Avogadro constant of molecules in one gram-molecule of oxygen (exactly of oxygen, according to the definitions of the period), and this term is still widely used, especially in introductory works. The change in name to "Avogadro constant" ("N") came with the introduction of the mole as a base unit in the International System of Units (SI) in 1971, which regarded amount of substance as an independent dimension of measurement. With this recognition, the Avogadro constant was no longer a pure number, but had a unit of measurement, the reciprocal mole (mol). While it is rare to use units of amount of substance
Arbitrary unit only serves to compare multiple measurements performed in similar environment, since the ratio between the measurement and the reference is a consistent and dimensionless quantity independent of what actual units are used. Units of such kind are commonly used in fields such as physiology to indicate substance concentration, and spectroscopy to express spectral intensity. When the reference measurement is precisely defined and internationally agreed upon, arbitrary units can also be a unit capable of public comparison. One example of a publicly defined arbitrary unit is the WHO International Unit. Abbreviations for "arbitrary unit" include: arb. unit, arb. u., AU, and