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Difficulty: MediumFundamental and Derived Quantities

A laboratory technician records four physical quantities during an experiment: electric current, thermodynamic temperature, electric charge, and luminous intensity. Which of these recorded quantities is a derived physical quantity?

  1. Electric chargeAnswer
  2. B
    Electric current
  3. C
    Thermodynamic temperature
  4. D
    Luminous intensity

Answer

Electric charge is the derived physical quantity.
Electric charge is a derived physical quantity because it is defined mathematically in terms of fundamental quantities: electric charge equals electric current multiplied by time (Q=I⋅tQ = I \cdot t). Its SI unit, the coulomb (C), is defined as an ampere-second (1 C=1 A⋅s1\text{ C} = 1\text{ A}\cdot\text{s}).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the seven fundamental physical quantities defined in the SI system.
The seven base quantities are length, mass, time, electric current, thermodynamic temperature, amount of substance, and luminous intensity.
Fundamental quantities are independent base quantities from which all other physical quantities are derived.
2
Analyze each quantity given in the scenario against the list of fundamental quantities.
Electric current, thermodynamic temperature, and luminous intensity are fundamental quantities. Electric charge is not on the list of base quantities.
Electric charge (QQ) is derived from the base quantities electric current (II) and time (tt) through the relation Q=I⋅tQ = I \cdot t.

Key Concept

Fundamental quantities are basic physical quantities that do not depend on other quantities. Derived quantities are defined in terms of fundamental quantities.
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Topics

Fundamental and Derived Quantities

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