DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS

technique used in the physical sciences and engineering to reduce physical properties such as acceleration, viscosity, energy, and others to their fundamental dimensions of length (L), mass (M), and time (T). This technique facilitates the study of interrelationships of systems (or models of systems) and their properties and avoids the nuisance of incompatible units. Acceleration, for example, is expressed as L/T2 in dimensional analysis because it is a distance (L, length) per unit of time (T) squared; whether the actual units of length are expressed in the English or metric system is immaterial. Dimensional analysis is often the basis of mathematical models of real situations. If model results are to be translatable in terms of the system being modeled, then the model must be dimensionally faithful to the original. See also mathematical model.