Measuring Length, Mass, and Time Using the Metric System

Length tool = metric ruler or meter stick Variable = length unit = meters (m)

Pro-Tips place object you are measuring at the ZERO (0) on the ruler NO YES

NO YES 2. measure along a straight line Why is it important to make sure the ruler is straight when measuring? YES NO

now let’s read the metric ruler each NUMBER on a metric ruler represents a centimeter. each DASH on a metric ruler represents a millimeter. there are 27 centimeters in this measurement 4. then there are 9 DASHes past that # 5. so we write that as 27.9 cm

Mass tool = electric balance Variable = mass unit = grams (g)

Pro-Tips Ensure the unit is correct before using g

now let’s read the balance Step 1 – place mass boat on balance Step 2 – zero out the balance mass boat YES NO 2.6 g 0.0 g

step 3 – place item in the mass boat step 4 – read the mass ** note mass is the amount of space something takes up weight is the measure of gravity on an object. Therefore MASS & WEIGHT are NOT the same thing! 13.5 g

Time tool = stopwatch Variable = time unit = seconds (s)

Pro Tips milliseconds Hour Minute seconds our stop watches display hours, minutes, second, and milliseconds your data should always be in seconds (s) Hour Minute seconds milliseconds

now let’s read the stop watch #1 this time needs to be converted into seconds. this reads 2 minutes, 49 seconds, and 65 milliseconds there are 60 seconds in 1 minute 60 X 2 = 120 seconds + 49 seconds 169 seconds the milliseconds go after the decimal 169.65 s

_____________ . __________ total # of seconds # of milliseconds #2 _______ hours X 60 minutes = ___________minutes X 60 seconds = ____________ (this # tells us how many seconds were in that hours on the stopwatch) ______ minutes X 60 seconds = ________ (this # tells us how many seconds were in the minutes on the stopwatch) __________ seconds _________ milliseconds Now add up all your second values (there are 3) _________ + ________ + ______ = __________ (this is the total # of seconds) _____________ . __________ total # of seconds # of milliseconds