International System of Units

Home > ... > Science and Technology > Physics > Weights and Measures > ...

International System of Units

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

International System of Units officially called the Système International d'Unités, or SI, system of units adopted by the 11th General Conference on Weights and Measures (1960). It is based on the metric system . The basic units of length, mass, and time are those of the mks system of metric units: the meter , kilogram , and second . Other basic units are the ampere of electric current, the kelvin of temperature (a degree of temperature measured on the Kelvin temperature scale ), the candela, or candle , of luminous intensity, and the mole , used to measure the amount of a substance present. All other units are derived from these basic units.

Bibliography: See U.S. National Bureau of Standards, Spec. Pub. 330, International System of Units (1971).

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1E1-IntlSyst" title="Facts and information about International System of Units">International System of Units</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"International System of Units." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"International System of Units." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (December 1, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-IntlSyst.html

"International System of Units." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved December 01, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-IntlSyst.html

Learn more about citation styles

International System of Units

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | © The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

In·ter·na·tion·al Sys·tem of U·nits • n. a system of physical units (SI Units) based on the meter, kilogram, second, ampere, kelvin, candela, and mole, together with a set of prefixes to indicate multiplication or division by a power of ten.

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O999-internationalsystemofunits" title="Facts and information about International System of Units">International System of Units</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"International System of Units." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"International System of Units." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (December 1, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-internationalsystemofunits.html

"International System of Units." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved December 01, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-internationalsystemofunits.html

Learn more about citation styles

Related research questions

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

Local Merrill Lynch unit wins Baldrige.(National/International)(Cover Story)
Newspaper article from: The Florida Times Union; 10/16/1997; ; 700+ words ; ...Other winners of this year's awards are units of 3M and Xerox, both icons of good...meant it had to have the right management systems in place to handle more volume while...was a validation in our minds that the system we had was the right system, that we were moving along the right...
Once a temporary fix, portable classrooms have become a ... Permanet presence Amenities few; some units date to '40s.(National/International)(Cover Story)
Newspaper article from: The Florida Times Union; 10/27/1997; ; 700+ words ; ...shoes all wet and everything." About 10,400 students in Duval County attend class in portables, about 8 percent of system enrollment. The percentage is small compared with neighboring Clay County, where nearly half of all students are in portables...that Duval County has earmarked for new schools. Next week, ...
BAHRAIN: INVITATION TO BID ON CONSTRUCTION OF $400,000,000 LOW SULFUR DIESEL PRODUCTION UNIT IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED TO BE ISSUED SOME TIME DURING THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR 2000, BAHRAIN PETROLEUM CO. (BAPCO) [BAHRAIN] & BECHTEL INTERNATIONAL [USA] - Order #: 115199.
Newspaper article from: WWP-Report on Engineering Construct & Plant Operations in the Developing World; 11/1/1999; 700+ words ; ...diesel production unit. And, the study...according to 4 regional units. The latter are...existing industry units which create the...information retrieval system without the prior...Manama, Bahrain International direct dial: 011 + [973] + 754444 International direct fax: 011...INC. - ...
Williams International and Russian YUKOS Sign Cooperation Agreement on Mazeikiu Nafta.
PR Newswire; 6/15/2001; 700+ words ; ...international unit of Williams...WMB), Williams International Company and Russian...transaction, the international unit of Williams...director of the international unit of Williams...Birzai pipeline system. Portions of...
FOREIGN MARKETS challenge U.S. ENGINEERS.(Hearth Technologies)(International Pages)
Magazine article from: Design News; 5/21/2001; ; 700+ words ; ...current and metric units, international domestic designers...designed to satisfy international regulations. Engineers...Still, they met international standards and sourced...awarded $5,000 to Systems Engineer Mike Rolla...
AT&T to sell subsidiaries Credit card care operations on block 7,800 Jacksonville jobs affected.(National/International)(Cover Story)
Newspaper article from: The Florida Times Union; 10/21/1997; ; 700+ words ; ...replaced. The chiefs of the two units being sold, AT&T Universal...expects to sell the Jacksonville units by mid-1998, a fast timetable for units that big. "We have a large...companies such as Electronic Data Systems Corp. of Plano, Texas, Matrixx...declined to say how much either unit ...
Tengtu International Wins $27 Million Contract From China Ministry.
Business Wire; 6/19/2001; 700+ words ; ...International Corp. Tengtu International Corp. is a developer...national K-12 school system and to serve as the...partners include the China unit of Microsoft Corporation...Netopia, Inc. Tengtu International's other units include wholly owned...release for Tengtu International ...
Tengtu International Raises $6 Million Equity Through New Financing and Debt Conversion; New Lead Investor Ballard Assumes Key Role in Company.
Business Wire; 6/14/2001; 700+ words ; ...International Corp. Tengtu International Corp. is a developer...national K-12 school system and to serve as the...partners include the China unit of Microsoft Corporation...Netopia, Inc. Tengtu International's other units include wholly owned...release for Tengtu International ...
International Space Station; Expedition; Two Science Operations Status Report for the week ending June 21, 2001.
M2 Presswire; 6/21/2001; 700+ words ; ...June 2001-NASA: International Space Station; Expedition...Active Rack Isolation System has continued to undergo...Thermal Enclosure System Unit 10. The four other...operations aboard the International Space Station. The...work of a variety of international sources, all science...
OutlookSoft And Wyndham International Sign Enterprise-Wide Deal For Planning and Performance Management Solutions.
Business Wire; 6/21/2001; 700+ words ; ...announced that Wyndham International, Inc.(NYSE:WYN...Wyndham's business units are located all over...existing ERP and SAP systems and ties back to a...officer of Wyndham International. "Wyndham needed...sources." About Wyndham International, Inc. Wyndham International...
Click to see an enlarged picture
International System of Units. Other (Public Domain)

For students and teachers!

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Popular on Newser: