Base units, also known as fundamental units, are the fundamental measurements from which all other units in a system of measurement are derived. They are the building blocks used to express quantities of different physical properties.
In the International System of Units (SI), there are seven base units that form the foundation for measuring various physical quantities:
- Meter (m): The base unit for length or distance.
- Kilogram (kg): The base unit for mass.
- Second (s): The base unit for time.
- Ampere (A): The base unit for electric current.
- Kelvin (K): The base unit for temperature.
- Mole (mol): The base unit for amount of substance.
- Candela (cd): The base unit for luminous intensity.
These base units are used to define other derived units. For example, the unit of velocity, which is meters per second (m/s), is derived from the base units of meters (length) and seconds (time). Similarly, units such as newtons (N) for force, joules (J) for energy, and coulombs (C) for electric charge can all be derived from combinations of the base units.
Base units provide a standardized and consistent way to express and measure physical quantities across different fields of science and engineering.