Measurements Used in Biology
Scientists all over the world use the same system of measurement:
__________________________________________________
The SI is a decimal measuring system based on units of ___. There is one main
unit for each property being measured.
Measuring Length – ____________________
Length is the distance between two points
Tools: _______________________________
Measuring Volume – ____________________
Volume is the amount of space something occupies.
Tools: If the object is solid measure with a metric ruler and multiply the
____________________________
Tools: If the object is liquid pour it into a_____________________
_______________________________________________________
Measuring Mass – _____________________
Mass is the amount of matter in an object (matter is anything that has mass and
takes up space)
Tools: _______________________________
(Weight is different than mass….weight is the response of mass to the pull of
gravity…use a scale to measure weight)
Measuring Time – _____________________
Time is the period between to events
Tools: ______________________________
Measuring Temperature – _________________
Temperature is a measure of the amount of heat in something.
Temperature scales are divided into units called ____________.
Freezing point of water is _____________
Boiling point of water is ______________
Prefixes are used in front of the “Basic Unit” (meter, liter, gram) to indicate
amount of something.
Kilometer Hectometer Dekameter meter decimeter centimeter
millimeter
This is similar to our money system we use with the dollar as our “Basic Unit”
Thousand Hundred
Ten
dollar
dime
cent
mill