Fundamental Dimensions and

Units
 OBJECTIVES:
 Explain the difference between dimensions and units,
 Describe the various systems of units used in
Engineering,
 Convert data from one system of units to the other,
 Explain the extent to which computed data is
meaningful, and
 Cite real situations where dimensions and units play a
significant role.
 ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS-CONCEPTS
EVERY ENGINEER SHOULD KNOW

 Fundamental dimensions and units

 Length and length-related parameters
 Time and time-related parameters
 Mass and mass-related parameters
 Force and force-related parameters
 Temperature and temperature-related parameters
 Energy and power
 Engineering Problems and Fundamental
Dimensions
Fundamental or base dimensions to correctly express what we
know of the natural world. They are:
 Length
 Mass
 Time
 Temperature
 Electric Current
 Amount of substance
 Luminous Intensity
Engineering Problems and Fundamental
Dimensions
Engineering Problems and Fundamental
Dimensions
Engineering Problems and Fundamental
Dimensions
Engineering Problems and Fundamental
Dimensions
Engineering Problems and Fundamental
Dimensions
Engineering Problems and Fundamental
Dimensions
Engineering Problems and Fundamental
Dimensions
 Systems of Units

The most common systems of units are :

 International System (SI) .

 British Gravitational (BG) .

 U.S. Customary units.

International System (SI) of Units

Derived from French Systéme international d’unités

International System (SI) of Units
International System (SI) of Units
International System (SI) of Units

The meter (m) is the length of

the path travelled by light in a
vacuum during a time interval
of 1/299,792,458 of a second.
International System (SI) of Units

The kilogram (kg) is the unit

of mass; it is equal to the
mass of the international
prototype of the kilogram.
International System (SI) of Units

The second (s) is the duration

of 9,192,631,770 periods of
the radiation corresponding to
the transition between the two
hyperfine levels of the ground
state of the caesium 133
atom.
International System (SI) of Units

The ampere (A) is that

constant current which, if
maintained in two straight
parallel conductors of infinite
length, of negligible circular
cross section, and placed 1
meter apart in a vacuum,
would produce between these
conductors a force equal to 2
X 10–7 newton per meter of
length.
International System (SI) of Units

The kelvin (K), a unit of

thermodynamic temperature,
is the fraction 1/273.16 of the
thermodynamic temperature
of the triple point of water (a
point at which ice, liquid
water, and water vapor
coexist). The unit of Kelvin is
related to the degree Celsius
(˚C), according to K=
˚C+273.1
International System (SI) of Units

The mole (mol) is the amount

of substance of a system that
contains as many elementary
entities as there are atoms in
0.012 kilogram of carbon 12.
When the mole is used, the
elementary entities must be
specified and may be atoms,
molecules, ions, electrons,
other particles, or specified
groups of such particles.
International System (SI) of Units

The candela (cd) is the

luminous intensity, in a given
direction, of a source that
emits monochromatic
radiation of frequency 540 X
1012 hertz and that has a
radiant intensity in that
direction of 1/683 watt per
steradian.
International System (SI) of Units
 International System (SI) of Units

 The units for other physical quantities used in engineering

can be derived from the base units.

 For example, the unit for force is the newton. It is derived

from Newton’s second law of motion.

 One newton is defined as a magnitude of a force that when

applied to 1 kilogram of mass, will accelerate the mass at a
rate of 1 meter per second squared (m/s2). That is: 1N
(1kg)(1m/s2).
International System (SI) of Units
 British Gravitational (BG) System

 In the British Gravitational (BG) system of units, the unit of length

is a foot (ft), which is equal to 0.3048 meter, the unit of time is a
second (s), and the unit of force is a pound (lb). This system treats
mass as a secondary unit. Its unit of mass is the slug.

 The unit of temperature is expressed in degree Fahrenheit (F) or in

terms of absolute temperature degree Rankine (R).

 The relationship between the degree Fahrenheit and degree

Rankine is given by:
 British Gravitational (BG) System

 The relationship between degree Fahrenheit and degree

Celsius is given by:

 The relationship between the degree Rankine and the Kelvin

by:
 U.S. Customary Units

 The unit of length is a foot (ft), which is equal to 0.3048

meter.

 The unit of mass is a pound mass (lbm), which is equal to

0.453592 kg; and the unit of time is a second (s).

 The units of temperature in the U.S. Customary system are

identical to the BG system
U.S. Customary Units
 Unit Conversion

 In engineering analysis and design, there may be a

need to convert from one system of units to
another

 Important to learn to convert information from

one system of units to another correctly

 Always show the appropriate units that go with

your calculations
 Unit Conversion

Given: a person who is 6’-1” tall and weighs 185

pound force (lbf)
Find: height and weight in SI units
Solution:
Person's height, H
  1 ft   0.3048 m 
H   6 ft  1 in      1.854 m
  12 in   1 ft 
Person's weight, W
 4.448 N 
W  185 lb f    822 .88 N
 1 lb f 
 Unit Conversion

Given: a person is driving a car at a speed of 65

miles per hour (mph) over a distance of 25 miles
Find: speed and distance in SI units
Solution:
Speed of car, S
 miles  5280 ft  0.3048 m 
S   65     104,607 m/h  104.607 km/h
 h  1 mile  1 ft 
 m  1 h 
or S  104,607    29.057 m/s
 h  3600 s 
Distance traveled, D
 5280 ft  0.3048 m  1 km 
 
D  25 miles      40.233 km
 1 mile  1 ft  1000 m 
 Unit Conversion

Given: area A = 100 cm2

Find: A in m2
Solution:

  1m 
A  100 cm  2
  0.01 m
2

 100 cm 
 Unit Conversion

Given: volume V = 1000 mm3

Find: V in m3
Solution:

  1m 
V  1000 mm  3
 6
  10 m
3

 1000 mm 
 Unit Conversion

Given: atmosphere pressure P = 105 N/m2

Find: P in lb/in2
Solution:

2
 5 N  1 lb  0.0254 m 
P  10     14 .5 lb/in 2

 m 2  4.448 N  1 in 
 Unit Conversion

Given: density of water = 1000 kg/m3

Find: density in lbm/ft3
Solution:

kg  1 lb m  1 m 
3

  1000 3     62.5 lb m /ft
3

 m  0.4536 kg  3.28 ft 
 Dimensional Homogeneity

 What do we mean by “dimensionally homogeneous?”

Can you, say, add someone’s height who is 6 feet tall to his
weight of 185 lbf and his body temperature of 98F?! Of
course not!
Dimensional Homogeneity (Example)
 For Equation 6.1 to be dimensionally homogeneous,
the units on the left-hand side of the equation must
equal the units on the right-hand side. This equality
requires the modulus of elasticity to have the units of
N/m2, as follows:
 Dimensional Homogeneity (Example)

Consider one formula for rectilinear motion.

1 2
S  S 0  V0 t  g t
2

Where S is the distance travelled at time t, S0 is

the distance is the distance travelled at time , V is
the initial velocity or the velocity at time , and g is
the acceleration due to gravity.
Dimensional Homogeneity (Example)
 Numerical versus Symbolic Solutions

 When you take your engineering classes, you need to be aware

of two important things:
(1) understanding the basic concepts and principles associated
with that class
(2)how to apply them to solve real physical problems (situations)

 Homework problems in engineering typically require either a

numerical or a symbolic solution.

 For problems that require numerical solution, data is given. In

contrast, in the symbolic solution, the steps and the final answer
are presented with variables that could be substituted with data.
 Numerical versus Symbolic Solutions (Example)

 Determine the load that can be lifted by the hydraulic system

shown. All of the necessary information is shown in the Figure.
 Numerical versus Symbolic Solutions (Example 6.4)

 Numerical Solution:
We start by making use of the given data and substituting
them into appropriate equations as follows.
 Numerical versus Symbolic Solutions (Example 6.4)

 Symbolic Solution:
For this problem, we could start with the equation that relates
F2 to F1, and then simplify the similar quantities such as p and
g in the following manner:
 Significant Digits (Figures)

 Engineers make measurements and carry out

calculations.

 Engineers record the results of measurements and

calculations using numbers.

 Significant digits (figures) represent (convey) the

extend to which recorded or computed data is
dependable.
 Significant Digits (Figures)

Least count – one half of

the smallest scale
division

What should we record

for this temperature
measurement?

71 ± 1oF
 Significant Digits (Figures)

What should we record for the length?

3.35 ± 0.05 in.

 Significant Digits (Figures)

What should we record for this pressure?

7.5 ± 0.5 in.

 Significant Digits (Figures)

 Significant digits are numbers zero through nine. However,

when zeros are used to show the position of a decimal point,
they are not considered significant digits.

 For example, each of the following numbers 175, 25.5,

1.85, and 0.00125 has three significant digits. Note the
zeros in number 0.00125 are not considered as significant
digits, since they are used to show the position of the
decimal point
 Significant Digits (Figures)

 The number of significant digits for the number 1500 is not

clear. It could be interpreted as having two, three, or four
significant digits based on what the role of the zeros is.

 In this case, if the number 1500 was expressed by 1.5 *10^3,

15*10^2, or 0.015 *10^5, it would be clear that it has two
significant digits. By expressing the number using the power
of ten, we can make its accuracy more clear.

 However, if the number was initially expressed as 1500.0,

then it has four significant digits and would imply that the
accuracy of the number is known to 1/10000.
 Significant Digits (Figures)

 Addition and Subtraction Rules.

When adding or subtracting numbers, the result of the calculation
should be recorded such that the last significant digit in the result is
determined by the position of the last column of digits common to
all of the numbers being added or subtracted. For example,
 Significant Digits (Figures)

 Multiplication and Division Rules.

When multiplying or dividing numbers, the result of the calculation
should be recorded with the least number of significant digits given
by any of the numbers used in the calculation. For example,
Learning Engineering Fundamental Concepts and
Design Variables from Fundamental Dimensions