ABSTRACT

Units are how we describe the size or amount of a dimension. For example, a second is a common unit that is used for the dimension of time. In this book, we primarily use the International System of Units, which is also known by its abbreviation SI, for Système International. Other systems of units are also used, such as the English and American engineering systems and the centimeter-gram-second (cgs) system. We will come across some of these non-SI units as well in our study. The units of these other systems may be related to the SI units by appropriate conversion factors. Table 1.1 provides a convenient summary of common conversion factors that relate these other units to the SI system.