Understanding the Metric System
How Many Shoes?
Burma
Liberia
Two systems commonly used for measuring:
1. U.S. Standard (Customary System)
2. Metric System (SI)
The unit of measurement for temperature is the degree.
There are three scales used to measure temperature:
Fahrenheit scale
Celsius scale
0 F
Kelvin scale
0 C
K
U. S. Standard Units Metric Units
unit - degrees unit - degrees
scale - Fahrenheit scale - Celsius
U. S. Standard Units Metric Base Unit
inches
feet
yards
miles
meter
m
U. S. Standard Units Metric Base Unit
ounces
pounds
tons
gram
g
(weight)
U. S. Standard Units Metric Base Unit
fluid ounces
cups
quartsgallons
teaspoons
tablespoons liquids: liter
L
solids: cubic meter
m3
pints
Prefix Symbol Meaning
kilo- 1 000
hecto- 100
deka- 10
Base Unit 1
deci- 1/10 or 0.1
centi- 1/100 or 0.01
milli- 1/1000 or 0.001
k
h
dk
m, g, L
c
m
d
Packet: page 2
Working with the Metric System
kilo-
hecto- deka-metergram liter
deci- centi- milli-
1 000 100 10 1 0.1 0.01 0.001
Packet: page 3
Rule #1: All metric measurements are written using lower case letters except for liter. An upper case L is used for all liter measurements.Example: 35 mm not 35 MM and 35 mL not 35 ml
25 kg 36 ML 15 Cm 47 mL 59 km
63 kl 94 dg 86 MM 71 cg 9 ml
Rule #2: Do not make the metric measurement plural by adding an –s.Example: 97 cm not 97 cms
1 m 10 Ls 15 kgs 20 ms 12 mm
32 km 125 cgs 67 mL 86 cm 75 gs
Homework: Writing Metric Units
Rule #4: Leave a space between the number and the metric unit.Example: 15 km not 15km
554 km 420mL 39.5 mg 959.8L 5.57 cm
Rule #5: Many times a space is used instead of a comma when writing large numbers. Try writing you’re your metric measurement using a space instead of a comma. Example: 1 000 km not 1,000 km
1 498 kg 9,532 mL 1,810 cm 2 674 cg 6,148 km
Homework: Writing Metric Units
10.2 cm 420 cL. 50 mm 15 g. 4 L
3 mL 17 km. 889 dg. 1 600 m. 48.1 kL
Rule #3: There are no periods written after metric measurements.Example: 36 mg not 36 mg.
Rule #7: Remove any unnecessary zeros AFTER a decimal point.Examples: 23 cm not 23.000 cm 6.9 mL not 6.90 mL
4.80 cm 7.5 kg 120 mL 19.00 dg 0.390 km
8.1 cm 0.9 km
5.63 m 0.51 mg 6.4 mm
Homework: Writing Metric Units
Rule #6: If there is no whole number before the decimal point, ALWAYS place a zero before the decimal point.Example: 0.75 cm not .75 cm
1.5 cm 397 kg .7 mL 0.143 dg .253 km
Converting in the Metric System
$5.00
50 dimes 500 pennies
kilo-
hecto-
deka- BaseUnit
deci-
centi-
milli-
Move the decimal to the left.
Move the decimal to the right.
kilo-
hecto-
deka-
BASE
deci-
centi-
milli-
1. 3 m = _______ cm
2nd : Determine your starting point
3rd : Determine your ending point
4th : Count the number of steps
1
2
5th: Move the decimal point the same number of jumps in the same direction
1st: Rewrite the number adding a decimal point
3.
300
kilo-
hecto-
deka-
BASE
deci-
centi-
milli-
2. 19 g = __________ mg
2nd : Determine your starting point
3rd : Determine your ending point
4th : Count the number of steps
1
2
5th: Move the decimal point the same number of jumps in the same direction
1st: Rewrite the number adding a decimal point
19.
19 000
3
kilo-
hecto-
deka-
BASE
deci-
centi-
milli-
3. 3.9 km = _______ m
2nd : Determine your starting point
3rd : Determine your ending point
4th : Count the number of steps
1
2
5th: Move the decimal point the same number of jumps in the same direction
1st: Rewrite the number with the decimal point
3.9
3 900
3
kilo-
hecto-
deka-
BASE
deci-
centi-
milli-
4. 9 000 mm = _______ m
2nd : Determine your starting point
3rd : Determine your ending point
4th : Count the number of steps1
2
5th: Move the decimal point the same number of jumps in the same direction
1st: Rewrite the number adding a decimal point
9
3
9 000.
kilo-
hecto-
deka-
BASE
deci-
centi-
milli-
5. 500 mg = _______ g
2nd : Determine your starting point
3rd : Determine your ending point
4th : Count the number of steps1
2
5th: Move the decimal point the same number of jumps in the same direction
1st: Rewrite the number adding a decimal point
500.
0.5
3
kilo-
hecto-
deka-
BASE
deci-
centi-
milli-
5. 19 m = _______ km
2nd : Determine your starting point
3rd : Determine your ending point
4th : Count the number of steps
1
2
5th: Move the decimal point the same number of jumps in the same direction
1st: Rewrite the number adding a decimal point
19.
0.0193
Base Unit
deka-
deci-centi-
milli-
hecto-
kilo-
Conversion Practice
1. 1 000 mg = _____ g 2. 1 L = _____ mL
3. 160 cm = _____ mm 4. 14 km = _______ m
5. 109 g = _____ kg 6. 250 m = _____ km
7. 3 mm = _______ cm 8. 4 mL = _______ L
9. 98 cg = _______ g 10. 6cL = _______ L
1 1 000
1 600 14 000
0.109 0.25
Packet: page 10
0.3 0.004
0.98 0.06
1) 3 km = __________ m
2) 7 000 m = __________ km
3) 30 mm = __________ cm
4) 1100 cm = __________ m
5) 5 cm = __________ mm
6) 4 000 g = __________ kg
7) 9 kg = __________ g
8) 90 mg = __________ cg
9) 6 g = __________ mg
10) 10 000 mL = __________ L
11) 2 L = __________ kL
12) 150 mm = __________ cm
13) 3 kg = __________ g
14) 5.5 cm = __________ mm
15) 6.7 km = __________ m
16) 2.5 L = __________ mL
17) 0.25 L = __________ mL
3 000
7
311
50
4
9 000
96 000
15
0.002
3 000
10
250
55
2 500
6 700
Conversion Challenge
1. kilogram _____ 4. milliliter _____ 7. kilometer _____
2. meter _____ 5. millimeter _____ 8. centimeter _____
3. gram _____ 6. liter _____ 9. milligram _____
kg mL km
m mm cm
g L mg
Packet page 11
1) 2 000 mg = _____ g 6) 5 L = _____ mL 11) 16 cm = _____ mm
2) 104 km = _______m 7) 198 g = _____ kg 12) 2 500 m = _____ km
3) 480 cm = _____ m 8) 75 mL = _____ L 13) 65 g = ________ mg
4) 5.6 kg = _____ g 9) 50 cm = _____ m 14) 6.3 cm = _____ mm
5) 8 mm = _____ cm 10) 5.6 = _____ cm 15) 120 mg = _____ g
2 5 000 160
104 000 0.198 2.5
4.8 0.075 65 000
5 600 0.5 63
0.8 560 0.12
Packet page 11
Measuring with the Metric System
Temperature -the measure of how hot or cold something is
Instrument -thermometer
Metric unit of measurement -degrees Celsius
0 C
Comparing Temperature Scales
Units of Temperature
Fahrenheit scale
0 F
Celsius scale
commonly used byscientists
water boils at 1000 C
0 K coldest temperature – absolute 0
official SI unit
Kelvin scale
water freezes at 00 C
U. S. standard system
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primaryframework/downloads/SWF/thermometer.swf
Mass :
the measure of the amount of matter in an object
Instrument used: triple-beam balance
Metric unit of measurement:gram g
Balances are used to measure mass.
Scales are used to measure weight.
Different weights
Mass
Definition
the measure of theamount of matterin an object
Characteristics
measured in g and kg;measured with a balance
Examples
paper clip = 1 gbaseball bat = 1 kg 1 kg = 1 000 g
Nonexamples
weight-a force measured with a scale
triple-beam balance
measuring mass with a triple beam balance
triple beam balance
Length:the distance between two points
Instrument used: metric ruler
meter stick
Metric unit of measurement:meter m
Definition – the distance between two points
Length
Units ofLength
Measuring Length
basic unit - meter
smaller measurements: cm, mmlarger measurement: km
divided into cm and mm1 cm = 10 mm
metric rulermeter stick
You are 1.8 m tall, sothat makes you 180 cm or 1 800 mm tall.
Using a Metric Ruler
What’s my Length?
The metric unit of measurementfor length is the meter.
Length – the distance between two points
Definition:The amount of space an object occupies
Instruments used:
beaker
graduated cylinder
Metric unit of measurement:liter L
Measuring Volume: Outline
I. Volume
II. Volume of Liquids
a. Equipment Used:
b. Unit of Measurement:
a. Definition: the amount of space an object takes up (or occupies)
graduated cylinder, beaker
liter (L)milliliter (mL)
The graduated cylinder is marked off in equalunits of volume.
The volume of the liquidIs 7 mL.
53 mL
meniscus
Measuring Liquid Volume
Regularly shaped
Instrument used:metric ruler
L x W x H
Metric unit of measurement:cm3
Regularly shaped
Instrument used: metric rulerFormula: V = L x W x H
Metric unit of measurement: cm3
Irregularly shaped
Method used: water displacement
Metric unit of measurement: cm3
Each cube is 1 cm on each side.
Volume Of Solids
10cm
3cm
4cm
L =
W =
H =
5, 4, 3
4, 3, 2
8 , 2, 3
10 cm
5 cm
2 cm
III. Volume of Regular Solids
a. Formula:
b. Label:
c. 1 cm3 =
IV. Volume of Irregular Solids
a. Method Used:
V = L x W x H
cm3
1 mL
water displacement
Irregularly shaped
Method used: water displacement
Metric unit of measurement:cm3
xxxxxxxxxx
xx
Water Displacement Method
A B
Step 1: Add water to a graduated cylinder and record the amount.
Step 2: Place the object into the graduated cylinder.
Step 3: Record the volume of the water with the object.Step 4: Find the difference in water volume by subtracting.
Step 5: Convert the liquid volumemeasurement (mL) to the measurement for solid volume (cm3).*** Remember: 1 mL = 1 cm3
Volume of water in graduated cylinder A =
200 mL
Volume of water in graduated cylinder B =270 mL
A B
Difference in water: 270 mL - 200 mL = 70 mL
Volume of rock: 70 mL = 70 cm3
Volume of water without object:
Volume of water with object:
Difference in water volume: _____
_____
_____
Volume of object _____ mL = _____ cm3
32 mL
38 mL
32 mL
38 mL
6 mL
6 6
Volume of water without object:
Volume of water with object:
Difference in water volume: _____
_____
_____
Volume of object _____ mL = _____ cm3
Volume of water without object:
Volume of water with object:
Difference in water volume: _____
_____
_____
Volume of object _____ mL = _____ cm3
65 mL
69 mL
65 mL
69 mL
4 mL
4 4
Volume of water without object:
Volume of water with object:
Difference in water volume: _____
_____
_____
Volume of object _____ mL = _____ cm3
46 mL
54 mL
54 mL
46 mL
8 mL
8 8
Volume of water without object:
Volume of water with object:
Difference in water volume: _____
_____
_____
Volume of object _____ mL = _____ cm3
50 mL
52 mL
50 mL
52 mL
2 mL
2 2
volume
volume – the amount of space an object takes up
liquids are measured in mL or l
graduated cylinders and beakers are used to measure liquids
solids are measured in cm3
V = L x W x H - regular-shaped solid
water displacement method - irregular-shaped solids
Definition:the measure of how much mass is contained in a given volume of space
Formula: D = mass volume
Units of Measurement:g/cm
g/mL
If objects are the same size they will have the same density.
Different materials have different densities.
Density is made up of two other measurements – mass and volume.
true
The density of a substance like gold is always different.
The density of a substance is the same for all samples of the substance.
The density of water is 1 g/mL. true
An object will float if it is more dense than the surroundingliquid.
An object will float if it is less dense than the surrounding liquid.
gold = 19.3 g/cm3
8 cm3 of gold = 154.4 g
water = 1 g/mL wood = 0.5 g/cm3
8 mL of water = 8 g 8 cm3 of wood = 4 g
100 g of water 100 mL
100 g of wood
5.2 cm3
200 cm3
100 g of gold
mass = 18 g
volume = 20 cm3
density = 0.9 g/cm3
Density Lab
definition: the measure of how much mass is contained in a given volume of space
Made up of two measurements: mass and volume
density = massvolume
density of a solid
g/cm3
density of a liquid
g/mL
density
Temperature
Mass
Length
The measure of how hot or cold something is.
0C thermometer
The measure of the amount of matter in an object.
ggrams
balance
The distance betweentwo points.
m metercm, mm
metric rulermeter stick
Volume: liquid
Volume: solid
Density
The amount of space an object takes up
graduated cylinder,beaker
Regular-shaped cm3 L x W x H
Irregular-shaped cm3
waterdisplacement
Lliter mL
The measure of how muchmass is contained in a given volume of space.
g/cm3
g/mL
density = mass volume
19 g = _______ mg
1. Locate grams on the steps.
2. Move three steps to the right to get to milligrams.
3. Move the decimal point three places to the right adding zeros as needed.
19. 190. 1900.
19 000
19000.
3.9 km = _____ m
1. Locate kilometers on the steps.
2. Move three steps to the right to get to meters.
3. Move the decimal point three places to the right adding zeros as needed.
3.9 39. 390.
3 900
3900.
9 000 mm = _____ m
1. Locate millimeters on the steps.
2. Move three steps to the left to get to meters.
3. Move the decimal point three places to the left adding zeros as needed.
9 000.
900.0 90.00 9.000
9
500 mg = _____ g
1. Locate milligrams on the steps.
2. Move three steps to the left to get to grams.
3. Move the decimal point three places to the left adding zeros as needed.
500. 50.0 5.00 .500
0.5
19 m = _____ km
1. Locate meters on the steps.
2. Move three steps to the left to get to kilometers.
3. Move the decimal point three places to the left adding zeros as needed.
19. 1.9 .19 .019
0.019