1. SCIENCE SKILLS

2. Chapter Two: Science Skills  2.1 Mass and Volume  2.2 Density  2.3 Graphing  2.4 Solving Problems

3. 2.1 Measuring mass  Mass describes the amount of matter in an object.  The SI unit for mass is the kilogram (kg).  The kilogram is too large a unit to be convenient for small masses. One gram (g) is one-thousandth of a kilogram. What is the estimated mass of ONE zinc nut?

4. 2.1 Matter  Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space.  All matter has mass.  Steel, plastic, rubber, and glass are different kinds of matter. A car has a lot more of each kind of matter than a bike.

5. 2.1 Mass and weight are different  We tend to use the terms mass and weight interchangeably, but they are not the same thing.  Mass is the amount of matter in an object.  Weight is a measure of the pulling force of gravity on an object.

6. 2.1 Mass and weight are different  A 2.3 kg bag of flour has a mass of 2.3 kilograms no matter where it is in the universe.  The weight of the bag of flour is less on the moon. The 5 lb bag of flour on Earth weighs only.8 lbs on the moon!

8. 2.1 Volume  Volume is the amount of space an object takes up.  The fundamental unit of volume in SI is the cubic meter (m 3 ).  More convenient smaller units are cubic centimeters (cc or cm 3 ), liters (L) and milliliters (mL).

9. 2.1 Volume  Measuring the volume of liquids is easy.  Pour the liquid into a graduated cylinder and read the meniscus at eye level.

10. 2.1 Displacement  You can find the volume of an irregular shape using a technique called displacement.  Put the irregularly shaped object in water and measuring the amount of water displaced.

11. 2.1 Comparing mass and volume  Mass and volume are two different properties of matter.  Size does not always indicate an object’s mass!  How the matter is packed into space is more important.