Units and Measurements

Flashcards for vocabulary review based on lecture notes about Units and Measurements in Physics.

Physical Quantity

A measurable aspect, like length, mass, or time.

Unit

A reference standard used for measuring quantities.

CGS

Centimeters, grams, seconds - a system of units.

MKS

Meters, kilograms, seconds - a system of units.

FPS

Foot, pound, seconds - a system of units.

Dimension Formula

A symbolic representation of a physical quantity's relationship to fundamental units, e.g., [L], [M], [T].

Fundamental Quantity

Quantities that are independent of other quantities, such as length, mass, and time.

Fundamental Units

Units which measure the fundamental quantities like length, mass and time.

Derived Quantity

Quantities that depend on other quantities.

Derived Units

They measure derived quantity, examples force, velocity and work

Plane Angle

An angle having only two dimensions, measured in radians.

Solid Angle

An angle having three dimensions, measured in steradians.

Strain

Change in length/original length; a dimensionless quantity.

Force

A push or pull; measured in kg m/s^2 or Newtons (N).

Work

Force x displacement; measured in kg m^2/s^2 or Joules (J).

Impulse

Force x time; measured in kg m/s

Power

Work / Time; Measured in kg m^2/s^3 or Watts (W)

Pressure (Stress)

Force / Area; measured in kg/m s^2 or Pascals (Pa).

Density

Mass / Volume; measured in kg/m^3.

Momentum

Mass x velocity; measured in kg m/s.

Gravitational Constant (G)

Constant used in the law of universal gravitation.

Planck Constant (h)

A fundamental constant in quantum mechanics.

Universal Gas Constant (R)

A constant that relates the energy scale to the temperature scale.