Basic Mathematics

Dimensional Analysis

R Horan & M Lavelle

The aim of this package is to provide a short

self assessment programme for students who
wish to learn how to use dimensional analysis
to investigate scientific equations.

Copyright
c 2003 rhoran@plymouth.ac.uk , mlavelle@plymouth.ac.uk

Last Revision Date: June 2, 2004 Version 1.0

 Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Checking Equations
3. Dimensionless Quantities
4. Final Quiz
Solutions to Exercises
Solutions to Quizzes

The full range of these packages and some instructions,

should they be required, can be obtained from our web
page Mathematics Support Materials.
Section 1: Introduction 3

1. Introduction
It is important to realise that it only makes sense to add the same sort
of quantities, e.g. area may be added to area but area may not
be added to temperature! These considerations lead to a powerful
method to analyse scientific equations called dimensional analysis.
One should note that while units are arbitrarily chosen (an alien
civilisation will not use seconds or weeks), dimensions represent
fundamental quantities such as time.
Basic dimensions are written as follows:
Dimension Symbol
Length L
Time T
Mass M
Temperature K
Electrical current I

See the package on Units for a review of SI units.

Section 1: Introduction 4

Example 1 An area can be expressed as a length times a length.

Therefore the dimensions of area are L × L = L2 . (A given area
could be expressed in the SI units of square metres, or indeed in any
appropriate units.) We sometimes write: [area]= L2
In some equations symbols appear which do not have any associated
dimension, e.g., in the formula for the area of a circle, πr2 , π is just
a number and does not have a dimension.
Exercise 1. Calculate the dimensions of the following quantities
(click on the green letters for the solutions).
(a) Volume (b) Speed
(c) Acceleration (d) Density

Quiz Pick out the units that have a different dimension to the other
three.
(a) kg m2 s−2 (b) g mm2 s−2
2 −2
(c) kg m s (d) mg cm2 s−2
Section 2: Checking Equations 5

2. Checking Equations
Example 2 Consider the equation
1
y = x + kx3
2
Since any terms which are added together or subtracted MUST have
the same dimensions, in this case y, x and 12 kx3 have to have the
same dimensions.
We say that such a scientific equation is dimensionally correct. (If
it is not true, the equation must be wrong.)
If in the above equation x and y were both lengths (dimension L) and
1/2 is a dimensionless number, then for the 12 kx3 term to have the
same dimension as the other two, we would need:
dimension of k × L3 = L
L
∴ dimension of k = 3 = L−2
L
So k would have dimensions of one over area, i.e., [k] = L−2 .
Section 2: Checking Equations 6

Quiz Hooke’s law states that the force, F , in a spring extended by a

length x is given by F = −kx. From Newton’s second law F = ma,
where m is the mass and a is the acceleration, calculate the dimension
of the spring constant k.
(a) M T−2 (b) M T2 (c) M L−2 T−2 (d) M L2 T2

Example 3 The expressions for kinetic energy E = 12 mv 2 (where

m is the mass of the body and v is its speed) and potential energy
E = mgh (where g is the acceleration due to gravity and h is the
height of the body) look very different but both describe energy. One
way to see this is to note that they have the same dimension.

Dimension of kinetic energy Dimension of potential energy

2 −1 2
1
2 mv ⇒ M (L T ) mgh ⇒ M (L T−2 ) L
= M L2 T−2 = M L2 T−2
Both expressions have the same dimensions, they can therefore be
added and subtracted from each other.
Section 2: Checking Equations 7

Exercise 2. Check that the dimensions of each side of the equations

below agree (click on the green letters for the solutions).
(a) The volume of a cylinder of (b) v = u + at for an object with
radius r and length h initial speed u, (constant)
V = πr2 h. acceleration a and final speed
v after a time t.
(c) E = mc2 where E is energy, (d) c = λν, where c is the speed of
m is mass and c is the speed light, λ is the wavelength and
of light. ν is the frequency

Note that dimensional analysis is a way of checking that equations

might be true. It does not prove that they are definitely correct.
Dimensional analysis would suggest that both Einstein’s equation E =
mc2 and the (incorrect) equation E = 12 mc2 might be true. On the
other hand dimensional analysis shows that E = mc3 makes no sense.
Section 3: Dimensionless Quantities 8

3. Dimensionless Quantities
Some quantities are said to be dimensionless. These are then pure
numbers which would be the same no matter what units are used (e.g.,
the mass of a proton is roughly 1850 times the mass of an electron no
matter how you measure mass).
Example 4 The ratio of one mass m1 to another mass m2 is dimen-
sionless:
m1 M
dimension of the fraction = =1
m2 M
The dimensions have canceled and the result is a number (which is
independent of the units, i.e., it would be the same whether the masses
were measured in kilograms or tonnes).
Note that angles are defined in terms of ratios of lengths. They
are therefore dimensionless! Functions of dimensionless variables are
themselves dimensionless.
Section 3: Dimensionless Quantities 9

Very many functions are dimensionless. The following quantities are

important cases of dimensionless quantities:

Trigonometric functions Logarithms

Exponentials Numbers, e.g., π

Note the following properties:

• Functions of dimensionless variables are dimensionless.
• Dimensionless functions must have dimensionless arguments.

Quiz If the number of radioactive atoms is found to be given as a

function of time t by
N (t) = N0 exp(−kt)
where N0 is the number of atoms at time t = 0, what is the dimension
of k?
(a) LT (b) log(T) (c) T (d) T−1
Section 3: Dimensionless Quantities 10

Exercise 3. Determine the dimensions of the expressions below (click

on the green letters for the solutions).
(a) In a Young’s slits experiment the angle θ of constructive interfer-
ence is related to the wavelength λ of the light, the spacing of the
slits d and the order number n by d sin(θ) = nλ. Show that this
is dimensionally correct.

(b) The Boltzmann distribution in thermodynamics involves the fac-

tor exp(−E/(kT )) where E represents energy, T is the tempera-
ture and k is Boltzmann’s constant. Find the dimensions of k.

Quiz Use dimensional analysis to see which of the following expres-

sions is allowed if P is a pressure, t is a time, m is a mass, r is a
distance, v is a velocity and T is a temperature.
P rt2
     2  
Pt Pr Pr
(a) log (b) log (c) log (d) log
mr m mt2 mtT
Section 4: Final Quiz 11

4. Final Quiz
Begin Quiz Choose the solutions from the options given.
1. Newton’s law of gravity states that the gravitational force be-
tween two masses, m1 and m2 , separated by a distance r is given
by F = Gm1 m2 /r2 . What are the dimensions of G?
(a) L3 M−1 T−2 (b) M2 L−2 (c) M L T−2 (d) M−1 L−3 T2
2. The coefficient of thermal expansion, α of a metal bar of length
` whose length expands by ∆` when its temperature increases by
∆T is given by ∆` = α`∆T. What are the dimensions of α?
(a) K−1 (b) L2 T−1 (c) L2 T−1 (d) L−2 K−1
3. The position of a mass at the end of a spring is found as a function
of time to be A sin(ωt). Select the dimensions of A and ω.
(a) L & T (b) L & Dimensionless
(c) sin(L) & T−1 (d) L & T−1

End Quiz Score: Correct

Solutions to Exercises 12

Solutions to Exercises
Exercise 1(a) A volume is given by multiplying three lengths to-
gether:
Dimension of volume = L×L×L
= L3
So [volume] = L3
(The SI units of volume are cubic metres.)
Click on the green square to return

Solutions to Exercises 13

Exercise 1(b) Speed is the rate of change of distance with respect

to time.
L
Dimensions of speed =
T
= L T−1
So [speed] = L T−1
(The SI units of speed are metres per second.)
Click on the green square to return

Solutions to Exercises 14

Exercise 1(c) Acceleration is the rate of change of speed with respect

to time
L T−1
Dimensions of acceleration =
T
= L T−2
So [acceleration] = L T−2
(The SI units of acceleration are metres per second squared.)
Click on the green square to return 
Solutions to Exercises 15

Exercise 1(d) Density is the mass per unit volume, so using the
dimension of volume we get:
M
Dimensions of volume =
L3
= M L−3
So [density] = M L−3
(The SI units of density are kg m−3 .)
Click on the green square to return 
Solutions to Exercises 16

Exercise 2(a) We want to check the dimensions of V = πr2 h. We

know that the dimensions of volume are [volume] = L3 . The right
hand side of the equation has dimensions:
dimensions of πr2 h = L2 × L = L3
So both sides have the dimensions of volume.
Click on the green square to return 
Solutions to Exercises 17

Exercise 2(b) We want to check the dimensions of the equation

v = u + at. Since v and u are both speeds, they have dimensions
L T−1 . Therefore we only need to verify that at has this dimension.
To see this consider:
[at] = (L T−2 ) × T = L T−2 × T = L T−1
So the equation is dimensionally correct, and all the terms have di-
mensions of speed.
Click on the green square to return

Solutions to Exercises 18

Exercise 2(c) We want to check the dimensions of the equation

E = mc2 . Since E is an energy it has dimensions M L2 T−2 . The right
hand side of the equation can also be seen to have this dimension, if
we recall that m is a mass and c is the speed of light (with dimension
L T−1 ). Therefore
[mc2 ] = M (L T−1 )2
= M L2 T−2
So the equation is dimensionally correct, and all terms that we add
have dimensions of energy.
Click on the green square to return 
Solutions to Exercises 19

Exercise 2(d) We want to check the dimensions of the equation

c = λν. Since c is the speed of light it has dimensions L T−1 . The right
hand side of the equation involves wavelength [λ] = L and frequency
[ν] = T−1 . We thus have
[λν] = L × T−1
which indeed also has dimensions of speed, so the equation is dimen-
sionally correct.
Click on the green square to return

Solutions to Exercises 20

Exercise 3(a) We want to check the dimensions of d sin(θ) = nλ.

Both d and λ have dimensions of length. The angle θ and sin(θ) as
well as the number n must all be dimensionless. Therefore we have
L×1 = 1×L
∴ [d sin(θ)] = [nλ]
So both sides have dimensions of length.
Click on the green square to return 
Solutions to Exercises 21

Exercise 3(b) The factor exp(−E/(kT )) is an exponential and so

must be dimensionless. Therefore its argument −E/(kT ) must also
be dimensionless.
The minus sign simply corresponds to multiplying by minus one
and is dimensionless. Energy, E has dimensions [E] = M L2 T−2
and temperature has dimensions K, so the dimensions of Boltzmann’s
constant are
M L2 T−2
[k] = = M L2 T−2 K−1
K
(So the SI units of Boltzmann’s constant are kg m2 s−2 o C−1 ).
Click on the green square to return

Solutions to Quizzes 22

Solutions to Quizzes
Solution to Quiz: kg2 m s−2 has
dimensions = M2 L T−2
It can be checked that all the other answers have dimension M L2 T−2 .
End Quiz
Solutions to Quizzes 23

Solution to Quiz: From Hooke’s law, F = −kx, we see that we can

write
F
k=
x
Now F = ma, so the dimensions of force are given by
[F] = M × (L T−2 )
= M L T−2
Therefore the spring constant has dimensions
M L T−2
[k] =
L
= M T−2
End Quiz
Solutions to Quizzes 24

Solution to Quiz: In N (t) = N0 exp(−kt), the exponential and its

argument must be dimensionless. Therefore kt has to be dimension-
less. Thus
dimensions of k × T = 1
So the dimension of k must be inverse time, i.e., [k] = T−1 .
End Quiz
Solutions to Quizzes 25

Solution to Quiz: First note that the argument of a logarithm must

be dimensionless. Now pressure is force over area, so it has dimensions
M L T−2
[P ] =
L2
= M L−1 T−2
2
Therefore the combination Pmrt
is dimensionless since
P rt2 (M L−1 T−2 ) × L × T2
 
=
m M
M
=
M
= 1
None of the other combinations are dimensionless and so it would be
completely meaningless to take their logarithms. End Quiz