International System of Units

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What Does International System of Units Mean?

The International System of Units (SI) is considered the modern form of the metric system and is now the most widely used system of measurement in the world. It is used both in science and in everyday commerce. The standard was based on the meter-kilogram-second (MKS) system and was published in 1960 as a result of the initiative that started in 1948. It is part of the International System of Quantities.

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Techopedia Explains International System of Units

The International System of Units consists of coherent systems of measurement built around 7 base units, 22 named and a number of unnamed coherent derived units, and a set of prefixes that serve as decimal-based multipliers.

It is declared as an evolving system, so there can be new units and prefixes created, and even unit definitions can be modified through an international agreement as the technology and precision of measurements improve.

All SI units can be expressed directly or in terms of standard multiples or fractional quantities by powers of 10 ranging from 10-24 to 1024.

The seven base SI units are as follows:

  • Meter
  • Kilogram
  • Second
  • Kelvin
  • Ampere
  • Candela
  • Mole
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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret é uma premiada redatora e professora conhecida por sua habilidade de explicar assuntos técnicos complexos para um público empresarial não técnico. Nos últimos vinte anos, suas definições de TI foram publicadas pela Que em uma enciclopédia de termos tecnológicos e citadas em artigos do New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine e Discovery Magazine. Ela ingressou na Techopedia em 2011. A ideia de Margaret de um dia divertido é ajudar os profissionais de TI e de negócios a aprenderem a falar os idiomas altamente especializados uns dos outros.