ucon
Pronounced: yoo · cahn
A lightweight, unit-aware computation library for Python — built on first-principles.
Overview
ucon helps Python understand the physical meaning of your numbers.
It combines units, scales, and dimensions into a composable algebra that supports:
- Dimensional analysis through
NumberandRatio - Scale-aware arithmetic via
UnitFactorandUnitProduct - Metric and binary prefixes (
kilo,kibi,micro,mebi, etc.) - A clean foundation for physics, chemistry, data modeling, and beyond
Think of it as decimal.Decimal for the physical world — precise, predictable, and type-safe.
Introduction
The crux of this tiny library is to provide abstractions that simplify the answering of questions like:
"If given two milliliters of bromine (liquid Br2), how many grams of bromine does one have?"
To best answer this question, we turn to an age-old technique (dimensional analysis) which essentially allows for the solution to be written as a product of ratios. ucon comes equipped with some useful primitives:
| Type | Defined In | Purpose | Typical Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
Vector |
ucon.algebra |
Represents the 8-component exponent tuple of a physical quantity's base dimensions (T, L, M, I, Θ, J, N, B). | Internal representation of dimensional algebra; building derived quantities (e.g., area, velocity, force). |
Exponent |
ucon.algebra |
Represents base-power pairs (e.g., 10³, 2¹⁰) used by Scale. |
Performing arithmetic on powers and bases; normalizing scales across conversions. |
Dimension |
ucon.core |
Encapsulates physical dimensions (e.g., length, time, mass) as algebraic combinations of vectors. | Enforcing dimensional consistency; defining relationships between quantities (e.g., length / time = velocity). |
Scale |
ucon.core |
Encodes powers of base magnitudes (binary or decimal prefixes like kilo-, milli-, mebi-). | Adjusting numeric scale without changing dimension (e.g., kilometer ↔ meter, byte ↔ kibibyte). |
Unit |
ucon.core |
An atomic, scale-free measurement symbol (e.g., meter, second, joule) with a Dimension. |
Defining base units; serving as graph nodes for future conversions. |
UnitFactor |
ucon.core |
Pairs a Unit with a Scale (e.g., kilo + gram = kg). Used as keys inside UnitProduct. |
Preserving user-provided scale prefixes through algebraic operations. |
UnitProduct |
ucon.core |
A product/quotient of UnitFactors with exponent tracking and simplification. |
Representing composite units like m/s, kg·m/s², kJ·h. |
Number |
ucon.core |
Combines a numeric quantity with a unit; the primary measurable type. | Performing arithmetic with units; representing physical quantities like 5 m/s. |
Ratio |
ucon.core |
Represents the division of two Number objects; captures relationships between quantities. |
Expressing rates, densities, efficiencies (e.g., energy / time = power, length / time = velocity). |
Map hierarchy |
ucon.maps |
Composable conversion morphisms: LinearMap, AffineMap, ComposedMap. |
Defining conversion functions between units (e.g., meter→foot, celsius→kelvin). |
ConversionGraph |
ucon.graph |
Registry of unit conversion edges with BFS path composition. | Converting between units via Number.to(target); managing default and custom graphs. |
units module |
ucon.units |
Defines canonical unit instances (SI, imperial, information, and derived units). | Quick access to standard physical units (units.meter, units.foot, units.byte, etc.). |
Under the Hood
ucon models unit math through a hierarchy where each layer builds on the last:
Why ucon?
Python already has mature libraries for handling units and physical quantities — Pint, SymPy, and Unum — each solving part of the same problem from different angles:
| Library | Focus | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Pint | Runtime unit conversion and compatibility checking | Treats quantities as decorated numbers — conversions work, but the algebra behind them isn't inspectable or type-safe. |
| SymPy | Symbolic algebra and simplification of unit expressions | Excellent for symbolic reasoning, but not designed for runtime validation, conversion, or serialization. |
| Unum | Unit-aware arithmetic and unit propagation | Tracks units through arithmetic but lacks explicit dimensional algebra, conversion taxonomy, or runtime introspection. |
Together, these tools can use units, but none can explicitly represent and verify the relationships between units and dimensions.
That's the gap ucon fills.
It treats units, dimensions, and scales as first-class objects and builds a composable algebra around them. This allows you to:
- Represent dimensional meaning explicitly (
Dimension,Vector); - Compose and compute with type-safe, introspectable quantities (
Unit,Number); - Extend the system with custom unit registries and conversion families.
Where Pint, Unum, and SymPy focus on how to compute with units,
ucon focuses on why those computations make sense. Every operation checks the dimensional structure, not just the unit labels. This means ucon doesn't just track names: it enforces physics:
from ucon import Number, units
length = Number(quantity=5, unit=units.meter)
time = Number(quantity=2, unit=units.second)
speed = length / time # ✅ valid: L / T = velocity
invalid = length + time # ❌ raises: incompatible dimensions
Setup
Simple:
pip install ucon
Usage
This sort of dimensional analysis:
2 mL bromine | 3.119 g bromine
--------------x----------------- #=> 6.238 g bromine
1 | 1 mL bromine
becomes straightforward when you define a measurement:
from ucon import Number, Scale, units
from ucon.quantity import Ratio
# Two milliliters of bromine
mL = Scale.milli * units.liter
two_mL_bromine = Number(quantity=2, unit=mL)
# Density of bromine: 3.119 g/mL
bromine_density = Ratio(
numerator=Number(unit=units.gram, quantity=3.119),
denominator=Number(unit=mL),
)
# Multiply to find mass
grams_bromine = bromine_density.evaluate() * two_mL_bromine
print(grams_bromine) # <6.238 g>
Scale prefixes compose naturally:
km = Scale.kilo * units.meter # UnitProduct with kilo-scaled meter
mg = Scale.milli * units.gram # UnitProduct with milli-scaled gram
print(km.shorthand) # 'km'
print(mg.shorthand) # 'mg'
# Scale arithmetic
print(km.fold_scale()) # 1000.0
print(mg.fold_scale()) # 0.001
Units are callable for ergonomic quantity construction:
from ucon import units, Scale
# Callable syntax: unit(quantity) → Number
height = units.meter(1.8)
speed = (units.mile / units.hour)(60)
# Convert between units
height_ft = height.to(units.foot)
print(height_ft) # <5.905... ft>
# Scaled units work too
km = Scale.kilo * units.meter
distance = km(5)
distance_mi = distance.to(units.mile)
print(distance_mi) # <3.107... mi>
Roadmap Highlights
| Version | Theme | Focus | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.3.5 | Dimensional Algebra | Unit/Scale separation, UnitFactor, UnitProduct |
✅ Complete |
| 0.4.x | Conversion System | ConversionGraph, Number.to(), callable units |
🚧 In Progress |
| 0.6.x | Nonlinear / Specialized Units | Decibel, Percent, pH | ⏳ Planned |
| 0.8.x | Pydantic Integration | Type-safe quantity validation | ⏳ Planned |
See full roadmap: ROADMAP.md
Contributing
Contributions, issues, and pull requests are welcome!
Ensure nox is installed.
pip install -r requirements.txt
Then run the full test suite (against all supported python versions) before committing:
nox -s test
"If it can be measured, it can be represented. If it can be represented, it can be validated. If it can be validated, it can be trusted."
1 maintainer
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