Studying Earth Science

Chapter Two: The Science Toolbox 2.1 Measurement 2.2 Measuring Time and Temperature 2.3 Systems and Variables 2.4 Graphs

2.1 Measurement A measurement is a number that includes a unit. A unit is a specific quantity that is counted to make a measurement. How are a meter stick and yard stick different?

2.1 Measurement A basketball player might say, “I’m tall! I’m almost 2 high.” But, the basketball player is not tall if his height is almost 2 feet. If the basketball player is 2 meters tall, this is a height of about 6 feet 6 inches.

2.1 Measurement At one time, the English System of measurements included nearly a dozen units just for weight. These units were hard to compare to each other.

2.1 The Metric System During the 1800s, a new system of measurement was developed in Europe and Great Britain—the Metric System. All units are multiples of 10.

2.1 More on s.i. units The meter is the basic distance unit for the SI Units system of measurement. In 1791, a meter was 1/10,000,000 the distance from the North Pole to Earth’s equator. Today a meter is defined more accurately using the speed of light.

2.1 The meter Prefixes are added to the names of basic units in the SI Units system. Prefixes describe very small or large measurements.

2.1 Measuring example

2.1 Measuring mass and weight Matter has mass and takes up space. The mass of an object equals the amount of matter it contains. How much matter is in a paper clip?

2.1 Measuring mass and weight Mass and weight are not the same thing. On Earth, 15 apples weigh about 5 pounds. On Mars, these same 15 apples would weigh only about 2 pounds.

2.2 Mass and weight Weight is a measure of the force of gravity. The more mass an object has, the greater the force of gravity on that object. Which planet has a great force due to gravity?

2.2 Pounds and grams In science, we use the terms “grams” and “mass” instead of “pounds” and “weight.”

2.1 Mass A gram is the basic unit of mass in the SI Units measuring system.

2.1 Volume Volume measures how much space is occupied by an object. The formula for the volume of a rectangular solid is: length × width × height. The basic SI unit of volume is the liter.

2.1 Measuring volume with S.I. units Large volumes are measured in cubic meters. Mono Lake in CA measures 3,200, 000, 000 m3

2.1 Measuring volume with S.I. units If an object is a solid cube or rectangle, you can measure its length, width, and height in SI units.

2.1 Measuring volume with S.I. units The volume of liquids can be measured by pouring them into containers like beakers or graduated cylinders. Volume found this way is reported in milliliters (mL).