SI Units and Dimensions

By
Prof M Basanna

SI is an international system of units introduced in 1960 for use in the field

of science and technology. The system has 7 base units, 2 supplementary units
and a number of derived units with proper names.

The Base, Supplementary and Special Derived Units are listed below.

Quantity Symbol SI Unit Unit Symbol Dimension

Base Units:
Length l meter m L
Mass m kilogram kg M
Time t second s T
Current I ampere A A
Temperature θ kelvin K K
Luminous Intensity I candela cd -
Amount of Substance n mole mol mol
Supplementary Units:
Plane Angle θ radian rad -
Solid angle ω steradian st -
Derived Units:
Frequency n hertz Hz -
Force F newton N -
Work / Energy W/E joule J -
Power P watt W -
Charge Q coulomb C -
Capacitance C farad F -
Voltage / e.m.f V volt V -
Quantity Symbol SI Unit Unit Symbol Dimension
Resistance R ohm Ω -
Magnetic flux φ weber Wb -
Magnetic Induction B tesla T -
Inductance L henry H -

SI Units and Dimensions of Derived Quantities

SI units of derived quantities can be expressed as a combination of base and

supplementary units. Some of these are given special names. To deduce the SI
unit of a derived quantity we use its defining equation.

Each base unit has a dimension. Dimensions of other derived quantities can
be expressed as a combination of dimensions of base units. This can be done
with the help of their defining equations too.

The procedure to find SI unit and dimension of derived quantities is

illustrated below.

SI Unit of Area = length x breadth = m x m = m2

Dimension of Area = length x breadth = L x L = L2

SI Unit of Velocity = distance / time = m / s = ms–1

Dimension of Velocity = distance / time = L / T = LT–1

SI Unit of Acceleration = velocity / time = ms–1/ s = ms–2

Dimension of Acceleration = velocity / time = LT–1/ T = LT–2

SI Unit of Force = mass x acceleration = kg x ms–2= N (Special Unit)

Dimension of Force = mass x acceleration = M x LT–2 = M LT–2

Similarly, the SI units and dimensions of other derived quantities can be

calculated. Some of them are shown in the table below.
The following is the list of SI units and Dimensions of some useful quantities:

Quantity Definition SI Unit Dimension

Area A = lb m2 L2
Volume V = lbh m3 L3
Density D = m/V kgm–3 ML–3
Velocity v = s/t ms–1 LT–1
Acceleration a = v/t ms–2 LT–2
Momentum p = mv kgms–1 MLT–1
Force F = ma kgms–2 = N MLT–2
Moment G = Fd Nm ML2T–2
Work / Energy W = Fs mN = J ML2T–2
Power P = W/t Js–1 = W ML2T–3
Angular displacement θ = s/r – –
Angular velocity ω = θ/t s–1 T–1
Angular momentum Γ = Iω kgm2s–1 ML2T–1
Angular acceleration α = ω/t s–2 T–2
Torque τ = Iα kgm2s–2 ML2T–2
Moment of inertia I = mr2 kgm2 ML2
Gravitational constant G = Fd2/m1m2 Nm2kg–2 M–1L3T–2
Pressure P = F/A Nm–2 = Pa ML–1T–2
Surface tension T = F/l Nm–1 MT–2
Viscosity η= F/[A(v/x)] Nsm–2 ML–1T–1
Specific heat s = Q/mθ Jkg–1K–1 L2T–2K–1
Latent heat L = Q/m Jkg–1 L2T–2
Thermal conductivity k = Q/[At(θ)] wm–1K–1 MLT–3K–1
Electric charge q = It As = C –
–1 –1
Electric intensity E= F/q = -[V/x] NC = Vm –
Electric potential V = W/q JC–1 = V –
 Quantity Definition SI Unit Dimension

Capacitance C=q/V CV–1 = F –

Voltage V = W/q JC–1 = V –
Resistance R = V/I VA–1 = Ω –
Resistivity σ = AR/L Ωm –
Conductivity ρ = 1/σ Ω –1m–1 –
Magnetic induction B = φ/A Wbm–2 = T –
Inductance L = –e/(dI/dt) VsA–1 = H –
Permittivity – Fm–1 –
Permeability – Hm–1 –

Rules in writing SI Units: Three important rules in writing SI units are,

1. Special units only must be written in capital letters and other units in small
letters. e.g., N, C, H, m, kg, s.
2. No plural form is allowed. e.g., kgs for kilograms, Js for Joules are wrong.
3. SI unit must be written in one line. e.g., m/s is wrong, but ms–1 is correct.

SI Prefixes: Only the following prefixes are allowed.

Sub-multiples Multiples
pico nano micro milli kilo mega giga tera
p n µ m k M G T
10–12 10–9 10–6 10–3 103 106 109 1012

Some examples:

1 pF = 10–12 F 1 mm = 10–3 m

1 kHz = 103 Hz 1 GB = 109 Byte

1 mH = 10–3 H 1 MΩ = 106 Ω