Enhetsklasser

Enhetsklasser is a Swedish term that refers to categories or groups of units used to measure physical quantities. In metrology, enhetsklasser organize units by their dimension, such as length, mass, time, electric current, temperature, amount of substance, and luminous intensity. Each enhetsklass contains one or more units that relate to a common base unit; for example, the SI base unit for length is the meter, for mass the kilogram, and for time the second. Derived units are built from base units, like the newton (kg·m/s²) for force or the joule (kg·m²/s²) for energy. The concept supports dimensional analysis, consistent conversions, and interoperable calculations across different units and applications.

In practice, enhetsklasser facilitate choosing appropriate units, performing conversions, and enforcing compatibility in calculations. They underpin standardization efforts such as the International System of Units (SI), which defines base enhetsklasser and a framework for derived units and prefixes.

In software and data modelling, enhetsklasser can also refer to unit-aware types or classes that represent quantities with associated units. Such implementations typically store a numeric value alongside its unit, enabling safe arithmetic, automatic conversions, and validation of unit compatibility. This approach helps prevent errors that arise from mixing incompatible units, improves readability, and supports localization and formatting of measurements in scientific, engineering, and financial contexts.

Historically, standardized unit systems and dimensional analysis have shaped the development of enhetsklasser, with SI providing a widely adopted foundation. See also SI, dimensional analysis, unit conversion, quantity types.