Length

Metric Units

The basic unit of length in the metric system is the meter and is represented by a lowercase m.

Measuring Length

How many millimeters are in 1 centimeter?

1 centimeter = ____ millimeters

Which is bigger a meter stick or yard stick?

Mass

T. Trimpe 2008 http://sciencespot.net/

Metric Units

Mass refers to the amount of matter in an object.

The base unit of mass in the metric system is the gram and is represented by g.

Volume

Metric Units

Volume is the amount of space an object takes up.

The base unit of volume in the metric system in the liter and is represented by L or l.

Measuring Volume

Top Image: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/resources/online/2006/grade8/science/images/20graphicaa.gifBottom Image: http://morrisonlabs.com/meniscus.htm

We will be using graduated cylinders to find the volume of liquids and other objects.

What causes the meniscus?

A concave meniscus occurs when the molecules of the liquid attract those of the container. The glass attracts the water on the sides.

Read the measurement based on the bottom of the meniscus or curve. When using a real cylinder, make sure you are eye-level with the level of the water.

What is the volume of water in the cylinder? _____________mL

Measuring Liquid Volume

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Pay attention to the scales for each cylinder.

Measuring Solid Volume

10 cm

9 cm

8 cm

We can measure the volume of regular object using the formula length x width x height.

_____ X _____ X _____ = _____

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We can measure the volume of irregular object using water displacement.

Amount of H2O with object = ______

About of H2O without object = ______

Difference = Volume = ______

Temperature

• In science, we will be using the Celsius scale. You should NOT be measuring in Fahrenheit for any labs during the year!

• Be careful when measuring temperature, because most thermometers have both scales labeled.

Measuring Temperature

30’s hot

20’s nice

10’s cold

Zero’s ice!

KILO1000Units

HECTO100

Units

DEKA10

UnitsDECI

0.1Unit

CENTI0.01Unit

MILLI0.001Unit

MetersLitersGrams

Ladder Method

How do you use the “ladder” method?

1st – Determine your starting point.

2nd – Count the “jumps” to your ending point.

3rd – Move the decimal the same number of jumps in the same direction.

4 km = _________ m

12

3

How many jumps does it take?

Starting Point Ending Point

4.1

__.2

__.3

__. = 4000 m

Measuring Mass

Top Image: http://www.southwestscales.com/Ohaus_Triple_Beam_750-SO.jpgBottom Image: http://www.regentsprep.org/Regents/biology/units/laboratory/graphics/triplebeambalance.jpg

We will be using triple-beam balances to find the mass of various objects.

The objects are placed on the scale and then you move the weights on the beams until you get the lines on the right-side of the scale to match up. Lastly, add up the amounts on each beam to find the total mass

What would be the mass of the object measured in the picture?

_______ + ______ + _______ = ________ gClick here to try an online activity