Dimensional_Analysis.pdfVIP

Revised February 13, 2012 7:49 AM 1 Dimensional Analysis, Scale Analysis, and Similarity Theories David Randall Dimensions and units So far as we know, nature can be described using the four “dimensions” or “primary quantities” of length, time, mass, and electric charge. Here the word “dimension” is used to refer to aspects of nature that are independent in the sense that they are not inter-convertible. Length cannot be re-scaled somehow as a mass. Time cannot be re-scaled as an electric charge. All physical quantities can be measured as combinations of these four dimensions. For example, velocity is length divided by time, and energy can be expressed as mass times length squared divided by time squared. Temperature is an anomaly; there has been a debate about whether or not it should be included as a primary quantity independent of mass, length, and time (Huntley, 1967). It is a statistic of the molecular motions, which can be defined in terms of of energy per unit mass. In atmospheric science, temperature is usually treated as a fifth primary quantity. Units are different from dimensions. The various primary quantities are measured using units, which can be defined in very arbitrary ways. For example, length can be measured using meters, feet, furlongs, or the size of Henry VIII’s foot. Today, scientists almost always use the metric or “International” system of units. It is possible to define natural or fundamental units (e.g., Barrow, 2002; Wilczek, 2005, 2006 a, b), but these are not convenient for use in atmospheric science. The starting point for the discussion below is that physical principles must be independent of the choice of units. For ex