SYSTEMS OF MECHANICAL UNITS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600280839-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 21, 2011
• Sequence Number: 839
• Publication Date: February 13, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTLLLiGENCE AGENCY REPOR
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
SUBJECT Scientific - Standard units o
HOW
PUBLISHED Monthly periodical
WHERE
PUBLISHED Moscow
DATE
LANGUAGE
THIS DOCUIIINT CONTAIN! I11IONNATION AIllC11N'. TICS NATIONAL OIII1l1
DI T NITLD ITATRI DADIR 1111 NIANINO OI l!I IDRAG[ ACT
IT
I ON
H, { ! T IM1N DIU. TS TRANCNIlION DR TIII ON ILA, OT
TO A.
NINITIDC II TLAM~ll NR1IA4DU [TNION 1 TNI! IO NNN~tI IRJHIIRiT[0 I! IRL-
DATE DIST. /J Feb 1950
NO. OF PAGES 6
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
Docent V. Ye. Solov'yeV
Cand Phys-Math Sci
Dnepropetrovsk State U
In the USSR at present, there are four different standards which define the
syuteme of mechanica.L units in use and the units themselves: (OST 169, OST VKS
5858, OST VICi 6052, and OST !KS 6053. The new GOST (State All-Union Standards)
Project being examined here was introduced by t!:a Committee on Measurements and
Measuring Instruments and was accepted by the All-Union Committee of Standards
on 10 April 1947 as a project. Noting that the project is .timed at a unifica-
tion of mechanical, thermal, and electromagnetic units, based on the new MKS
system, the article emphasizes the rather irraaolute changeover to the new sys-
,,em, and recommends within a short time, the complete abolition of the technical
AII'LfS system, and the retention of the CGS syste as an auxiliary one. The range
of the units of the MD system can be considerably expanded by employing metric
prefixes, but the prefixes should not be included in the names of the basic units.
The article also recommends changing the nAme for the unit of naps, the kilogra.n.
Like the GOST project the article contain various controversial u ':teT which
should be discussed.
The abundance of existing systems of units complicates their use in prac-
tice. The OST 169 of 1923 (Absolute System of Mechanical Units, MTS) embraces
units of force, work ana ene_,;y, power and mechanical tension, correlates the
MTS and CGS units, and gives a table for converting the mechanical units of a
technical system into units of the absolute system for exact and approximate
computations. The OST VKS 5858 of 1933 (mass, weight, density) establishes the
alphabetical designations and dimensions, End also defines weight, the acceler-
ation of free fall, density, and scecific volrm". The OST VI6 SC52 of 193V
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CLASSIFIEATION
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CONFIDENTIAL
establishes the names, designation, definit.ion:~, and relationships for units of
force, work and energy, power and mechanical tension. The OST VKS 6053 of 1934,
includes a definition of the system, the classification of established standards
of the CGS, MTS, and MKS s-~st=_s;, the range of application of each system, and
the units of measurement of the system. Thus, in these multiple standards, the
same data is repeated frequently and is full of contradictions and inaccuracies.
A unification of the systems of units and regions of mechanical, thermal, and
unit of force in this system is defined as the newton which equals 105 dynes.
The unit of energy, the joule, opens the possibility of extending this system
to thermal nd electromagnetic phenomena.
tract to the former standards but tolerates necessary metric prefixes in a sep-
arate supplement consisting of four sections, making possible a wide diversity
These features represent important achievements of the project and make it
stated out as a valuable contribution toward orderliness in the mechanical units
and it the unification of units generally. In accordance with the motives for
unification, the MTS system is rightfully excluded from the project, but it is
senseless to standardize three systems instead of one -- th-s MKS.
Thus, the project repeats two principal shortcomings which the previous
standards contained, naaely, a surplus of standardized systems and a double
connotation of the term kilogram. This double connotation is an absurdity in
the metrology of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The project introduces, somewhat hesitantly, the new MKS system and does
not emphasize its unification advantages over the other two systems, when, in
fact, the next GOST should indicate o1.arly that the MKS system is a basis for
the unification of unit systems in all fields of phys_cs and must, therefore,
replace all former unit systems, including the CGS system.
Classification of Unit Savstems
How, then is the new system related to the former systems? K. M. Poli.vanov
1-7 points out four independent classification criteria for unit systems:
((1) number of basic units, (2) systems of relationships, (3) dimensions whose
units are accepted as basic, and (4) basic units. 'rolivanov calls the unit sys-
tems which iave the same system of relationships holomorphic. The converekon
between similar systems is not difficult. This is illustrated in individual
cases, as well as in literature L72 and other j. All mechanical systems of units
(cos, MTS, MXS, technical, British) are holomerphic among themselves, since the
relationships Jr. mechanics are settled firmly and maintain an unchangeable form
in all these systems. They also have the same number of basic units. Possible
variations between systems of mechanical units result from criteria 3 and 4 men-
tioned above.
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physical unit systems. The ibt_?d dimension -- mass (M) or force (c') -- is de-
batable. Consequently, there are two possible variations, LMT, or LFT. Great
CONFIDENTIAL
ited use of the technical system for computations of low accuracy and recommends
the use of the CGS or MTS system in basic cases. The new project, electrically,
The former standards, as well as the new project, find the technical sys-
tem the least acceptable and give preference to the LMT variations. But the
former standards were more consistent: thus, OST/VKS 6052 tolerates only lim
The unification of the unit systems, however, makes it obligatory for us
to limit our selection to one of these two variations. The complex problem
should be solved by taking into considercticn the metrological data as well as
the tossibility of au?.eniin n!f a?; to the ) n ---------
as is the unit of thermal and electrical energy Z-3-7
Thus, the LMT system,
i.e., the system of meter, kilogram-mass, second, reveals prospects for unifica-
tion of the units in physics.
The selection of a dimension for the characteristic of the "quantity of a
substance" is just as important. Quantities of identical chemical substances,
at a constant temperature, can be compared ty their volumes. Eo?rever, the quan-
tity of a substance is usually specified by weight. By the weight of a body
changes according to gravity conditions; therefore, it is not an unalterable
characteristic of the bo.ly. The change in veight of a body car reach 0.5 per-
cent on the surface of the earth. A more reliable constancy at velocities well
below the speed of light is Possessed by the mass of bodies.
The mans of bodies is measured by one of the basic physicochemical instru-
ments, the beam balance. Actually, transfer of the entire instrument into new
gravitational conditions would change proportionally the weight of the balance
and the measured body; therefore, the reading on the scale will not change. Thus,
the word "weight" does not reflect any physical designation of the instrument.
It should rather to called a "massomete,.
standard's dependency on secondary conditions, namely, on flexible constants of
standard dynamometers, or on the gravity parameters of the given locality.
The energy unit of the MIB system -- the joule -- is already standardized,
Metrologic--illy, ti.e unit of r_ass is undoubtr_dly more suitable, since the
standard of mass is easier to esta;)'ish by means of a definite weight. It is
much more difficult to prepare and preserve a standard of force, due to this
Regardless of the unit eysteia selected, the quantity of substance in a body
should be specified neither by weight, nor by units of force, butby units of
mass, i.e., in kilograms or grams. Such procedures are used, for example, in
studying heat capacity.
It is true that tho project introduces a new unit of mass for the techni-
cal system, the "inerta," which fills in the gaps of former standards not hav-
ing a special name for the unit of mass in that system. The irtroduction of
this unit discloses an important opportunity for specifying the quantity of a
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substance in inertas, the density iii iri~c t,as/ cuuic meter, Luc L11eiuu -L c;i uu: i,y
in kilogrevoneter:,'inerta degree and sown. However, these units are so unusual
that they will hardly be favored. The technical system is entirely unsuitable
for other divisions of physics. One can imagine hwo unsuitable the coefficien6s
would be in electrotechnical equations, if kilogravometer instead of joule became
porary nature of this system,. period of about 5 years. All new books and man-
uals would have to be published according to the new MISS system and the techni
Transition Period
gray is listed only as a second term, in parentheses. This way the term kilogram
stands for the measurement of force. The symbol kgf emph^sl^.es this even more,
since the letter "f," the first letter of the word "force" of the term kilogram-
force, cannot in any way denote a part 'f the word kilograv.
The symbol kG is much better, since it can be related to the word kilcgrav.
Besidas, the sjjmbol kG is already used and differs from the symbol kg.
Subsequent pages of the project also list the units, kilogram per square
meter and kilogrammomerer. As can be seen; nothing is left of kilograv; even
the word "force" is omitted. T!'us, the project brings us back to kilogram,
the old double-connotation term.
The teri,..3 kilogram and kilogram-forc' should bz elimi, ate,i from the techni-
cal system and tse single term kilograv and its symbol kG (in Russian and Roman
letters) sbou..d be adopted. Accordingly, the derived units should be named kilo-
grav per square meter, kilogravometer, etc.
Multiple Systems of Units
Undu:r the above term Z _L-9 we shall consider unit systems in which the
tr, c dimereious coincide, but the scales of one or several basic units are
sleeted from different syt.tems (CGS and MTS). The derived units of multiple
s *^uYS also differ (erg and kilojoule), which caused frequent criticism: one
`.era p:odaced micro units, and the other the macro units. The previous struc-
u.e-'1.i.ple systems excluded their joint utilization and necessitated tedi-
:aa . ':MM:--ions in working out problems.
The MKS systems is much simpler. The project specifies that most of its
units shall have simple names without any metric prefixes. Thus the basic sys-
tem can be used in any multiple variations. This can be done by inserting,
when substituting numerical values in the formula, powers of ten which serve as
metric prefixes.
1?a
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pressure P equals 20 newtons per squqrA cent ireter, if the increase in volume
Q V equals 5 cubic decimeters.
According to the general formula :' v paV, we have A = 20 pewtone
0.01 meter
force to gray, and not kilograv, assuminC: 1. gran equals 9.8 newtons; 1 gravo-
meter equals 9.8 joules, etc.
1. It vould be useful to adopt individual names for the majority of the
derived units of the basic system, as is done for elctromagnetic units. For em-
ampl~:
v = meter3 "ster" (cld metric term)
S = meter2 = "plan" (analogous to preceding)
a = meter = ,gal" (excluding this term from CGS system)
second2
D = kil = "archim.d"
meter3
P new~on = "lomon"
m
The rime of the unit of pressure, "lomon," is recommended in honer. of
M. V. Lomonosov, who devoted much of his time to studies of atmospheric phenomena
on the planet Venus, and who was the first to disclose the concept of the kinetic
tneory of gases.
2. The GOST should, at the same time, indicate the letter symbols for the
given dimensions as well as the equations which determine their values. This
is done by L. A. Sena Z_67 and, in connection with electrical dimensions, by
M. F. Malikov [7] and S. F. Malikov 87 The project for corresponding GOST
forms was proposed by this writer f-57.
3. The Roman titles of the MKS, CGS, and MkGS unit systems should continue
to be used, paralleling the Russian MM, TsZhB, and MktS.
Is. The unit of ton-force was absent in former standards and there is lit-
tle need to include it in the L,v GOST.
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In the new project, these limitations nc longer exist. The temporary character
of this unit should be stressed even more in the next GOST, or it should be ex-
cluded altogether.
1. The next GOST should standardize a.s a basic system only one system of
units, the MKS, with its subsequent extension to thermal and electromagnetic
phenomena.
2 The CGS and technical M'hGS systems should be standardized as auxiliary
ones (the technical system merely for a short term of 3 to 5 years).
3. It is advisable to change the name of the basic unit of mass, the kilo-
gram, in such a way that the new name will not contain metric prefixes.
4. The unit of force in the technical system should be hanged to kilo-
gran, or, even better, to gray. The term kilogram-force should be excluded al-
together.
5. individual names should be given to the majority of the derived units
of the basic MKS system.
6. The inerto should be conside*ed as well-chosen .or the technical
system.
7. Columns should be added to the GOST tn'licating the symbols for the
dimensions, and the equations defining them.
1. R. M. Polivancv, "Collection of Works by the Committee for Units of Measure-
ment," Dept Tech Sci, Acad Sci. USSR, p 39, 1938
2. 0. D. Khvol'son, "Physics Course," Vol I, 1933
3. OST VKS 6259 - Thermal Units and OST 515 - International Electrical Units
4. V. Ye Solov'fer, "Classification of Unit Systems," Scientific Records of
the Dnepropetrovsk State, Vol XXXIV, 1948
V. Ye. Solov'yev, "Elektrichestvo," No 1, 1949, P 59
6. L. A. Sena, "Units for Measuring Physical Values," 1946
7. M. F. Malikov, "Definition of E1e--'7ical and Magnetic Units in the MKS/e
Absolute Electromagnetic System," L. 1939
8. S. F. Malikov, "Practical Electricc. Units," M. L. 1947
9. M. F. Malikov, "Elektrichestvo," No l., 1949) p 71
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