Going Metric Metric Measurement Introduction

History of Measurements In ancient times, as trade developed between cities and nations, units of measure were developed to measure the size of transactions and purchases.

History continued During the Renaissance, as scientist began to develop ideas of physics and chemistry, they needed standard units of measure to communicate their ideas and theories effectively.

Beginnings of metric system In March 1791, in Sevres, France, the French Academy of Science proposed a standardized system that would be easy to use. This system is now called the SI system French Le Systéme International d’Unités

Length They based their units of length on a fractional system of the distance between the equator and the North Pole. The system’s basic unit of length measure was called the meter Meter in Greek (metron) means measure Today, length of a meter is defined as the distance light travels in a small fraction of a second

Origins of Common Metric Measurements 5 city blocks = 1 kilometer

Height of a 1st grader 1 meter

Width of your pinky finger 1 centimeter

Width of pencil lead 1 millimeter

Mass 1 kilogram is defined by a specific lump of platinum that is kept in Paris in controlled conditions to keep it from any chemical changes You may wonder why the based unit for mass is the kilogram and not the gram A gram is quite a small unit of mass

Volume The liter is the base unit for volume One milliliter (mL) is the volume of one gram (g) of water or one cubic centimeter of water

Temperature The base unit for the measure of temperature is one degree celsius (or centigrade if you’re old enough to remember this) 0° celsius = freezing (water) 100° celsius = boiling (water) 37° celsius = normal human body temperature

Modern Day Most of the world uses the metric system in daily life You might be surprised to note that the US sanctioned the use of the metric system in 1884, but people have clung on to the use of the English or Imperial system Since 1992, US government agencies have been required to use the metric system in business transactions

Meter (m) Liter (L) Kilogram (kg) Metric Abbreviations - Base Units

Units of the metric system Measurement TypeBase unitUnit Symbol Masskilogramkg Volumeliterl Length/distancemeterm Temperaturedegree celsius˚c˚c

Metric Step Ladder How to use Metric Step Ladder 1st - determine your starting point 2nd - count the “jumps” to your ending point 3rd - move the decimal point the same number of jumps

Metric Units - Length/Distance 1 Kilometer (km) = 1000 meters 3 jumps 1 Meter = 100 Centimeters (cm) 2 jumps 1 Meter = 1000 Millimeters (mm) 3 jumps

Measuring Mass Mass refers to the amount of matter in an object 1 kilogram = 1000 grams 3 jumps 1 gram = 1000 milligrams 3 jumps We will be using a triple-beam-balance to measure mass Interactive triple-beam-balance tutorial: tbbentry.swf tbbentry.swf

Measuring Volume Volume is defined as the amount of space an object takes up 1 liter = 100 centimeters 2 jumps 1 mL (of water) = 1g = 1 cm3 measured: l w h

Measuring Volume We will be using graduated cylinders to find the volume of liquids Measure at the bottom of the meniscus Any ideas why? To measure the volume of regular objects use: l w h