Foreign Mass and
Temperature Conversions
Math 10-3
Chapter 3 Measurement
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When you travel to other countries,
the measurement systems they use
there may be different from what
we use in Canada.
For example, what is a gallon? A
bushel? A ton? A Fahrenheit?
Measuring Mass in the USA/UK….

A “bushel” is typically used to
describe the mass of grains. A
bushel is equal to approximately 60
lbs.
Give an example of something with a
mass of 60 lbs..
-Small Child
- Large Dog
Measuring Mass in the USA/UK….

A “ton” is typically used to describe
the mass of large objects. One ton
is equal to about 2000 lbs! A
Volkswagen weighs about 1 ton,
where a truck weighs about 4.5
tons (or 9000 lbs!).
What about a half-ton truck?



What do you think this means?
The truck does not weigh ½ ton,
this describe the trucks pay-load
capacity or how much the truck
can carry.
How many pounds can a half-ton
truck carry? ~1000 lbs!
Gas Prices



In the US, their gas prices are per
gallon. Here in Canada, gas prices are
expressed per litre.
An American Gallon is equal to about
4.56 Litres; 1 Canadian litre is about ¼
a gallon (or 0.22 L = 1 gallon).
We can use the estimation of ¼ to easily
determine the price of gas while visiting
the USA.
Ex1. You are driving through California and need to fill up. The
gas price is $3.10 per gallon – you think this is ridiculous! In
Alberta it is only $0.90 per litre. How much is the gasoline in
California per litre?



We know that 1 L = ~1/4 a gallon. We can
multiply the price per gallon by ¼ to get the
correct answer.
Multiply the price per gallon by the
fraction ¼
$3.10 x 1 =3.10 = $3.10
4
4

4
=~$0.775/L

Looks like it is a better deal to fill up in
California than Alberta!
Ex2. Your friend is visiting from Boston. They notice the price
of gas in Edmonton is $0.90/L and they exclaim “Wow! That is
WAY cheaper than the $2.50/gallon that I pay!” Are they
correct?



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We know that 1L = ~1/4 gallon. We have to
change the price from $/L to $/gallon
Divide the price by ¼
*remember to divide by a fraction, you
reciprocate (“flip”) the fraction and multiply!
$0.90
1
4
 $0.90 x
4
1
= $3.60/gallon
= $0.90 x4
1
Temperature


Sometimes when you are travelling, you
may come across the temperature scale
called Fahrenheit. In Canada we use the
Celsius scale.
We know that a hot day is above 300C, a
cool fall day is about 100C, Water boils at
1000C, Water freezes at 00C and a very
cold day is -300C.
Converting Temperature…

To convert FROM Celsius TO
Fahrenheit….
9
F = C  32
5

To convert FROM Fahrenheit TO
Celsius…
5
C = 9 ( F  32)
Ex1. The average body temperature of a person is
370C. What is this in Fahrenheit?

HAVE Celsius WANT Fahrenheit

9
(37 0 C )  32
 How do we do this
5
on our calculator?

9 x 37  5 + 32 will give us the
correct answer = ~98.8 F
Ex2. Your friend from Colorado says that 10 F is
freezing cold! What temperature is 10 F in
Celsius?



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
HAVE Fahrenheit WANT Celsius
5
(10  32 F )
 How do we do this
9
on our calculator?
** First subtract 32 from 10
10 – 32 = -22
Then multiply and divide
-22 x 5  9 = ~-12.2 0C