Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
However, the names of all SI mass units are based on gram, rather than on kilogram; thus 10 3 kg is a megagram (10 6 g), not a *kilokilogram. The tonne (t) is an SI-compatible unit of mass equal to a megagram (Mg), or 10 3 kg. The unit is in common use for masses above about 10 3 kg and is often used with SI prefixes.
Mass; system unit unit-code symbol or abbrev. notes sample default conversion combinations SI: kilogram: kg kg 1.0 kg (2.2 lb) kg lb. kg lb st; kg st. kg st lb; gram: g g 1.0 g (0.035 oz) g oz; milligram: mg mg 1.0 mg (0.015 gr) mg gr; microgram: μg (ug or mcg) μg 1.0 μg (1.5 × 10 −5 gr) non-SI metric: tonne: t t 1.0 t (0.98 long tons; 1. ...
Conversions between units in the metric system are defined by their prefixes (for example, 1 kilogram = 1000 grams, 1 milligram = 0.001 grams) and are thus not listed in this article. Exceptions are made if the unit is commonly known by another name (for example, 1 micron = 10 −6 metre).
The kilogram, symbol kg, is the SI unit of mass. It is defined by taking the fixed numerical value of the Planck constant h to be 6.626 070 15 × 10 −34 when expressed in the unit J⋅s, which is equal to kg⋅m 2 ⋅s −1 , where the metre and the second are defined in terms of c and Δ ν Cs .
For historical reasons, the names and symbols for multiples and sub-multiples of the unit of mass are formed as if the gram were the base unit. Prefix names and symbols are attached to the unit name gram and the unit symbol g respectively. For example, 10 −6 kg is written milligram and mg, not microkilogram and μkg. [1]: 144
In the metric system, a microgram or microgramme is a unit of mass equal to one millionth (1 × 10 −6) of a gram. The unit symbol is μg according to the International System of Units (SI); the recommended symbol in the United States and United Kingdom when communicating medical information is mcg .
A derived unit is used for expressing any other quantity, and is a product of powers of base units. For example, in the modern metric system, length has the unit metre and time has the unit second, and speed has the derived unit metre per second. [5]: 15 Density, or mass per unit volume, has the unit kilogram per cubic metre. [5]: 434
The units kilogram, gram, milligram, microgram, and smaller are commonly used for measurement of mass. However, megagram, gigagram, and larger are rarely used; tonnes (and kilotonnes, megatonnes, etc.) or scientific notation are used instead. The megagram does not share the risk of confusion that the tonne has with other units with the name "ton".