I How to ensure an equation is dimensionless when it includes "Debye"

AI Thread Summary
To determine if an expression is dimensionless, it is essential to analyze the units involved, particularly when dealing with the Debye term. The Debye unit, related to the electric dipole moment, can be expressed in terms of cgs units, where 1 Debye equals 1 Franklin times cm. By breaking down the units, the expression (Debye^2)(s^2)/(cm^5)(g) simplifies to a dimensionless form, confirming correctness. The calculation shows that the units cancel out to yield a value of 1, indicating the expression is indeed dimensionless. Understanding these unit conversions is crucial for verifying dimensional analysis in equations.
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Can anyone please help me figure out how to break down "Debye" into base units so that I can check if an expression is dimensionless in the CGS system?
I am trying to check if an expression is dimensionless. If it is, then I have done things correctly. However, I am stuck on how to deal with a (Debye^2) term. How can I break it down to find out if it cancels out with the other units I have left? I know this is probably a trivial question, but just cannot figure it out.

I have this ("^2" means "squared"):

(Debye^2) (s^2) / (cm^5) g
 
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An expression is of course dimensionless in any system of units. It's the cgs-unit for the electric dipole moment having the dimension Franklin times cm. Now ##1 \text{Fr} =1 \text{statC}=1 \sqrt{\text{g} \; \text{cm}^3/\text{s}^2}##. So ##\text{Debye}^2 \text{s}^2/(\text{cm}^5 \text{g})=1 \text{g} \; \text{cm}^5/(\text{cm}^5 \; \text{g})=1## 👍
 
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vanhees71 said:
An expression is of course dimensionless in any system of units. It's the cgs-unit for the electric dipole moment having the dimension Franklin times cm. Now ##1 \text{Fr} =1 \text{statC}=1 \sqrt{\text{g} \; \text{cm}^3/\text{s}^2}##. So ##\text{Debye}^2 \text{s}^2/(\text{cm}^5 \text{g})=1 \text{g} \; \text{cm}^5/(\text{cm}^5 \; \text{g})=1## 👍
@vanhees71, thank you so much. I just could not get my head around this. Really appreciate it. I voted you up and if there's any other way I can give you credit, just let me know.
 
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