Abbreviations physical quantities

Physical quantity Name of unit Abbreviation Definition... 

Physical quantity Common unit Abbreviation SI equivalent... 

Table 1 shows some symbols and abbreviations commonly used in analytical chemistry Table 2 shows some of the alternative methods for expressing the values of physical quantities and the relationship to the value in SI units. 

A substantial number of definitions in the terminology section are either of physical quantities or are expressed mathematically. In such cases, there are recommended symbols for the quantities and, when appropriate, corresponding SI units. Other terms have eommon abbreviations. The following format is used to indicate these essential eharaeteristics name of term (abbreviation), symbol, SI unit unit. Typical examples are tensile stress, interpenetrating polymer network (IPN). If there are any, alternative names or synonyms follow on the next line, and the definition on the sueeeeding lines. 

Physical Quantity EQUIVALENTS Metric Unit Abbreviation USCS Equivalent... 

Because this book covers a wide rage of subfields in chemistry and physics, we will use many different abbreviations. To avoid confusion, notice that in Table 1.1 (and throughout this book) units are always written with normal (Roman) type. Variables or physical quantities are always either Greek characters or written in italic type. Thus, for example, m is the abbreviation for meters, but is the abbrevation for mass. 

Use italic type for subscripts and superscripts that are themselves symbols for physical quantities or numbers. Use roman type for subscripts and superscripts that are abbreviations and not symbols. 

Values of dimensionless physical quantities, more properly called quantities of dimension one , are often expressed in terms of mathematically exactly defined values denoted by special symbols or abbreviations, such as % (percent) and ppm (part per million). These symbols are then treated as units, and are used as such in calculations. 

Abbreviations and acronyms (words formed from the initial letters of groups of words that are frequently repeated) should be used sparingly. Unless they are well established (e.g. NMR, IR) they should always be defined once in any paper, and they should generally be avoided in titles and abstracts. Abbreviations used to denote physical quantities should if possible be replaced by the recommended symbol for the quantity (e.g. E rather than IP for ionization energy, see. p.20 p rather than dens, for mass density, see p.12). For further recommendations concerning abbreviations see [46]. 

The present 1993 edition is a futher revision of the 1988 edition, incorporating the recent resolutions of the CGPM, the new international standards ISO-31, and new recommendations from IUPAP and from other IUPAC Commissions. Major additions have been made to the sections on Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Chemistry, Electromagnetic Radiation, and Chemical Kinetics, in order to include physical quantities used in the rapidly developing fields of quantum chemical computations, laser physics, and molecular beam scattering. New sections have been added on Dimensionless Quantities, and on Abbreviations and Acrohyms used in chemistry, and a full subject index has been added to the previous symbol index. 

TABLE A2.1 The Fundamental SI Units Physical Quantity Name of Unit Abbreviation... 

Symbols for (physical) quantities, be they variables or constants, are given by a single character (generally Latin or Greek letters) and are printed in italics, e.g., F (force), p (pressure), p (chemical potential), k (Boltzmann constant). Further differentiation is achieved by the use of subscripts and/or superscripts these are printed in italics if it concerns the symbol of a quantity, otherwise in roman type, e.g., cp (specific heat at constant pressure), hp (Planck s constant), Ffu (surface dilational modulus). For clarity, symbols are generally separated by a (thin) space, e.g., F=ma, not ma. Some generally accepted exceptions occur, such as pH, as well as symbols (or two letter abbreviations, rather) for the dimensionless ratios frequently used in process engineering, like Re for Reynolds number and Tr for Trouton ratio (in roman type). 

The International System of Units, abbreviated as SI (from the French name Le Systeme International d Unites), was established in 1960 by the 11th General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) as the modern metric system of measurement. The core of the Si is the seven base units for the physical quantities length, mass, time, electric current, thermodynamic temperature, amount of substance, and luminous intensity. These base units are ... 

This table lists some abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols encountered in the physical sciences. Most entries in italic type are symbols for physical quantities for more details on these, see the table Symbols and Terminology for Physical and Chemical Quantities in this section. Additional information on units may be found in the table International System of Units (SI) in Section 1. Many of the terms to which these abbreviations refer are included in the tables Definitions of Scientific Terms in Section 2 and Techniques for Materials Characterization in Section 12. Useful references for further information are given below. 

General signs and symbols signs and symbols for generally used physical quantities Sheet 1 Quantities and units names, symbols and abbreviations Sheet 2 Explanations Units symbols and abbreviations Notation of physical equations in science and technology... 

A physical quantity is composed of a dimensionless number and the unit. If a car is moving with 90kmh, as referred to commonly in newspapers, then 90 is the dimensionless number and kmh is the unit. Here we must take care because in the present case kmh is an abbreviation for a composed unit. In particular, kmh does not mean km h, but it means km h and what is given in the newspapers is not just wrong, but it is highly misleading. Even in the sciences, we have sometimes such a situation. For example, the unit for the pressure is Pa, i.e., Pascal, in honor to Blaise PascalJ On the other hand. Pa may be understood as Peta years, with P for 10 and a as the abbreviation for year, from the Latin word annum. 

In Chapter 1, the rales of nomenclature are reviewed— units of physical quantities, abbreviations, conversion between SI and British Units— and the various national and international standards bureaus are mentioned. Chapter 2 introduces significant figures and concepts of accuracy, precision and error analysis. Experimental planning is discussed in some detail in Chapter 3. This subject is enormous and we try to distil the essential elements to be able to use the techniques. Chapters 4 and 5 cover many aspects of measuring pressure and temperature. The industrial context is often cited to provide the student with a picture of the importance of these measurements and some of the issues with making adequate measurements. Flow measurement instrumentation is the subject of Chapter 6. A detailed list of the pros and cons of most commercial... 

Physical Quantity Definition in Fundamental Units Specific Name Abbreviation... 

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