centimetre-gram-second system

physics

Also known as: CGS system

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June 24, 2026

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The centimeter-gram-second (CGS) system is a system of units based on the centimeter for length, the gram for mass, and the second for time. It is an older, derived system from the metric system, which was established in France in 1795 with the meter and kilogram as base units. The CGS system was widely used in science and technology until the development of the International System of Units (SI) in 1960. The abbreviation for the centimeter-gram-second system is CGS.123

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viscosity
…of kinematic viscosity in the centimetre-gram-second (CGS) system, called the stokes in Britain and the stoke in the U.S., is named for the British physicist Sir George Gabriel Stokes. The stoke is defined as one centimetre squared per second.
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…of kinematic viscosity in the centimetre-gram-second (CGS) system, called the stokes in Britain and the stoke in the U.S., is named for the British physicist Sir George Gabriel Stokes. The stoke is defined as one centimetre squared per second.
Read More