Nature of Science

Lesson- Measurement---A Common Language (pg.44-55)

Why do scientists need to use a standard system of measurement?

--it minimizes confusion among scientists all over the world
______________________.
--it gives scientists a common language to compare data and
communicate their scientific results

The Metric System—a universal system of measurement based on the

number ten.
 Developed by scientists in France

Modern scientists use a version of the metric system called the:

International System of Units abbreviated as SI

 Scientists all over the world use SI units to measure:

1. length 4. density
2. volume 5. temperature_____
3. mass 6. time____

 SI units are based on multiples of ten

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 Common SI Prefixes
Prefix Symbol Meaning
kilo- k 1,000
hecto- h 100
deka- da 10
deci- d 0.1 (one tenth)
centi- c 0.01 (one hundredth)
milli- m 0.001 (one thousandth)

Length

Length is the distance from one point to another

meter (m)-the basic unit of length in the SI system

a meter is approximately from the tip of the teacher's nose

to the tip of their finger

 a meter is approximately five cinder blocks high

 a meter is approximately from the floor to a doorknob

centimeter (cm)

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  a centimeter is approximately the width of your little
finger, or the width of a thumb tack, large paperclip, or
staple______________
-- centi-means "one hundredth" (1/100)
-- a centimeter is 1/100 of a meter

100 centimeters = 1 meter

millimeter (mm)
 a millimeter is approximately the thickness of a small
paperclip or the space between the teeth of a fine comb
-- milli-means "one thousandth" (1/1000)
-- a millimeter is 1/1000 of a meter

1000 millimeters= 1 meter

kilometer (km)
 a kilometer is the distance from the front of the school
,out to the traffic light and down to Wendy's
-- kilo-means "one thousand" (1,000)
-- a kilometer is 1000 meters

1 kilometer = 1000 meters

__________________________
a light year
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 -- The distance light travels in one year___________________
--300,000 kilometers per second (186,000 miles per second)
-- 9.5 trillion kilometers

1 light year = 9,500,000,000,000

( the closest star system, after the Sun, is 4 light years away ! )

Mass
Mass is the measure of the amount of matter an object has.
(Matter is how much "stuff" something is made of)

gram (g)—the base unit in the SI system to measure mass.

 a large paper clip has a mass of 1 gram.
kilogram (kg)—1000 grams-used to measure larger masses.

1000 grams = 1 kilogram

milligram (mg)-- 1/1000 of a gram-used to find very small masses.

(used to fine masses of chemicals in medicines and foods)

1000 milligrams = 1 gram

Tool for Measuring Mass
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 The triple beam balance measures mass by comparing the
mass you are measuring to a known mass.

How are Mass and Weight different?

 mass is often confused with weight
Weight is a measure of the force of gravity acting on an object
 your weight will change depending on the
gravity of the object you are on.
(example: you would weigh less on the Moon- more on Jupiter )

Mass is constant, weight is not.

Volume
Volume is the amount of space an object takes up.

liter (L) The basic unit used to find the volume of a liquid.
 Soda is sold in 1 ,2, and 3 liter bottles
milliliter (mL)1/1000 of a Liter
1000 milliliters = 1 liter

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 Tool for measuring liquid volume
Scientists often use a graduated cylinder to measure liquid
volume.
 the liquid in the graduated cylinder forms a
curve called a meniscus
 to read the volume, read the bottom of the
meniscus

cubic centimeters ( cc or cm³ ) Used to find the volume of a

rectangular solid
a cubic centimeter is a cube that is one centimeter
long on all sides

1 cubic centimeter = 1milliliter = 1gram

To calculate the volume of a rectangular solid use:

Volume = Length X Width X Height

To find the volume of an irregularly shaped solid use
the water displacement method
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 Density
-- the measure of how much mass is contained in a given volume

Density = Mass
Volume

 An object's density is expressed as a combination of two units

Common units
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g/cm g/mL
(The density of water is 1 g/mL)

Time
 the second (s) is the SI unit used to measure time

 a millisecond (ms) is 1/1000 of a second

1 second=1,000 milliseconds
1 minute = 60 seconds
1 hour = 60 minutes

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 Temperature
temperature measures how hot or cold something is
 Scientists commonly use the Celcius scale (°C) to measure
temperature.

Celsius Scale ( °C )

Freezing point of water = __0°C___

Boiling point of water = __100°C__
Normal body temperature = __37°C__

Kelvin Scale (°K)

 the Kelvin scale is considered the official SI unit
for measuring temperature
 0°K is considered the coldest temperature
possible
 it's called Absolute Zero it equals -273° C

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thermometer- the tool used to measure temperature