Converting derived SI units to SI base units

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Converting derived SI units to SI base units

Posted: C_R 2607 Product: Maple 2024

September 03 2024

From a discussion about expanding unit expressions with compound units I concluded that expanding derived units such as Newton, Watt, Volt, Tesla,... to SI base units is difficult in Maple.

Unintentionally, I came across a rather simple solution for SI units.

toSIbu := x -> x = Units:-Unit(simplify(x/Unit('kg'))*Unit('kg'));

converts derived SI units to SI base units. It’s the inverse of what the units packages and simplify do (i.e. simplification to derived units).

What makes it maybe more interesting: It also works, again unintentionally, on other units than SI units. If, one day, you come along an erg or a hartree or or a kyne and you cannot guess the SI units convert/units needs, try

toSIbu(Unit('pound'));
toSIbu(Unit('hp'));
toSIbu(Unit('electron'));
toSIbu(Unit('hartree'));
toSIbu(Unit('bohr'));
toSIbu(Unit('barye'));
toSIbu(Unit('kyne'));
toSIbu(Unit('erg'));
toSIbu(Unit(mile/gal(petroleum)));

Maybe handy one day when you do not trust AI or the web.

toSIbu := x -> x = Units:-Unit(simplify(x/Unit('kg'))*Unit('kg')):
toSIbu(Unit('N'));
toSIbu(Unit('J'));
toSIbu(Unit('W'));
toSIbu(Unit('Pa'));
toSIbu(Unit('C'));
toSIbu(Unit('F'));
toSIbu(Unit('S'));
toSIbu(Unit('H'));
toSIbu(Unit('T'));
toSIbu(Unit('V'));
toSIbu(Unit('Wb'));
toSIbu(Unit('Omega'));
toSIbu(Unit('lx'));
toSIbu(Unit('lm'));
toSIbu(Unit('degC'));
toSIbu(Unit('rad'));
toSIbu(Unit('sr'));