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Quantity

From Bioblast


high-resolution terminology - matching measurements at high-resolution


Quantity

Description

A quantity is the attribute of a phenomenon, body or substance that may be distinguished qualitatively and determined quantitatively. A dimensional quantity is a number (variable, parameter, or constant) connected to its dimension, which is different from 1. {Quote} The value of a quantity is generally expressed as the product of a number and a unit. The unit is simply a particular example of the quantity concerned which is used as a reference, and the number is the ratio of the value of the quantity to the unit. {end of Quote: Bureau International des Poids et Mesures 2019 The International System of Units (SI), p. 127)}.

Abbreviation: Q

Reference: Gnaiger MitoFit Preprints 2020.4

Base quantities and count

SI-units-elementary quantities.png
Quantity Symbol for quantity Q Symbol for dimension Name of abstract unit uQ Symbol for unit uQ [*]
elementary entity *,$ UX U elementary unit x
count *,$ NX = N·UX X elementary unit x
amount of substance *,§ nX = NX·NA-1 N mole mol
charge *,€ Qel = zX·e·NX I·T coulomb C = A·s
length l L meter m
mass m M kilogram kg
time t T second s
electric current I I ampere A
thermodynamic temperature T Θ kelvin K
luminous intensity Iv J candela cd
[*] SI units, except for the canonical 'elementary unit' [x]. The following footnotes are canonical comments, related to iconic symbols.
* For the elementary quantities NX, nX, and Qel, the entity-type X of the elementary entity UX has to be specified in the text and indicated by a subscript: nO2; Nce; Qel.
$ Count NX equals the number of elementary entities UX. In the SI, the quantity 'count' is explicitly considered as an exception: "Each of the seven base quantities used in the SI is regarded as having its own dimension. .. All other quantities, with the exception of counts, are derived quantities" (Bureau International des Poids et Mesures 2019 The International System of Units (SI)). An elementary entity UX is a material unit, it is not a count (UX is not a number of UX). NX has the dimension X of a count and UX has the dimension U of an elementary entity; both quantities have the same abstract unit, the 'elementary unit' [x].
§ Amount nX is an elementary quantity, converting the elementary unit [x] into the SI base unit mole [mol] using the Avogadro constant NA.
Charge is a derived SI quantity. Charge is an elementary quantity, converting the elementary unit [x] into coulombs [C] using the elementary charge e, or converting moles [mol] into coulombs [C] using the Faraday constant F. zX is the charge number per elementary entity UX, which is a constant for any defined elementary entity UX. Qel = zX·F·nX

Quantities and units

1.1. Quantity: "property of a phenomenon, body, or substance, where the property has a magnitude that can be expressed as a number and a reference. .. The generic concept ‘quantity’ can be divided into several levels of specific concepts". The generic concept 'length' can be divided into radius of a circle or wavelength. "A reference can be a measurement unit, a measurement procedure, a reference material, or a combination of such. .. The symbols for quantities are written in italics. .. The concept ‘quantity’ may be generically divided into, e.g. ‘physical quantity’, ‘chemical quantity’, and ‘biological quantity’, or base quantity and derived quantity."
1.2. Kind of quantity: "aspect common to mutually comparable quantities. .. The quantities diameter, circumference, and wavelength are generally considered to be quantities of the same kind, namely of the kind of quantity called length.
1.7. Quantity dimension; dimension of a quantity: "expression of the dependence of a quantity on the base quantities of a system of quantities as a product of powers of factors corresponding to the base quantities, omitting any numerical factor."
1.19. Quantity value; value of a quantity: "number and reference together expressing magnitude of a quantity"


References

Bioblast linkReferenceYear
Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (2019) The International System of Units (SI). 9th edition:117-216. ISBN 978-92-822-2272-02019
Gnaiger E (2020) Mitochondrial pathways and respiratory control. An introduction to OXPHOS analysis. 5th ed. Bioenerg Commun 2020.2. https://doi.org/10.26124/bec:2020-00022020
Gnaiger E (2021) The elementary unit — canonical reviewer's comments on: Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (2019) The International System of Units (SI) 9th ed. https://doi.org/10.26124/mitofit:200004.v22021


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