Unit
Contents
Key Stage 2
Meaning
A unit is an amount that we can use to give a number meaning.
About Units
- Without units a number doesn't mean anything. For example if you ask someone how far away is London and they say '150', that doesn't mean anything. 150 what? 150 camels away? 150 seconds away? 150 metres away? A unit gives the number meaning. Perhaps London is 150 kilometres away.
- The units you should know are shown in the following table:
| Measurement | Standard Unit | Other Units |
| Distance, Length, Width, Height | metres | millimetres, centimetres, feet, kilometres, miles |
| Time | seconds | minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years |
| Temperature | degrees Celsius | degrees Faranheit |
| Mass | kilograms | grams |
| Area | metres squared | centimetres squared |
| Volume | metres cubed | millilitres, centimetres cubed, litres, millimetres cubed |
| Force, Weight | Newtons | Pounds, Ounces, Stone |
| Speed | metres per second | miles per hour, kilometers per hour |
Key Stage 3
Meaning
Units are quantities that give a number meaning.
About Units
- Units used in science mean the same thing everywhere. A metre is the same distance everywhere.
- Without units a number doesn't mean anything. For example if you ask someone how far away is London and they say '150', that doesn't mean anything. 150 what? 150 camels away? 150 seconds away? 150 metres away? A unit gives the number meaning. Perhaps London is 150 kilometres away.
- The units you should know are shown in the following table:
| Measurement | Standard Unit | Other Units |
| Distance, Length, Width, Height | metres | millimetres, centimetres, feet, kilometres, miles |
| Time | seconds | minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years |
| Temperature | degrees Celsius | degrees Faranheit |
| Mass | kilograms | grams |
| Area | metres squared | centimetres squared |
| Volume | metres cubed | millilitres, centimetres cubed, litres, millimetres cubed |
| Force, Weight | Newtons | Pounds, Ounces, Stone |
| Speed | metres per second | miles per hour, kilometers per hour |
Key Stage 4
Meaning
Units are quantities that give a number meaning.
About Units
- Units used in science mean the same thing everywhere. A metre is the same distance everywhere.
- Without units a number doesn't mean anything.
- The units you should know are shown in the following table:
| Measurement | Standard Unit | Other Units |
| Distance, Displacement, Wavelength | metres | nanometres, micrometers, millimetres, centimetres, feet, kilometres, miles |
| Time | seconds | microseconds, milliseconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years |
| Temperature | degrees Celsius or Kelvin | degrees Faranheit |
| Mass | kilograms | micrograms, milligrams, grams, megagrams (ton) |
| Area | metres squared | centimetres squared |
| Volume | metres cubed | millilitres, centimetres cubed, litres, decimetres cubed |
| Force, Weight | Newtons | Pounds, Ounces, Stone, millinewtons, kilonewtons |
| Speed and Velocity | metres per second | miles per hour, kilometers per hour |
| Density | kilograms per metre cubed | grams per centimetre cubed |
| Angle | degrees | |
| Acceleration | metres per second per second | feet per second per second |
| Moment | Newton Metres | |
| Energy, Work Done | Joules | millijoules, kilojoules |
| Electrical Charge | Coulombs | microcoulombs, millicoulombs |
| Electrical Current | Amps | microamps, milliamps, kiloamps |
| Potential Difference | Volts | microvolts, millivolts, kilovolts |
| Resistance | Ohms | microohms, milliohms, kiloohms |
| Radioactivity | Becquerels | |
| Radiation Dose | Ohms | microsieverts, millisieverts |
| Frequency | Hertz | kilohertz, megahertz, gigahertz |
| Magnetic Flux Density | Teslas | milliteslas |
| Moles | Mol | |
| Concentration | Mol per decimeter cubed | |
| Light intensity | Lux |
References
AQA
- Units, page 19, GCSE Biology, CGP, AQA
- Units, page 19, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy; Biology, CGP, AQA
- Units, page 8, GCSE Biology; The Revision Guide, CGP, AQA
- Units, page 8, GCSE Combined Science; The Revision Guide, CGP, AQA
- Units, page 9, GCSE Chemistry; The Revision Guide, CGP, AQA
- Units, pages 17, 18, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy; Physics, CGP, AQA
- Units, pages 18, 19, 168, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy; Chemistry, CGP, AQA
- Units, pages 18, 19, 200, GCSE Chemistry, CGP, AQA
- Units, pages 18, 19, GCSE Physics; The Complete 9-1 Course for AQA, CGP, AQA
- Units, pages 266-268, GCSE Physics; Third Edition, Oxford University Press, AQA
- Units, pages 4-5, 9, GCSE Biology; Third Edition, Oxford University Press, AQA
- Units; converting between, page 28, GCSE Biology, CGP, AQA
- Units; converting between, page 28, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy; Biology, CGP, AQA
Edexcel
- Units, page 3, GCSE Biology, Pearson, Edexcel
- Units, page 9, GCSE Biology; The Revision Guide, CGP, Edexcel
- Units, pages 18, 19, GCSE Physics, CGP, Edexcel
- Units, pages 19, 20, GCSE Biology, CGP, Edexcel
OCR
- Units (maths), pages 285-286, Gateway GCSE Physics, Oxford, OCR
- Units, page 288, Gateway GCSE Biology, Oxford, OCR
- Units, page 8, Gateway GCSE Combined Science; The Revision Guide, CGP, OCR
- Units, page 9, Gateway GCSE Biology; The Revision Guide, CGP, OCR
- Units, page 9, Gateway GCSE Physics; The Revision Guide, CGP, OCR
- Units, pages 5, 96, 164-165, 300-302, Gateway GCSE Chemistry, Oxford, OCR