Writing Units - Examples

The unit follows a number.

Distances in metres, cm and mm
1.5 km = 1500 m = 1.5 × 103 m
12 mm = 1.2 cm = 0.012 m = 1.2 × 10-2 m

Labelling Variables (Tables, Graphs, etc)

The simplest method is to put the unit in brackets. An alternative method (usually used at Advanced Level) is to put the unit after a division sign '/'.

time	time squared	square root time
time (second)	time 2 (second 2)	√time (√second)
t (s)	t 2 (s 2)	√t (√s)
more advanced...
time /second	time 2 /second 2	√time /√second
t /s	t 2 /s 2	√t /√s
		t½ /s½

Example: Table and Graph

This is a graph showing calculated results for a simple pendulum.

l is the length of pendulum in metres.
T is the Period of the pendulum. (i.e. The time in seconds for 1 complete swing.)
g is the gravitational field strength. (About 9.8 N/kg)

The Period is calculated from the following formula:

l (m)	T (s)	T2 (s2)
1.0	2.01	4.02
2.0	2.84	8.05
3.0	3.47	12.07
4.0	4.01	16.10
5.0	4.49	20.12

©8886 01-Dec-2003