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A unit of measurement, or unit of measure, is a definite magnitude of a quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same kind of quantity. [1] Any other quantity of that kind can be expressed as a multiple of the unit of measurement. [2] For example, a length is a physical quantity.
The basic unit of length in the imperial and U.S. customary systems is the yard, defined as exactly 0.9144 m by international treaty in 1959. [2] [5] Common imperial units and U.S. customary units of length include: [6] thou or mil (1 ⁄ 1000 of an inch) inch (25.4 mm) foot (12 inches, 0.3048 m) yard (3 feet, 0.9144 m)
The first group of metric units are those that are at present defined as units within the International System of Units (SI). In its most restrictive interpretation, this is what may be meant when the term metric unit is used. The unit one (1) is the unit of a quantity of dimension one. It is the neutral element of any system of units. [2]
The conversion between different SI units for one and the same physical quantity is always through a power of ten. This is why the SI (and metric systems more generally) are called decimal systems of measurement units. [10] The grouping formed by a prefix symbol attached to a unit symbol (e.g. ' km ', ' cm ') constitutes a new inseparable unit ...
The measurement of time is unique in SI in that while the second is the base unit, and measurements of time smaller than a second use prefixed units smaller than a second (e.g. microsecond, nanosecond, etc.), measurements larger than a second instead use traditional divisions, including the sexagesimal-based minute and hour as well as the less ...
The base units used in a measurement system must be realisable. Each of the definitions of the base units in the SI is accompanied by a defined mise en pratique [practical realisation] that describes in detail at least one way in which the base unit can be measured. [7]
The other units of length and mass, and all units of area, volume, and derived units such as density were derived from these two base units. Mesures usuelles ( French for customary measures ) were a system of measurement introduced as a compromise between the metric system and traditional measurements.
Measure for how easily current flows through a material siemens (S = Ω −1) L −2 M −1 T 3 I 2: scalar Electrical conductivity: σ: Measure of a material's ability to conduct an electric current S/m L −3 M −1 T 3 I 2: scalar Electric potential: φ: Energy required to move a unit charge through an electric field from a reference point ...