1. Section 2: Standards of Measurement
Chapter 1
Section 2: Standards of Measurement

2. Measurement What is measurement and why is it important?
It is the comparison of an object to a unit.
The number of units that characterizes the object is referred to as it’s measure.
Measurement allows us to compare or describe the size of objects in our environment.
What are some common concepts of size?

3. Measurement System is a man-made technique or method for describing size concepts of our environment with numbers.
A standard is an exact quantity that people agree to use for comparison.
Why is it important to have standard, well defined units of measurement?
Standards make it possible for different people to accurately compare measurements.

4. System of Measurement
What system of measurement are you most familiar with? English or Metric?
English
Metric
Length
Foot, Inch, Mile, Block
Meter, Centimeter, Kilometer
Volume
Gallons, Cups, Ounces
Liter, Milliliter
Weight
Pounds, Tons
Gram, Kilogram
Temperature
Fahrenheit
Kelvin (K), Degree Celsius (°C)
Time
Seconds, Minutes, Hours
Second, Kilosecond, Millisecond

5. History What units of measurement did early man use?
The distance between the nose and outstretched arm
A pace or step of a man
A man’s foot
The girth of a man
A pinch

6. In one country…..
5ft = 1 double pace
1 mi = 1000 double paces
10 fingers width = one span
1 fathom = 6ft
A girth = 1yard
Every country had their own system and each one was different from the other.

7. SI
In 1960, a universal system of measurement was devised. This system was based on the metric system (developed in the late 1700’s) and become known as: The International System of Units (SI).
All SI standards are universally accepted and used by scientists.
Each type of measurement has a base unit.
Based on units of 10.

8. SI—Metric Base Units Length—Meter (m) is the base for length
Mass—Kilogram (kg) is the base for mass
Volume—Liter (l) is the base for volume
Time—Second (s) is the base for time
Temperature—Both K and °C are bases for tmeperature

9. SI—Metric Prefixes and Abbreviations
Meaning
Kilo k
1000X or 10³
Hecto h
100X or 10²
Deka da
10X or 10¹
Base Unit
m, l, g 1
Deci d
.1 or 10-1
Centi c
.01 or 10-2
Milli m
.001 or 10-3
Micro
or 10-6
Nano n
or 10-9
Kings Have Diamonds But Diamonds Cost Money

10. Differences Between the Two Systems
Metric 10mm = 1cm 100cm = 1m 1000m = 1km
English 12in = 1ft 3ft = 1yd 8oz = 1 cup 5280ft = 1mi 32oz = 1qt
Each unit on Metric scale is 10 times more than the unit below it.

11. Converting from one unit to another in the English System
How many feet are there in 2 mi?
2mi x 5280ft = 10, 560ft
1 mi
How many inches are there in 1 mi?
1mi x 5280ft x 12in = 63,360in
1mi ft

12. Converting from one unit to another in the Metric System
Finding equivalent metric measurements: kb hb dab b db cb mb kb hb dab b db cb mb
Each unit on the metric scale is 10 times more than the unit below it.

13. km hm dam m dm cm mm
When changing from a larger unit to a smaller unit, count the number of steps on the scale from the starting position to the finish position and move the decimal in the same direction, and same number of spaces
30 km = 30000m (3 spaces to the right)
22.4 hm = 2240m (2 spaces to the right)

14. km hm dam m dm cm mm
When changing from a smaller unit to a larger unity, count the number of steps on the scale from the starting postion to the finish postion and move the decimal in the same direction and same number of spaces to the left.
30 m = km (3 spaces to the left)
22.4 dm= hm (3 spaces to the left)

15. You can also use the unit cancel method:
30km x 1000m = m
1km
10cm x 1m = 0.1m
100cm

16. Measuring Distance
An important idea to keep in mind when measuring something is that you should choose the appropriate unit when doing so.
If you are measuring something huge use meters or kilometers over centimeters or millimeters.

17. Volume Volume is the amount of space occupied by an object.
When measuring a solid, volume is LxWxH H W L

18. When measuring the volume of a liquid you are actually indicating the capacity of the container that holds that amount of liquid
The most common units for liquid volume are liters and milliliters.
A liter occupies the same volume as a cubic decimeter, dm³

19. Matter Mass is the measurement of the quantity of matter in an object.
Matter is measured in grams, g.
This can also be considered what we find when we weigh an object on earth.

20. Density Density is the mass per unit volume of a material.
You divide the object’s mass by it’s volume. This leaves you with a derived unit of g/cm³
This is an important concept for buoyancy, whether or not an object will float or sink

21. Time and Temperature
Time is defined as the measurement of the interval between two events.
The SI unit of time is seconds, s.
Temperature is how hot or cold something is.
The SI unit of temperature is K.

22. To find K from ˚C simply add 273 to the Celsius temperature, because they have the same size units.
0K is the coldest temperature in the universe. It is known as absolute zero and is -273˚C.
Remember that 0˚C is the freezing point of water and 100˚C is the boiling point.