Resources or learning how SI units work?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the understanding and use of SI units, with participants seeking resources and guidance on the topic. The scope includes practical applications, conceptual clarifications, and the principles behind SI notation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses confusion regarding SI notation and seeks in-depth resources to improve their understanding.
  • Another participant suggests using Google for resources and shares a link to the Wikipedia page on the International System of Units, noting its utility for memorizing units but questioning its effectiveness for beginners.
  • A participant mentions the need for explanations of the math and principles behind SI units, indicating that they have not found satisfactory resources online.
  • There is a discussion about the origins and practical considerations behind the selection of SI units, with one participant explaining that the units were chosen for practical use and calibration, highlighting the complexities involved in their definitions.
  • Another participant references the official BIPM site as a resource for SI units.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the need for better resources to understand SI units, but there is no consensus on the best materials or methods for learning. Some express skepticism about the usefulness of existing resources like Wikipedia.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention the practical and political factors influencing the definition of SI units, indicating that understanding SI may require consideration of these complexities. There is also a suggestion that additional resources, such as conversion tables, may be beneficial.

mpatryluk
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Hi, I'm looking for an in-depth guide/tutorial about how to use and understand SI notation. As it stands, I've realized it's a source of confusion in physics for me because i never took the time to properly learn.

If anyone knows of any resources which would help me to understand it would be greatly appreciated.
 
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mpatryluk said:
Hi, I'm looking for an in-depth guide/tutorial about how to use and understand SI notation. As it stands, I've realized it's a source of confusion in physics for me because i never took the time to properly learn.

If anyone knows of any resources which would help me to understand it would be greatly appreciated.

It will be good to learn how to use Google. It will help you a lot :smile:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_System_of_Units
 
Malverin said:
It will be good to learn how to use Google. It will help you a lot :smile:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_System_of_Units

I found that page ages ago and keep it religiously open as a means of memorizing the different units themselves.

But as far as explanations for beginners, in terms of the math and principles behind SI, I haven't found wikipedia to be very helpful.

I've looked through some resources online, some with more success than others, but hoped that i may find someone who knows if a killer resource on this forum. If not I'll have no choice but to back go to google.
 
mpatryluk said:
I found that page ages ago and keep it religiously open as a means of memorizing the different units themselves.

But as far as explanations for beginners, in terms of the math and principles behind SI, I haven't found wikipedia to be very helpful.

I've looked through some resources online, some with more success than others, but hoped that i may find someone who knows if a killer resource on this forum. If not I'll have no choice but to back go to google.

It is explained where all the units come from and how their values are chosen.
And if that is not enough, may be you need a converting table - the relation between imperial and SI units. Or you need something else?
 
It is perhaps worth mentioning that there is no "deep physics" in the SI. The units in the SI were chosen primarily to be practical (for use in industry etc) and also in such a way that the units could actually be realized (=could be used to calibrate instruments).
This is e.g. why the Candela is a base unit in the SI, it is obviously not as fundamental as the second and in principle it could be replaced by a derived unit. However, it turns that in practice it is actually quite difficult to come up with a relevant derived unit that can be used for calibration of say light bulbs, this in combination with some lobbying from the light-bulb industry (not a joke) means that it ended up being a base unit.

From time to time the SI is updated to reflect improvements in our ability to measure things.

Hence, the SI is actually a messy compromise between physics, practical considerations and some politics. This is frequently a source of confusion for people who try to understand it.
 

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