SI units

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SI units are now the general fundamental units for scientific work. The main basic units with which you will be concerned are the meter (m), the gram (g) and the second (s). Other non-SI units, notably minute (min), hour (h), degree Celsius (°C) and litre (l) are still commonly used in science, and will be used in this manual frequently. When using abbreviations, never add the letter "s" in an attempt to signify plurals. Below are some of the common symbols:

Symbol Prefix Factor
c centi 10-2
m milli 10-3
μ micro 10-6
n nano 10-9
p pico 10-12


(1 l = 103 ml = 106 μl, 1g = 103 mg = 106 μg)


The units of amount of substance, mole (mol), and concentration of substance molar (M) are also frequently used.