Page:A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism - Volume 1.djvu/42

of any nation, by substituting for the different symbols the numerical value of the quantities as measured by his own national units, would arrive at a true result.

Hence, in all scientific studies it is of the greatest importance to employ units belonging to a properly defined system, and to know the relations of these units to the fundamental units, so that we may be able at once to transform our results from one system to another.

This is most conveniently done by ascertaining the dimensions of every unit in terms of the three fundamental units. When a given unit varies as the $n$th power of one of these units, it is said to be of $n$ dimensions as regards that unit.

For instance, the scientific unit of volume is always the cube whose side is the unit of length. If the unit of length varies, the unit of volume will vary as its third power, and the unit of volume is said to be of three dimensions with respect to the unit of length.

A knowledge of the dimensions of units furnishes a test which ought to be applied to the equations resulting from any lengthened investigation. The dimensions of every term of such an equation, with respect to each of the three fundamental units, must be the same. If not, the equation is absurd, and contains some error, as its interpretation would be different according to the arbitrary system of units which we adopt^[1].

The Three Fundamental Units.

3.] (1) Length. The standard of length for scientific purposes in this country is one foot, which is the third part of the standard yard preserved in the Exchequer Chambers.

In France, and other countries which have adopted the metric system, it is the mètre. The mètre is theoretically the ten millionth part of the length of a meridian of the earth measured from the pole to the equator; but practically it is the length of a standard preserved in Paris, which was constructed by Borda to correspond, when at the temperature of melting ice, with the value of the preceding length as measured by Delambre. The mètre has not been altered to correspond with new and more accurate measurements of the earth, but the arc of the meridian is estimated in terms of the original mètre.

1. The theory of dimensions was first stated by Fourier, Théorie de Chaleur, § 160.