|
|
Measurements |
|
Interested in more information on measurements? You can also read A Brief History of Measurements, practice conversions with The Conversions Page, or learn more about the metric system and the U.S. congress in Go Metric! Think Metric!.
|
Q: "In SI system there is a clear distinction between units of mass (1 kg) and unit of force (1 N=1 kg x m/s2). In "English" system of units there is only one unit (lb) for both. If basic Newton's formula is F= m x a in SI system we say 1 N=1 kg x m/s2, but if we claim the same to be valid for English system 1 lb=1 lb x 1, which means acceleration is dimensionless unit (a = 1), then there is something wrong. How is this possible? I suppose this has something to do with definition of this (lb) unit. A: The pound is a very old measurement unit. Its name derives from the Roman phrase "libra pondo" (hence the abbreviation "lb" and the name "pound") meaning a "pound of weight". The Saxon pound was the oldest standard in England until it was replaced by Henry VIII with the Troy pound in 1527. (Incidentally, the new pound, on which the minting process was based, was 6.25% heavier than the Saxon pound, meaning that Henry could collect more taxes.) Before the advent of the metric system, all the countries in western Europe used similar pound units, divided into either 12 or 16 ounces. The unit currently used in the United States is the avoirdupois pound, from the French phrase "avoir du poids" meaning "goods of weight". This phrase indicates that the goods being sold were sold by weight and not by item (mass) or volume. By international agreement, one avoirdupois pound is equal 453.59237 grams. The pound was around long before Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642), Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727) or Johannes Kepler (1571 - 1630). Therefore, it predates the discovery of the gravitational force. So, traditional measurements of a "pound" had no clear distinction between a unit of force and a unit of mass. (Weight and mass were not yet divorced from each other.) This is why there is confusion between "pound mass" (a unit of mass) and "pound force" (a unit of force or weight). Ideally the "pound mass" should be abbreviated lbm and the "pound force" lbf to reduce confusion. The U.S. pound has officially been defined as a fraction of a kilogram (the SI-metric standard for mass) since 1889; it is therefore a mass. The "pound force" is simply the gravitational force experienced at Earth's surface by a mass of one pound. To compute this force, we use Newton's Second Law which states: "The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass." This law leads to the equations: a = Fnet / m or Fnet = m a A one pound mass = 1 lbm. The average acceleration of gravity on Earth's surface expressed in "English" units is 32.2 feet/second2. The "pound force" is thus 32.2 lbm X ft / sec2. (1 lbf = 32.2 lbm X ft / sec2). For the SI metric units, one pound
mass is 0.45 kilogram and the acceleration of gravity averages 9.8
meters/second2 at Earth's surface. This means 1 lbf
= (1 lbf X 9.8 m/s2) = (0.45 kg X 9.8 m/s2)
= 4.41 N. (The "Newton", symbol "N", is the
metric unit for force: 1 N = 1 kg m/s2.) |
|
Q: What is a unit? A: A unit is a particular physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention, with which other particular quantities of the same kind are compared to express their value. Example: The meter is exactly 1.0 units
of length, whereas a millimeter is 10-3 units of length. |
|
Q: What is a standard? A: A standard is reference to which all other quantities of the same type are compared. Example: The meter is the SI Systems
standard for length. When we talk about a kilometer, a
centimeter, or any other SI unit of length we are referencing these to
the standard meter. |
|
Q: What is a conversion factor? A:
A conversion factor is a ration of one unit to another. It is used
to convert between units. It is always equal to 1. Example: The conversion factor
for feet to meters is Try the Conversions Page to practice converting between SI and non standard units |
[Top] [Previously Asked Questions] [References]
|
|
| Quantity | Unit | Symbol | Definition |
| Length | meter | m | The meter is the length of the path traveled
by light in vacuum during a time interval of |
| Mass | kilogram | kg | The kilogram is equal to the mass of the international prototype of the kilogram. |
| Time | second | s | The second is the duration of |
| Electric current | ampere | A | The ampere is that constant current which, if
maintained in two straight parallel conductors of infinite length, of
negligible circular cross-section, and placed |
| Thermodynamic temperature | kelvin | K | The kelvin is the fraction 1/273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water. |
| Amount of substance | mole | mol | The mole is the amount of substance of a system which contains as many elementary entities as there are atoms in 0.012 kilogram of carbon 12. |
| Luminous intensity | candela | cd | The candela is the luminous intensity, in a
given direction, of a source that emits monochromatic radiation of
frequency |
| Quantity |
SI derived unit |
|||
| Name | in terms of other units... | Expression in terms of SI base units | ||
| plane angle | rad | |||
| solid angle | steradian (a) | |||
| frequency | hertz | Hz | s-1 | |
| force | newton | N | J/m | m·kg·s-2 |
| pressure, stress | pascal | Pa | N/m2 | m-1·kg·s-2 |
| energy, work, quantity of heat | joule | J | N·m | m2·kg·s-2 |
| power, radiant flux | watt | W | J/s | m2·kg·s-3 |
| electric charge, quantity of electricity | coulomb | C | s·A | |
| electric potential difference, electromotive force | volt | V | W/A | m2·kg·s-3·A-1 = J/(A·s) |
| capacitance | farad | F | C/V | m-2·kg-1·s4·A2 |
| electric resistance | ohm | W | V/A | m2·kg·s-3·A-2 |
| electric conductance | siemens | S | A/V | m-2·kg-1·s3·A2 = 1/W |
| magnetic flux | weber | Wb | V·s | m2· kg·s-2·A-1 |
| magnetic flux density | tesla | T | Wb/m2 | kg·s-2·A-1 |
| inductance | henry | H | Wb/A | m2· kg·s-2·A-2 |
| Celsius temperature | degree Celsius(d) | °C | K - 273.15 | |
| luminous flux | lumen | lm | cd·sr (c) | |
| illuminance | lux | lx | lm/m2 | |
| activity (referred to a radionuclide) | becquerel | Bq | s-1 | |
| absorbed dose, specific energy (imparted), kerma | gray | Gy | J/kg | m2·s-2 |
| dose equivalent, ambient dose equivalent, directional dose equivalent, personal dose equivalent, organ equivalent dose | sievert | Sv | J/kg | m2·s-2 |
| (a) The radian and steradian may be used with
advantage in expressions for derived units to distinguish between
quantities of different nature but the same dimension. (b) In practice, the symbols rad and sr are used where appropriate, but the derived unit "1" is generally omitted. (c) In photometry, the name steradian and the symbol sr are usually retained in expressions for units. (d) This unit may be used in combination with SI prefixes, e.g. millidegree Celsius, m°C. |
||||
[Top] [Previously Asked Questions] [References]
. So to convert 12 feet to meters you would
multiply 12 feet by the conversion factor and cross out the feet.
This leaves meters. Like this: