How Many?

A Dictionary of Units of Measurement

Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Table of Contents
About the Dictionary
Using the Dictionary
Derived Units of the International System (SI)
In addition to the seven base units, the General Conference on Weights and Measures has approved 22 names
for SI units defined as combinations of the base units. Within the SI, these units are the named derived units.
Following are links to the definitions of these 22 units. The third column shows how each unit is derived from
the preceding units, and the fourth column gives the formal equivalence of the unit in terms of the base units.
Derived Unit Measures Derivation Formal Definition
hertz (Hz) frequency /s
s
-1
newton (N) force
kg(m/s
2
) kgms
-2
pascal (Pa) pressure
N/m
2
kgm
-1
s
-2
joule (J) energy or work Nm
kgm
2
s
-2
watt (W) power J/s
kgm
2
s
-3
coulomb (C) electric charge As As
volt (V) electric potential W/A
kgm
2
s
-3
A
-1
farad (F) electric capacitance C/V
kg
-1
m
-2
s
4
A
2
ohm (omega) electric resistance V/A
kgm
2
s
-3
A
-2
siemens (S) electric conductance A/V
kg
-1
m
-2
s
3
A
2
weber (Wb) magnetic flux Vs
kgm
2
s
-2
A
-1
tesla (T) magnetic flux density
Wb/m
2
kgs
-2
A
-1
henry (H) inductance Wb/A
kgm
2
s
-2
A
-2
degree Celsius (C) temperature K - 273.15 K
radian (rad) plane angle
mm
-1
steradian (sr) solid angle
m
2
m
-2
lumen (lm) luminous flux cdsr cdsr
lux (lx) illuminance
lm/m
2
cdsrm
-2
becquerel (Bq) activity /s
s
-1
gray (Gy) absorbed dose J/kg
m
2
s
-2
sievert (Sv) dose equivalent Gy(multiplier)
m
2
s
-2
katal (kat) catalytic activity mol/s
mols
-1
The term derived unit covers any algebraic combination of the base units, but it is only the 22 combinations
listed above that have approved special names. For example, the SI derived unit of momentum (mass times
velocity) has no special name; momentum is stated in kilogram meters per second (kgm/s) or in newton
seconds (Ns). A few SI derived units do have special names that have been defined but not approved. Here
are some examples:
Derived Unit Measures Derivation
Units: SI Derived Units http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/siderive.html
1 of 2 5/6/2013 12:09 AM
stere (st) volume
m
3
diopter (dpt) refractive power
m
-1
thermal ohm thermal resistance K/W
poiseuille (Pl) dynamic viscosity Pas
rayl sound impedance Pas/m
acoustic ohm sound resistance
Pas/m
3
daraf electric elastance
F
-1
talbot luminous energy lms
nit (nt) luminance
cd/m
2
molal chemical concentration mol/kg
Return to the Dictionary Contents page.
You are welcome to email the author (rowlett@email.unc.edu) with comments and suggestions.
All material in this folder is copyright 2004 by Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. Permission is granted for personal use and for use by individual teachers in conducting their own classes.
All other rights reserved. You are welcome to make links to this page, but please do not copy the contents of
any page in this folder to another site. The material at this site will be updated from time to time.
Latest update July 14, 2004
Units: SI Derived Units http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/siderive.html
2 of 2 5/6/2013 12:09 AM