Which of the following is the definition of the CGS system of measurement units?

Correct option is D

The correct answer is (d) centimetre, gram, second

Explanation:

• The CGS system is a variant of the metric system that was widely used in scientific work before the adoption of the MKS and SI systems.

• In this system, the fundamental unit for measuring length is the centimetre ($10^{-2}$ m).

• The fundamental unit for measuring mass is the gram ($10^{-3}$ kg).

• The fundamental unit for measuring time is the second, which remains consistent across the CGS, MKS, and SI systems.

• All other mechanical units in this system, such as force (dyne) and work (erg), are derived from these three basic units.

Information Booster:

• The CGS system was formally introduced by the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1874, following proposals by Carl Friedrich Gauss and James Clerk Maxwell.

• Although largely replaced by the International System of Units (SI), CGS units are still frequently used in certain subfields of physics, such as electromagnetism and astronomy.

Additional Knowledge:

coulomb, gram, steradium (Option a)

• This is a collection of unrelated units from different systems: the Coulomb is an SI unit of electric charge, the gram is a CGS/metric unit of mass, and the steradian (often misspelled as steradium) is the SI unit of solid angle.

celsius, grade, second (Option b)

• This option incorrectly groups temperature scales (Celsius and Grade/Gradian) with a unit of time (second); it does not represent any standardized system of measurement for length, mass, and time.

centiliter, gallon, siemens (Option c)

• This is an arbitrary list containing a metric unit of volume (centiliter), an imperial/US unit of volume (gallon), and an SI unit of electrical conductance (siemens).