Metric System If you have been outside of the United States you have been exposed to the metric system. You may have noticed that in the United States that some products have the Metric System printed along side the English system. The United States will someday switch to the metric system and catch up to the rest of the countries.

This system is known as the SI or International System of Units. The metric system is a measuring system that is based on the multiples of 10. 1, 10, 100, 1000

Mass –the amount of matter in an object. Weight- how strongly gravity pulls on the matter.

Measuring mass

Graduated Cylinder Used when measuring the amount of liquid. Usually read in milliliters or liters. Meniscus – is the area where the liquid dips in the cylinder and is the area you measure.

Basic unit of mass – Gram (g) Volume – Solids or Liquids Solid volume – when measuring the dimensions of a solid you must measures it’s length times it’s height times it’s weight. (Meter stick or ruler) Solid volume-(using liquid) unusually shape- use a graduated cylinder and water displacement Meter (m) - the basic unit of length. Also used are: (cm) centimeter, (mm) millimeter, (dm) decimeter.

Temperature – Used to find the amount of heat in a liquid Basic unit of temperature- Degree’s Celsius (ºC)

Newtons – Used to find the amount of force Tools – spring scale Basic unit is the Newton (N)

Time – Used to find the amount of seconds it takes to move from place to place. Tools – stop watch or clock Basic units - (sec), (hr), (min)

Tools and what they measure Meter stick – length, width and height. Graduated cylinder – Liquid volume Thermometer – Temperature/ Degree Celsius Triple beam balance – Mass Digital Balance - Mass