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7 Basic Physical Quantities

The document outlines seven basic physical quantities: length, mass, time, electric current, thermodynamic temperature, amount of substance, and luminous intensity, along with their SI units and definitions. Each quantity is defined in terms of its physical meaning and the specific measurement standards used to define its unit. The definitions are based on fundamental constants and phenomena, providing a scientific basis for measurement.

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29 views3 pages

7 Basic Physical Quantities

The document outlines seven basic physical quantities: length, mass, time, electric current, thermodynamic temperature, amount of substance, and luminous intensity, along with their SI units and definitions. Each quantity is defined in terms of its physical meaning and the specific measurement standards used to define its unit. The definitions are based on fundamental constants and phenomena, providing a scientific basis for measurement.

Uploaded by

japij20630
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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7 Basic Physical Quantities, Their Units & Unit Definitions

1. Length
Definition of Quantity:
Length describes how long something is — the distance between two points.
SI Unit: metre (m)
Definition of Unit:
One metre is the distance light travels in 1/299,792,458 of a second in a
vacuum.

2. Mass
Definition of Quantity:
Mass tells us how much matter an object contains.
SI Unit: kilogram (kg)
Definition of Unit:
A kilogram is defined using a constant of nature:
It is based on the Planck constant (h) fixed exactly at
6.62607015 × 10⁻³⁴ joule-seconds, connecting mass to energy and frequency at
the atomic level.

3. Time
Definition of Quantity:
Time measures the progress of events or how long something lasts.
SI Unit: second (s)
Definition of Unit:
One second is the time taken for 9,192,631,770 vibrations of the radiation
released by cesium-133 atoms.
4. Electric Current
Definition of Quantity:
Electric current measures the flow of electric charge.
SI Unit: ampere (A)
Definition of Unit:
The ampere is defined using the elementary charge (e).
One ampere is the flow of 1/1.602176634 × 10⁻¹⁹ electrons per second.

5. Thermodynamic Temperature
Definition of Quantity:
Temperature shows how hot or cold something is in terms of particle energy.
SI Unit: kelvin (K)
Definition of Unit:
One kelvin is defined by fixing the value of the Boltzmann constant (k) at
1.380649 × 10⁻²³ joules per kelvin.

6. Amount of Substance
Definition of Quantity:
It counts how many particles (atoms, molecules, ions) are present in a
substance.
SI Unit: mole (mol)
Definition of Unit:
One mole contains exactly
6.02214076 × 10²³ particles,
a number called Avogadro’s constant.
7. Luminous Intensity
Definition of Quantity:
It measures how bright a light source appears to the human eye.
SI Unit: candela (cd)
Definition of Unit:
One candela is the luminous intensity of a light source that emits
1/683 watt per steradian of monochromatic light at 540 THz (green light).

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