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Chapter 1: Problem 4

What are the "basic" or "fundamental" physical quantities? Why are they called that?

Short Answer

Expert verified
#Answer# Basic or fundamental physical quantities are quantities that cannot be expressed in terms of any other physical quantities and serve as the foundation of the entire system of units in physics. They are called "basic" or "fundamental" because they form the building blocks of other quantities and are crucial for understanding various phenomena in the universe. Examples of these quantities include length (m), time (s), mass (kg), electric current (A), temperature (K), amount of substance (mol), and luminous intensity (cd).

Step by step solution

01

Definition of Basic (or Fundamental) Physical Quantities

Basic or fundamental physical quantities are certain quantities that cannot be expressed in terms of any other physical quantities. In other words, they are the building blocks of other quantities and form the foundation of the entire system of units in physics.
02

Examples of Basic Physical Quantities

There are seven basic physical quantities, which form the foundation for the International System of Units (SI). These quantities are: 1. Length (measured in meters, m) 2. Time (measured in seconds, s) 3. Mass (measured in kilograms, kg) 4. Electric current (measured in amperes, A) 5. Temperature (measured in kelvins, K) 6. Amount of substance (measured in moles, mol) 7. Luminous intensity (measured in candelas, cd)
03

Reason for the Name "Basic" or "Fundamental" Physical Quantities

They are called basic or fundamental physical quantities because they cannot be derived from other physical quantities, and all other physical quantities can be expressed in terms of these basic quantities. In other words, these basic quantities are the foundation upon which physics is built, and we use them to describe and understand various phenomena in the universe.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Sketch a graph of velocity versus time for the motion illustrated in Figure \(1.24\). Indicate what the car's acceleration is at different times.

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