Definition:Dimension (Measurement)/Units

Definition
Compare with units of measurement.

This concept of dimension is more abstract than that of units, which are standard quantities of the particular dimension in question.

Examples

 * Displacement has dimension $\mathsf L$.


 * Velocity has dimension $\mathsf {L T}^{-1}$ (change in displacement, that is length traveled, per unit of time).


 * Acceleration has dimension $\mathsf {L T}^{-2}$ (change in velocity per unit of time).


 * Force has dimension $\mathsf {M L T}^{-2}$ (mass times acceleration, from Newton's Second Law of Motion).