Physics Notes Class 11 CHAPTER 2 UNITS
AND MEASUREMENTS
The comparison of any physical quantity with its standard unit is called measurement.
Physical Quantities
All the quantities in terms of which laws of physics are described, and whose measurement is
necessary are called physical quantities.
Units
A definite amount of a physical quantity is taken as its standard unit.
The standard unit should be easily reproducible, internationally accepted.
Fundamental Units
Those physical quantities which are independent to each other are called fundamental
quantities and their units are called fundamental units.
S.No. Fundamental Quantities Fundamental Units Symbol
1. Length metre m
2. Mass kilogram kg
3. Time second S
4. Temperature kelvin kg
5 Electric current ampere A
6 Luminous intensity candela cd
7 Amount of substance mole mol
Supplementary Fundamental Units
Radian and steradian are two supplementary fundamental units. It measures plane angle and
solid angle respectively.
S.No. Supplementary Fundamental Quantities Supplementary Unit Symbol
1 Plane angle radian rad
2 Solid angle steradian Sr
Derived Units
www.ncerthelp.com (Visit for all ncert solutions in text and videos, CBSE syllabus, note and many more)
, 2|Page
Those physical quantities which are derived from fundamental quantities are called derived
quantities and their units are called derived units.
e.g., velocity, acceleration, force, work etc.
Definitions of Fundamental Units
The seven fundamental units of SI have been defined as under.
1. 1 kilogram A cylindrical prototype mass made of platinum and iridium alloys of height
39 mm and diameter 39 mm. It is mass of 5.0188 x 1025 atoms of carbon-12.
2. 1 metre 1 metre is the distance that contains 1650763.73 wavelength of orange-red light
of Kr-86.
3. 1 second 1 second is the time in which cesium atom vibrates 9192631770 times in an
atomic clock.
4. 1 kelvin 1 kelvin is the (1/273.16) part of the thermodynamics temperature of the triple
point of water.
5. 1 candela 1 candela is (1/60) luminous intensity of an ideal source by an area of cm’
when source is at melting point of platinum (1760°C).
6. 1 ampere 1 ampere is the electric current which it maintained in two straight parallel
conductor of infinite length and of negligible cross-section area placed one metre apart
in vacuum will produce between them a force 2 x 10-7 N per metre length.
7. 1 mole 1 mole is the amount of substance of a system which contains a many elementary
entities (may be atoms, molecules, ions, electrons or group of particles, as this and atoms
in 0.012 kg of carbon isotope 6C12.
Systems of Units
A system of units is the complete set of units, both fundamental and derived, for all kinds of
physical quantities. The common system of units which is used in mechanics are given below:
1. CGS System In this system, the unit of length is centimetre, the unit of mass is gram
and the unit of time is second.
2. FPS System In this system, the unit of length is foot, the unit of mass is pound and the
unit of time is second.
3. MKS System In this system, the unit of length is metre, the unit of mass is kilogram and
the unit of time is second.
4. SI System This system contain seven fundamental units and two supplementary
fundamental units.
Relationship between Some Mechanical SI Unit and Commonly Used Units
S.No. Physical Quantity Unit
(a) 1 micrometre = 10-6 m
1 Length
(b) 1 angstrom =10-10 m
2 Mass (a) 1 metric ton = 103 kg
www.ncerthelp.com (Visit for all ncert solutions in text and videos, CBSE syllabus, note and many more)
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller firegaming. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $8.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.