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next planned revision: 2005-06-01 |
This table gives an overview of metric units as briefly explained in the page on units and concepts.
| Concept | Unit | Symbol | Name | Comment |
| length | metre | m | metre | originally one ten-millionth of a quarter of the Earth's circumference, therefore the circumference of the Earth is 40'000km by definition. |
| time | second | s | second | |
| mass | kg | kg | kilogram | originally the mass of 1/1000 of a cubic metre of water (1 litre of water) |
| charge | Coulomb | C | Coulomb | |
| temperature | degree Celsius | °C | degree Celsius | originally one hundredth of the difference between the freezing point of water and the boiling point of water; freezing is at 0°C, boiling at 100°C |
| area | m2 | m2 | metre square | |
| volume | m3 | m3 | cubic metre | |
| speed | m/s | m/s | - | |
| acceleration | m/s2 | m/s2 | - | |
| force | kgm/s2 | N | Newton | |
| energy | kgm2/s2 or Nm | J | Joule | |
| power | kgm2/s3 or J/s | W | Watt | |
| current | C/s | A | Ampère | |
| voltage | Volt | V | Volt | |
| Bad units | ||||
| heat | calorie | cal | calorie | 1 cal=4.18605 J; the heat needed to warm 1 g of water by 1 °C |
| power | horsepower | hp | horsepower | 1 hp=736 W; the power to lift 75 kg over 1 m in 1s |
| force | kilogram | kgp | kilogram | 1 kgp=9.8 N |
| energy | kilowatthour | kWh | kiloWatthour | 1 kWh=3.6 MJ |
| speed | km/h | km/h | km per hour | 1 km/h = 0.277 m/s |
| volume | litre | l | litre | 1 l = 0.001 m3 |