
When we measure you need to know:
› What you are measuring (the object)
› What you are measuring with (which tool)
› What you are measuring in (the units)

If you don’t use units, I won’t know what
you are talking about!

What does it measure?
› Distance between two points
 Can measure VERY tiny objects
 Can measure great distances

What tools do we use?
› Metric Ruler
› Meter stick

What units do we use?
› SI base unit is the meter
 Use
the ruler to measure the items at
your lab station. Record your
measurements on your notes.
 Use
the meter stick to measure the
height of your desk.
How much space an object takes up
 Two ways to measure volume

› Length x width x height
 Only if it is square or rectangle
› Volume by Immersion
 Place the object into a beaker of water and
subtract to find the volume.

What tools do we use?
› Rectangular objects
 Ruler
 Meter Stick
› Irregular objects
 Beaker (immersion)

What units do we use?
› There are 3 units we use in this class
 Meter cubed (m3)
 Centimeter cubed (cm3)
 Milliliters (mL)
 Use
the ruler to measure the length
width and height of items at your lab
station. Multiply the numbers to find
the volume. Record your
measurement on your notes.
 Read
the volume in the beaker
 Practice immersion technique using
the bead and the graduated cylinder

Measures how much matter is in an
object
› Mass does not change when you change
location

What tools do we use?
› Triple Beam Balance
› Pan Balance
› Electronic Balance

What units do we use?
› The SI unit for mass is kilogram

Use the balances at your station to
measure each item
› Triple beam balance to find the mass of the
wooden block.
› Pan balance to find the mass of the ball.

Measures the amount of force (gravity)
acting on an object
› Your weight can change depending where
you are

What tools do we use?
› Spring Scale

What units do we use?
› The SI unit for weight is Newton (N)

Use the spring scales
at your station to:
› Measure the weight of
the wood block with
this scale.

How hot or cold something is
› Measures the kinetic energy (energy of
motion) of an object.

What tools do we use?
› Digital thermometer
› Alcohol thermometer

What units do we use?
› The SI unit for temperature is Kelvin
› However, we use Celsius in class
Use the thermometers by the reading
center to measure the following:
 Record your measurements on your
notes.

› Digital thermometer: beaker of water
› Alcohol thermometer: body temperature
(hold it in your closed hand)

The interval between 2 events
› Time can also measure rate

What tools do we use?
› Stop watch

What units do we use?
› The SI unit for time is seconds

Using the stop watch at your station,
measure the following. Record your
measurements on your notes.
› How long it takes you to walk from the front
of the room to the back of the room.
What are the 6 things we will measure in
here?
 Why is it important to use units when
writing down measurements?
