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On the Nature of Dimensions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2022

Brian Ellis
Brian Ellis*
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne
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Abstract

In the first part of this paper it is shown that unit names, whether simple or complex, whether of fundamental, associative or derivative measurement, may always be regarded as the names of scales. In the second it is shown that dimension names, whether simple, like “[M]”, “[L]” and “[T]”, or complex dimensional formulae, may always be regarded as the names of classes of similar scales. Thus, a new foundation for the theory of dimensional analysis is provided, and in the light of this, its nature and scope are examined. Dimensional analysis is shown to depend upon certain conventions for expressing numerical laws.

Type
Research Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 31 , Issue 4 , October 1964 , pp. 357 - 380
Copyright
Copyright © 1964 by the Philosophy of Science Association

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References

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