Investigation 1.2: Measurement Purpose: To learn how to measure objects accurately, and how to convert metric units. Name: __________________________ Pre-Lab Questions Part I: Background How much time does it take you to run a mile? To answer that question, you need to measure the amount of time that passed between when you started running and when you finished. This “amount of time” is called a time interval. Time intervals in physics are usually represented by the letter t. Distance is the amount of space separating two points - how far apart two points are. Distance is measured in units of length. Some common units we use in everyday life are inches, feet and miles. But in science, we use the metric system, which uses different units than we are used to in America. Common metric units for length include millimeters, centimeters, meters and kilometers. When you measure distance or length in Physics, you will always use metric units. It is also important that you know how to convert between different metric units – for instance, how many centimeters are in one kilometer? You already know how to do this – it’s the same as knowing there are 12 inches in 1 foot – but now you will learn how to do it using metric units. What letter is used to represent a time interval? ___________ What is distance? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is length? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ What type of measurement system do we use in science? ________________________________ What tool will we be using to measure distance in this lab? _________________________________

Object Name Length (cm) Length (m) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Part II: Procedure PRACTICE: Get a meter stick from the front of the room, and measure the length of your lab table in centimeters. Lab Table: _______________ cm Measure ten other objects around the room, using a meter stick. Measure those objects in centimeters. Record your answers in the column called “Length (cm). Remember, each line between number is a decimal. Leave the “Length (m) column blank for now. Part III: Data Object Name Length (cm) Length (m) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

41.5 cm 41 cm 41.6 cm EXAMPLE