Afleiðeiningum

Afleiðeiningum, often translated as "derivative units" or "derived units" in English, refers to units of measurement that are formed by combining base units through multiplication or division. These units are not fundamental but are instead defined in terms of other, more basic units within a coherent system of measurement.

The International System of Units (SI) is the most widely used system, and it comprises seven base units, such as the meter (length), kilogram (mass), and second (time). From these base units, a vast number of derived units are constructed. For example, the unit of force, the newton (N), is defined as a kilogram-meter per second squared (kg·m/s²). Similarly, the unit of pressure, the pascal (Pa), is defined as a newton per square meter (N/m²), which in turn can be expressed in terms of base SI units as kilograms per meter per second squared (kg/(m·s²)).

Other common derived units include the watt (W) for power, defined as a joule per second (J/s) or a kilogram-meter squared per second cubed (kg·m²/s³), and the volt (V) for electric potential, defined as a watt per ampere (W/A) or a kilogram-meter squared per second cubed per ampere (kg·m²/s³·A). The use of derived units simplifies the expression of complex physical quantities and ensures consistency within scientific and technical contexts.