Units in science
Learners should know and use standard scientific quantities and units, including SI base units and commonly accepted derived units used in chemistry and the wider sciences.
Base units
| Quantity | Common symbol(s) | SI unit / accepted unit | Unit abbreviation |
|---|
| Length | h, l, s, x, lambda | metre | m |
| Mass | m | kilogram | kg |
| Time | t | second | s |
| Temperature | T | kelvin | K |
| Current | I | ampere | A |
| Amount of substance | n | mole | mol |
Derived and accepted units
| Quantity | Common symbol(s) | SI unit / accepted unit | Unit abbreviation |
|---|
| Area | A | square metre | m2 |
| Volume | V | cubic metre, litre, cubic decimetre | m3, l, dm3 |
| Density | rho | kilogram per cubic metre | kg/m3 |
| Temperature change | theta, Delta theta | degree Celsius | degrees C |
| Pressure | p | pascal | Pa |
| Specific heat capacity | c | joule per kilogram per degree Celsius | J/kg degrees C |
| Specific latent heat | l | joule per kilogram | J/kg |
| Speed | v, u | metre per second | m/s |
| Force / weight | F, W | newton | N |
| Gravitational field strength | g | newton per kilogram | N/kg |
| Acceleration | a | metre per second squared | m/s2 |
| Frequency | f | hertz | Hz |
| Energy / work done | E, Delta E, W | joule | J |
| Power | P | watt | W |
| Electric charge | Q | coulomb | C |
| Potential difference | V | volt | V |
| Resistance | R | ohm | Ohm |
| Magnetic flux density | B | tesla | T |