Editing Gaussian units (section)

== Alternative unit systems ==
{{main|Centimetre–gram–second system of units#Alternate derivations of CGS units in electromagnetism|l1=Alternative CGS units in electromagnetism}}
The Gaussian unit system is just one of several electromagnetic unit systems within CGS. Others include "[[Centimetre–gram–second system of units#Electrostatic units (ESU)|electrostatic units]]", "[[Centimetre–gram–second system of units#Electromagnetic units (EMU)|electromagnetic units]]", and [[Heaviside–Lorentz units]].

Some other unit systems are called "[[natural units]]", a category that includes [[atomic units]], [[Planck units]], and others.

The [[International System of Units]] (SI), with the associated [[International System of Quantities]] (ISQ), is by far the most common system of units today. In [[engineering]] and practical areas, SI is nearly universal and has been for decades.<ref name=Rowlett>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130120021655/hhttp://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/cgsmks.html "CGS"], in ''How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement'', by Russ Rowlett and the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]]</ref> In technical, scientific literature (such as [[theoretical physics]] and [[astronomy]]), Gaussian units were predominant until recent decades, but are now getting progressively less so.<ref name=Rowlett/>{{efn|name=JacksonEditions|For example, one widely used graduate electromagnetism textbook is ''[[Classical Electrodynamics (book)|Classical Electrodynamics]]'' by [[John David Jackson (physicist)|J. D. Jackson]]. The second edition, published in 1975, used Gaussian units exclusively, but the third edition, published in 1998, uses mostly SI units. Similarly, ''Electricity and Magnetism'' by Edward Purcell is a popular undergraduate textbook. The second edition, published in 1984, used Gaussian units, while the third edition, published in 2013, switched to SI units.}} The 8th SI Brochure mentions the CGS-Gaussian unit system,<ref>{{SIbrochure8th}}, p. 128</ref> but the 9th SI Brochure makes no mention of CGS systems.

Natural units may be used in more theoretical and abstract fields of physics, particularly [[particle physics]] and [[string theory]].