second System: The fundamental units of length, mass,
and time are meter, kilogram, and second respectively.

Fundamental and Derived Units

The quantities which we can measure directly or indirectly are known as physical quantities.

For example, distance, displacement, momentum, etc.

The Physical Quantities are Divided into Two Categories:
 Fundamental quantities, and
 Derived quantities

Fundamental Quantities
The physical quantities that do not depend upon the other quantities are the fundamental
quantities.

There are Seven Fundamental Quantities

S.n
Base Quantity SI Basic Unit
o

1. Length Metre

2. Mass Kg

3. Time Second

4. Current Ampere

5. Temperature Kelvin

6. Luminous Intensity Candela

7. Amount of substance Mole

8. Plane angle Radian

9. Solid angle Steradian

Row 8, and 9: Two supplementary units on the SI system are:

 The Radian - It is the unit of a plane angle. One radian is the angle subtended by the
centre of a circle by an arc and is equal in length to the radius of a circle.
 The Steradian - It is the unit of solid angle. One steradian is the solid angle subtended at
the centre of a sphere, by the surface of a sphere which is equal in area to the square of its
radius.

Derived Quantities
The physical quantities that depend upon the fundamental quantities are known as the derived
quantities.

Let’s take examples of derived units:

Derived Units Table: The Table Shows the List of Derived Units
 Quantity Formula SI Derived Unit

Density Mass/Volume Kgm-1

Velocity Distance/Time ms-1

Acceleration Change in velocity/Time ms-2

Area Side x Side m2

Force Mass x Acceleration

Work Force x Displacement

Kg. m.s-2
Energy Power/Time

Current density J = I/A A.m-2

Pressure, Stress Force/Area Kg.m-1.s-2

Some Important Practical Units

1. In macrocosm measurements, i.e., measurement of very large distances:
 Astronomical units (A.U.)
It is the average distance of the centre of the sun from the centre of the earth.
1 A.U. = 1.496 x 1011m ≃ 1.5 x 1011m
 A light-year (ly)
One light-year is the distance traveled by light in a vacuum in one Earth year.
As the speed of light in a vacuum is 3 x 108 m/s, and
1 year = 365 x 24 x 60 x 60 seconds.
Therefore, one light-year = 3 x 108 x 365 x 24 x 60 x 60 meter
1 ly = 9.46 x 1015meter
 Parsec
It is the unit of long distances and represents the parallactic seconds.
Parsec is the distance at which 1 A.U. a long arc subtends an angle of 1”.
As 1 A.U. = 1.496 x 1011m, and
Ө = 1/60 min = 1/60 x 60 degree = 1/60 x 60 x π/180 radian
Since the radius of an arc, r = length of an arc (l)/angle subtended (Ө)
Therefore, 1 parsec = 1 A.U./1 sec = (1.496 x 1011) x (60 x 60 x 180)/(π)
So,
1 parsec = 3.1 x 1016m

The Evolution of Measurement

The concept of measurement is one of the most fundamental concepts in scientific theory.
Scientists would have a difficult time conducting experiments and forming theories if they did
not have the ability to measure their results. The word "measurement" is derived from the Greek
word "metron," which literally translates as "limited ratio."

An object's properties can be determined by comparing them to a standard, which is achieved

through the use of measurement techniques.

To provide scientists with a quantity, measurement necessitates the use of tools. A quantity is a
way of describing how much of something there is and how many of them there are in total.
Researchers employ a system of measurement known as the "metric system," which is still
widely used today. It was developed in France in the 1790s and was the world's first standardised
system of measurement. Except for the United States, this is the standard unit of measurement in
every country except the United States today.

Measurement Units
The Seven Fundamental Units of Measurement (BMUs)
Length is measured in metres (m)
In Physics, it is defined as the length of the path taken by light in an interval of precisely one
second.
A foundation for this theory is the fundamental quantity, the speed of light in a vacuum, which is
299 792 458 m/s.

Seconds are Measured In Time (S)

The time taken by 9 192 631 770 periods of oscillations of the light emitted by a cesium -133
atoms to transition between two hyper-fine levels of the ground state, as measured by the time
taken by 9 192 631 770 periods of oscillations of the light emitted by a cesium -133 atoms.
Atomic clocks, which are extremely precise, are used to determine this.

Kilogram is the Unit of Mass (kg)

It is the mass of a prototype platinum-iridium cylinder, which is kept at the International Bureau
of Weights and Measures in Paris, France, as a permanent record. Many countries, including the
United States, keep copies of this cylinder because they use it to standardise and compare
weights.

Ampere is the Unit of Electric Current (A)

The constant current that, if maintained in two straight parallel conductors of infinite length and
negligible circular cross-section when placed 1 m apart in vacuum, would produce a force equal
to the product of the square of the distance between the conductors.

The force between these conductors is one Newton for every metre of length between them.
While it may appear that electric charge should have been used as a base unit, measuring current
is far more straightforward, and as a result, current was selected as the standard base unit for all
calculations.

Kelvin is the Unit of Temperature (K)

The Kelvin temperature unit is used in the International System of Units. That is exactly what it
is.
273.16-the thermodynamic temperature of water's triple point, as measured in degrees Celsius It
is the temperature and pressure at which the solid, liquid, and gaseous states of water can all
exist at the same time that is known as the triple point of water.

Molecules are Units of Measurement for the Amount of a Substance (mol)

It is measured in moles, which is the amount of substance that contains the same number of
entities as there are atoms in 0.012 kilogrammes of carbon-12. A mole is made up of an
Avogadro number of different entities. Check out our chemistry articles to learn more about the
Avogadro number and other related topics.

Candela is the Unit of Luminous Intensity (cd)

It refers to the luminous intensity of a source that emits radiation with a constant frequency of a
particular wavelength.

Units Derived from Other Units

SI derived units are the units of measurement that are derived from the seven base units specified
by the International System of Units and are used in scientific and engineering applications.
Either they are dimensionless or they can be expressed as a product of one or more of the base
units, which may then be scaled by an appropriate power of exponentiation, depending on the
situation. When written in full, the names of SI derived units are always written in lowercase
letters. The symbols for units that are named after people, on the other hand, are written with an
uppercase initial letter. "Hz," for example, represents the frequency unit, whereas "m" represents
the unit of measurement meter. In the table below, we've provided a list of derived units for your
convenience.