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SI derived unit

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Also known as derived SI unit, SI derived units

measurement using combination of base units

~2 min read

Encyclopedic overview

SI derived units are units of measurement derived from the seven SI base units specified by the International System of Units (SI). They can be expressed as a product (or ratio) of one or more of the base units, possibly scaled by an appropriate power of exponentiation (see: Buckingham π theorem). Some are dimensionless, as when the units cancel out in ratios of like quantities. SI coherent derived units involve only a trivial proportionality factor, not requiring conversion factors.

The SI has special names for 22 of these coherent derived units (for example, hertz, the SI unit of measurement of frequency), but the rest merely reflect their derivation: for example, the square metre (m), the SI derived unit of area; and the kilogram per cubic metre (kg/m or kg⋅m), the SI derived unit of density.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “SI derived unit” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.