Department of Geography University of Victoria WORKING WITH PHYSICAL QUANTITIES, DIMENSIONS & SI UNITS IN PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY by Dr.

Ian J. Walker When working with data in earth science problems, it is obviously useful to know the numerical value of the quantities that you are working with but it is also important to understand the units and physical dimensions of the variable(s). This handout will introduce you to working with physical quantities, SI units and dimensional analysis; an invaluable skill when working with and manipulating mathematical equations in geomorphology, hydrology, climatology or other physical geography applications. What are quantities and dimensions? A quantity is a measurable value of size, number, weight or amount of something. All physical quantities on Earth have dimensions that can be expressed in terms and combinations of 5 basic dimensions: mass (M), length (L), time (T), electrical current (I), and temperature (). These 5 dimensions are considered basic because they are easy to measure in experiments. Dimensions are not the same as units. Rather, units express the system of measurement for the various dimensions. For example, speed can measured in units of metres per second (m s-1) or kilometers per hour (km hr-1) but the dimensions of speed are always a length (L) divided by time (T), or simply L T-1. Similarly, the dimensions of area are L x L or L2 and the units can be expressed in m2. This is a useful means of working with physical quantities in that it enables you will to determine the "dimensions" involved and the appropriate units of the quantity, especially in equations involving many variables and parameters. What are SI units? SI stands for Systme Internationale or the International System convention of measurement. The basis of measurement of SI units is the metric system in which all units are based on a factor of ten. It is the only measurement system based on a standard length derived from the size of the earth. The metre, the basic unit of measurement of the metric system, is defined as 1 x 10-7 times the distance from the equator of the earth to either pole. Because of the difficulty in actually measuring and reproducing this unit, it was later defined more precisely by a relation to a wavelength of visible light (e.g., 1 m = 1650763.73 wavelengths of orange light in the spectrum of krypton 86!?!). More recently (1983), it was defined further as 1 metre = the distance light travels in a vacuum in a fraction of a second (e.g., 3.34 x 10-9 seconds) very precise indeed! The seven basic units of the SI system are listed in Table 1.

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Table 1: Fundamental quantities, dimensions and units of the SI system Quantity length (L) mass (M) time (T) electric current (I)
thermodynamic temperature ()

Unit meter kilogram second ampere kelvin mole candela

Symbol m kg s A K mol cd

amount of a substance luminous intensity

All other SI units are either derived from or related to these fundamental units. Derived quantities (Table 2) are defined in terms of relations between the seven base quantities. For instance, area is the square of length (LxL) and volume is the cube of length (L3). Table 2: Derived SI Units SI derived unit Derived quantity area volume speed, velocity acceleration mass density specific volume amount-of-substance concentration luminance Name square meter cubic meter meter per second meter per second squared kilogram per cubic meter cubic meter per kilogram mole per cubic meter candela per square meter Symbol m2 m3 m s-1 m s-2 kg m-3 m3 kg-1 mol m-3 cd m-2

For convenience purposes, several SI derived units have been given special names and symbols, as shown in Table 3.

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Table 3: SI derived units with special names SI derived unit Quantity Name Symbol Expression in terms of other units N m-2 Nm J s-1 WA -1

Expression in terms of base SI units s-1 kg m s-2 kg m-1 s-2 kg m2 s-2 kg m2 s-3 sA kg m2 s-3 A-1 kg m2 s-3 A-2 K

frequency force pressure, stress, momentum flux work, energy power charge electric potential electric resistance Celsius temperature

hertz newton pascal joule watt coulomb volt ohm degree Celsius

Hz N Pa J W C V C

V A-1

Some SI units include and are derived from other SI units as shown in Table 4. Table 4. SI units whose names and symbols include SI derived units with special names and symbols SI derived unit Derived quantity dynamic viscosity moment of force momentum surface tension heat flux density, irradiance, stream power heat capacity, entropy specific energy Useful links: http://www.physics.uoguelph.ca/tutorials/tutorials.htm http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/units.html
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Name pascal second newton meter newton second newton per meter watt per square meter joule per kelvin joule per kilogram

Symbol Pa s Nm Ns N m-1 W m-2 J K-1 J kg-1

What is dimensional analysis? Dimensional analysis is a way of managing the dimensions of physical quantities in algebraic equations. A 'physically correct' equation must have the equality of dimension. In other words, each term in the equation must have the same dimensions to dimensionally correct. Ideally, all equations should be presented in dimensionless form (i.e., units cancel out) to be dimensionally correct. However, many equations produce values that have dimensions (and units) to provide a 'real' value. For example, consider the dimensions on each side of the following equation for calculating pressure (P):
P=

gh

where is density (kg m-3), g is gravitaitonal acceleration (m s-2), and h is height (m). What are the dimensions of the equation? LEFT SIDE: Recall that the units of pressure are pascals (Table 3) and have dimensions of M L-1 T-2 (or respective units of kg m-1 s-2). RIGHT SIDE: [M L-3 L T-2 L]1/2 or M1/2 L-1/2 T-1 (or respective units of kg1/2 m-1/2 s-1). Thus, the dimensions of the equation are not balanced. Consider the formula for determining force (F) using Newton's 2nd law of motion: F=ma where F is force (N or kg m s-2), m is mass (kg), and a is acceleration (m s-2). LEFT SIDE: M L T-2 RIGHT SIDE: M L T-2 Thus, the dimensions of the force equation are balanced. Aside from being able to detect whether there are algebraic (i.e., dimensional) errors in an equation, there are practical advantages to using dimensionless expressions of physical quantities. For instance, dimensionless parameters can be a useful way to express quantitative data gathered under slightly different initial conditions. For example, Reynolds Number (Re) expresses the ratio of inertial to viscous force (i.e., relative amount of turbulence) in fluid flow and is described by: Re = u L / where u is velocity (m s-1), L is a length term (m), and is kinematic viscosity (m2 s-1). Note that the dimensions on the right-hand side cancel out [(L T-1 L) / (L2 T-1) = 0]. This produces a value that can be used as a basis for comparison even though any one of the state variables (e.g., velocity) may vary between cases. For example, Reynolds number is often used for scaling fluid dynamics between different environments (i.e., different lengths scales between field conditions and a wind tunnel simulation). As long as Re can be matched between cases, dynamic similitude or proper dimensional scaling of all forces involved is said to exist.
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Summary SI units provide a standardized and internationally recognized convention for measurement and expression of quantitative data. Furthermore, the metric (base 10) system allows for more convenient use and conversion of units used to measure physical quantities and dimensions in science (compared to the Imperial or English System for example). Macro-scale modelling of earth systems is often too complicated for analytical solution because of the inherent complexity and multivariate nature of natural systems. This can be overcome in part by clearly defining and measuring only a 'sub-system' of interest (e.g., sediment transport system in fluvial environments). However, there often exist external variables and controls that must be subsumed as 'parameters'. In addition to theoretical considerations, studying earth systems often requires empirical observation and controlled experimentation. Dimensional analysis is a useful technique for obtaining quantitative data on relations between important variables and for understanding responses of the system (or relations) to change. Remember that a physically correct equation must show equality of dimension, or a balance in the dimensions expressed by all quantities in the relation. Basic terms & definitions Mass: the quantity of matter in a body that gives it inertia measured by resistance to applied force or acceleration (e.g., gravity) Weight: force exerted on a mass by earths gravitational field w = mg MLT-1 Force: something that imposes a change in motion of a material body F=ma MLT2 Inertia: the property of a body that keeps it at rest or in motion OR the difficulty of setting a body in motion Momentum: the difficulty of stopping a body already in motion = mv MLT-1 Mass density: measure of fluids inertial resistance to acceleration = m/V ML-3 Specific density (specific weight): weight per unit volume = mg / V = g(m/V) = g ML-3T-2 Pressure: force per unit area P=ma/A ML-1T-2 Work: force applied over a distance m a d ML2T-2 Discharge: volume of fluid moved per unit time, typically measured using the velocity area method Q = V A L T-1 L2 = L3 T-1 Power: rate at which work is performed mad/t Fv ML2T-3 Energy: any phenomenon capable of conversion to work Kinetic energy: the energy a mass contains by virtue of its motion mv2 ML2T-2 Potential energy: the energy a mass contains by virtue of its position mgd = wz ML2T-2
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