List of scientists whose names are used as units

Many scientists have been recognized with the assignment of their names as international units by the International Committee for Weights and Measures or as non-SI units. The International System of Units (abbreviated SI from French: Système international d'unités) is the most widely used system of units of measurement. There are seven base units and 22 derived units^[1] (excluding compound units). These units are used both in science and in commerce. Two of the base SI units and 17 of the derived units are named after scientists.^[2] 28 non-SI units are named after scientists. By this convention, their names are immortalised. As a rule, the SI units are written in lowercase letters, but symbols of units derived from the name of a person begin with a capital letter.

Scientists and SI units[]

Base unit^{[note 1]}

Derived unit

(colour legend)

Name^[3]^[4]	Life	Nationality	Quantity^[5]	SI unit
André-Marie Ampère^[6]	1775–1836	French	Electric current^[7]	ampere (A) (Base unit)
William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin^[8]	1824–1907	British (Irish-Scottish)	Thermodynamic temperature^[9]	kelvin (K) (Base unit)
Blaise Pascal^[10]	1623–1662	French	Pressure^[11]	pascal (Pa)
Isaac Newton^[12]	1643–1727	British (English)	Force^[13]	newton (N)
Anders Celsius^[14]	1701–1744	Swedish	Temperature^[15]	degree Celsius (°C)
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb^[16]	1736–1806	French	Electric charge^[17]	coulomb (C)
James Watt^[18]	1736–1819	British (Scottish)	Power^[19]	watt (W)
Alessandro Volta^[20]	1745–1827	Italian	Electric potential^[21]	volt (V)
Georg Simon Ohm^[22]	1789–1855	German	Electrical resistance^[23]	ohm (Ω)
Michael Faraday^[24]	1791–1867	British (English)	Capacitance^[25]	farad (F)
Joseph Henry^[26]	1797–1878	American	Inductance^[27]	henry (H)
Wilhelm Eduard Weber^[28]	1804–1891	German	Magnetic flux^[29]	weber (Wb)
Ernst Werner von Siemens^[30]	1816–1892	German	Conductance^[31]	siemens (S)
James Prescott Joule^[32]	1818–1889	British (English)	Energy^[33]	joule (J)
Antoine Henri Becquerel^[34]	1852–1908	French	Radioactivity^[35]	becquerel (Bq)
Nikola Tesla^[36]	1856–1943	Serbian^{[note 2]}-American	Magnetic flux density^[37]	tesla (T)
Heinrich Rudolf Hertz^[38]	1857–1894	German	Frequency^[39]	hertz (Hz)
Rolf Maximilian Sievert^[40]	1896–1966	Swedish	Dose equivalent of radiation^{[citation needed]}	sievert (Sv)
Louis Harold Gray^[41]	1905–1965	British (English)	Absorbed dose of radiation^[42]	gray (Gy)

Scientists and non-SI units[]

Name of the scientist^[43]^[44]	Life	Nationality	Quantity	Unit^{[note 3]}
William Gilbert	1544–1603	British (English)	Magnetomotive force	gilbert (Gi)
John Napier	1550–1617	British (Scottish)	Magnitude (ln, dimensionless)	neper (Np)
Galileo Galilei	1564–1642	Italian	Acceleration	gal (Gal)
Evangelista Torricelli	1608–1647	Italian	Pressure	torr (Torr)
René Réaumur	1683–1757	French	Temperature	degree Reaumur (°R)
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit	1686–1736	Polish-Dutch-German	Temperature	degree Fahrenheit (°F)
Johann Heinrich Lambert	1728–1777	German	Luminance	lambert (L)
John Dalton	1766–1844	British	Mass (atomic)	dalton (Da, amu)
Hans Christian Ørsted	1777–1851	Danish	Magnetic field	oersted (Oe)
Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss	1777–1855	German	Magnetic flux density	gauss (G)
Michael Faraday	1791–1867	British (English)	Electric charge	faraday (F)
Jean Léonard Marie Poiseuille	1797–1869	French	Dynamic viscosity	poise (P)
Anders Jonas Ångström	1814–1874	Swedish	Length	angstrom (Å)
Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet	1818–1903	British	Kinematic viscosity	stokes (St)
William John Macquorn Rankine	1820–1872	British (Scottish)	Thermodynamic temperature	degree Rankine (°Ra )
James Clerk Maxwell	1831–1879	British (Scottish)	Magnetic flux	maxwell (Mx)
Samuel Pierpont Langley	1834–1906	American	Energy intensity	langley (Ly)
Ernst Mach	1838–1916	Austrian	Speed	Mach number (M)
John Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh	1842–1919	British	Acoustic impedance	rayl
Wilhelm Röntgen	1845–1923	German	Ionizing radiation	röntgen (R)
Alexander Graham Bell	1847–1922	British (Scottish)-American	Magnitude (log₁₀, dimensionless)	bel (B)
Loránd Eötvös	1848–1919	Hungarian	Gravitational gradient	eotvos (E)
Heinrich Kayser	1853–1940	German	Wavenumber	kayser
Joseph John Thomson	1856–1940	British	Mass-to-charge ratio	thomson (Th)
Marie Curie Pierre Curie	1867–1934 1859–1906	Polish-French French	Radioactivity	Curie (Ci)
Heinrich Mache	1876–1954	Austrian	Radioactivity	Mache (ME)
Peter Debye	1884–1966	Dutch	Electric dipole moment	debye (D)
Karl Guthe Jansky	1905–1950	American	Spectral Irradiance	jansky (JY)
Wallace Clement Sabine	1868–1919	American	Sound absorption	sabin

Notes[]

^ There are 5 base units that are not named after people: kilogram, metre, second, mole and candela.
^ The village he was born was a part of Austrian Empire, now it is in Croatia.
^ As a rule, the units are written in lowercase letters. But, symbols of units derived from a personal name always begin with a capital letter.

References[]

^ Essential of the SI
^ Derived SI units with special names
^ Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia
^ Elektrik Mühendisliği pp. 247–275
^ Young and Freedman, p. A-1
^ Marie Ampere
^ Ampere on Dictionary
^ Kelvin, Lord William Thomson
^ Inventors
^ Blaise Pascal
^ Pa Pascal pressure unit
^ Isaac Newton's life
^ Newton
^ Anders Celsius (1701–1744)
^ Celsius Definition
^ Charles Augustin de Coulomb (French Physicist)
^ Coulomb
^ BBC Historic figures
^ Watt conversion)
^ Inventor Alessandro Volta Biography
^ Volt
^ "Georg Simon Ohm". St. Andrews University. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
^ Ohm (unit)
^ Michael Faraday
^ Farad
^ Joseph Henry Archived 9 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine
^ Henry: Definition from Answers
^ The New International Encyclopaedia: Weber
^ Weber (unit)
^ Siemens, Werner von
^ Siemens (unit)
^ "Biography:James Prescott Joule". Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
^ What is a Joule ?
^ Henri Becquerel
^ Becquerel
^ Tesla's Biography
^ Tesla (unit)
^ Heinrich Hertz
^ Hertz
^ Rolf Sievert, the man and the unit
^ About L.G.Gray
^ Gray
^ Isaac Asimov: Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science and Technology Pan Reference Books, London, 1972, ISBN 0-330-24323-3
^ Elektrik Mühendisliği, TBMMO Yayın organı, 259–260, Ankara, 1978

Bibliography[]

"Essentials of the SI". Retrieved 3 May 2011.
Gordon England. "Derived SI units with special names". Retrieved 3 May 2011.
Asimov, Isaac (1972). Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. London: Pan Books. ISBN 0-330-24323-3.
İnan, Kemal (1978). Elektrik Mühendisliği (259-260) : Elektrik. Ankara: TBMMO EMO Yayın organı.
Hugh Young, Roger Freedman. University Physics. Addison Wesley. ISBN 0-321-50130-6.
Eric W. Weisstein. "Kelvin, Lord William Thomson (1824–1907)". Wolfram Research. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
Alfred Ruppert Hall. "Isaac Newton's Life". Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
"Anders Celsius (1701–1744)". Uppsala University. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
"Charles Augustin de Coulomb (French physicists)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
"Coulomb". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
"Ohm (unit)". The Free Dictionary by Farlex. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
"Michael Faraday". Famous Physicists and Astronomers. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
"Joseph Henry". The national academy of sciences. Archived from the original on 9 December 2006. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
"Weber, Wilhelm". The New International Encyclopaedia. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
"Siemens, Werner von". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
"Siemens (unit)". Medlib. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
"Biography:James Presacott Joule". Oracle ThinkQuest. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
"Henri Becquerel". Nobelprize.org. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
"Becquerel". Chemeurope.com. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
Dr.Ljubo Vujović. "Tesla's Biography". Tesla Memorial Society of New York. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
"Tesla Unit". Tesla Memorial Society of New York. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
"Heinrich Hertz". Biograhpicon. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
"Hertz". University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
Mariann Eklund. "Rolf Sievert, the man and the unit". Karolinska Institutet. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
"About L.G.Gray". L.G.Gray Memorial Trust. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
"Decibel". NDT resource center. Archived from the original on 15 February 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2011.

External links[]

Physical dimensions of the units

[3] There are 5 base units that are not named after people: kilogram, metre, second, mole and candela.

[38] The village he was born was a part of Austrian Empire, now it is in Croatia.

[47] As a rule, the units are written in lowercase letters. But, symbols of units derived from a personal name always begin with a capital letter.

[1] Essential of the SI

[2] Derived SI units with special names

[Isaac_Asimov:_Asimov's_Biographical_Encyclopedia_of_Science_and_Technology-4] Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia

[Elektrik_Mühendisliği-5] Elektrik Mühendisliği pp. 247–275

[Young_and_Freedman:_University_Physics-6] Young and Freedman, p. A-1

[7] Marie Ampere

[8] Ampere on Dictionary

[9] Kelvin, Lord William Thomson

[10] Inventors

[11] Blaise Pascal

[12] Pa Pascal pressure unit

[13] Isaac Newton's life

[14] Newton

[15] Anders Celsius (1701–1744)

[16] Celsius Definition

[17] Charles Augustin de Coulomb (French Physicist)

[18] Coulomb

[19] BBC Historic figures

[20] Watt conversion)

[21] Inventor Alessandro Volta Biography

[22] Volt

[23] "Georg Simon Ohm". St. Andrews University. Retrieved 13 April 2021.

[24] Ohm (unit)

[25] Michael Faraday

[26] Farad

[27] Joseph Henry Archived 9 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine

[28] Henry: Definition from Answers

[29] The New International Encyclopaedia: Weber

[30] Weber (unit)

[31] Siemens, Werner von

[32] Siemens (unit)

[33] "Biography:James Prescott Joule". Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2011.

[34] What is a Joule ?

[35] Henri Becquerel

[36] Becquerel

[37] Tesla's Biography

[39] Tesla (unit)

[40] Heinrich Hertz

[41] Hertz

[42] Rolf Sievert, the man and the unit

[43] About L.G.Gray

[44] Gray

[45] Isaac Asimov: Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science and Technology Pan Reference Books, London, 1972, ISBN 0-330-24323-3

[46] Elektrik Mühendisliği, TBMMO Yayın organı, 259–260, Ankara, 1978

[1]

[2]

[note 1]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

[34]

[35]

[36]

[note 2]

[37]

[38]

[39]

[40]

[41]

[42]

[43]

[44]

[note 3]

show v t SI units
Base units	ampere candela kelvin kilogram metre mole second
Derived units with special names	becquerel coulomb degree Celsius farad gray henry hertz joule katal lumen lux newton ohm pascal radian siemens sievert steradian tesla volt watt weber
Other accepted units	astronomical unit dalton day decibel degree of arc electronvolt hectare hour litre minute minute and second of arc neper tonne
See also	Conversion of units Metric prefixes 2005–2019 definition 2019 redefinition Systems of measurement
Category

show v t Scientists whose names are used as units
SI base units	André-Marie Ampère (ampere) William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (kelvin)
SI derived units	Henri Becquerel (becquerel) Anders Celsius (degree Celsius) Charles-Augustin de Coulomb (coulomb) Michael Faraday (farad) Louis Harold Gray (gray) Joseph Henry (henry) Heinrich Hertz (hertz) James Prescott Joule (joule) Isaac Newton (newton) Georg Ohm (ohm) Blaise Pascal (pascal) Werner von Siemens (siemens) Rolf Maximilian Sievert (sievert) Nikola Tesla (tesla) Alessandro Volta (volt) James Watt (watt) Wilhelm Eduard Weber (weber)
Non-SI metric (cgs) units	Anders Jonas Ångström (angstrom) Peter Debye (debye) Loránd Eötvös (eotvos) Galileo Galilei (gal) Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (gauss) William Gilbert (gilbert) Heinrich Kayser (kayser) Johann Heinrich Lambert (lambert) Samuel Langley (langley) James Clerk Maxwell (maxwell) Hans Christian Ørsted (oersted) Jean Léonard Marie Poiseuille (poise) Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet (stokes) John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh (rayl)
Imperial and US customary units	Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (degree Fahrenheit) Johann Heinrich Lambert (foot-lambert) William John Macquorn Rankine (degree Rankine)
Non-systematic units	Alexander Graham Bell (bel) Marie Curie (curie) Pierre Curie (curie) John Dalton (dalton) Michael Faraday (faraday) Heinrich Mache (Mache) John Napier (neper) René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur (degree Réaumur) Wilhelm Röntgen (roentgen) J. J. Thomson (thomson) Evangelista Torricelli (torr)
List of scientists whose names are used as units · Scientists whose names are used in physical constants · People whose names are used in chemical element names