Final answer:
Fundamental units are the basic units of measurement for physical quantities like length, mass, time, and electric current. Derived units, such as m² for area, are constructed using mathematical operations on fundamental units.
Step-by-step explanation:
The fundamental units are the basic building blocks from which all other units are derived. These include the meter (m) for length, kilogram (kg) for mass, second (s) for time, and ampere (A) for electric current, among others. On the other hand, derived units are the ones that are created from the fundamental units through mathematical operations, such as multiplication, division, etc. For instance, the unit of area is a derived unit that comes from multiplying two lengths, resulting in square meters, or m², which can be further modified using prefixes like cm², mm², or km².