Activity 1.3.1 Standard and Metric Measuring Introduction Measurements are seen and used every day. You have probably worked with measurements at home and at school. Measurements can be seen in the form of inches, pounds, hours, cups, meters, grams, liters, etc. Standard or Customary units are usually written with fractions or mixed fractions. Metric or SI (International System of Units) values are written as decimals or mixed decimals. When measuring length in the customary system, the common tools are rulers, yardsticks, and tape measures; the common units are inches, feet, and yards. It is important that you are able to convert between these. Make sure you show your units. 1 foot (ft) = 12 inches (in.) 1 yard (yd) = 36 inches (in.) = 3 feet (ft) The metric system is the most widely used system of measurement in the world. The United States is the only major country that still has a limited use of this system of measurement. Most U.S. businesses have converted to this system due to the fact that they are competing in a global market that is based on the metric system. The metric system is based on powers of ten. The chart below shows the units of the metric system; meters are used to measure length. Thousands Hundreds Tens Basic unit Tenths Hundredths Thousandths Power of 10 103 102 101 100 10-1 10-2 10-3 Multiplier 1000 100 10 1 .1 .01 .001 Prefix Kilo Hecto Deca UNIT Deci Centi Milli Pnemonic King Henry Died Unexpectedly Drinking Chocolate Milk km hm dam m (meter) dm cm mm Abbreviations: Length Mass kg Volume kL g (gram) L (liter) mg mL Converting metric measurements can be done by multiplying or dividing by 10, 100, 1000, and so on. Follow these steps: Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2010 GTT – Unit 1 – Lesson 3 – 1.3.1 – English and Metric Measuring – Page 1 1. Count the number of zeros in the number you are multiplying or dividing by. 2. If you are multiplying, move the decimal to the right that number of places. 3. If you are dividing, move the decimal to the left that number of places. 4. Don’t forget to include units. Occasionally you may need to convert from English to Metric units or vice versa. The conversion chart for this is below. Convert from: mile inch inch foot yard kilometer millimeter centimeter meter meter To: kilometer millimeter centimeter meter meter mile inch inch foot yard Multiply by: 1.609347 km/mi 25.4 mm/in. 2.54 cm/in. .3048 m/ft .9144 m/yd .6214 mi/km .0394 in./mm .3937 in./cm 3.281 ft/m 1.094 yd/m Equipment GTT notebook Measuring devices (ruler, metric ruler, yard stick, meter stick, tape measure) Procedure In this activity you will have a chance to practice your Metric and English measuring skills. 1. Complete the English and Metric measurement questions in this activity. 2. Complete the “Educated Guess” columns of the chart. 3. Obtain several measuring devices from your instructor and complete the actual measurement section of the chart. 4. Complete the conclusion questions and turn in to your instructor for grading. Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2010 GTT – Unit 1 – Lesson 3 – 1.3.1 – English and Metric Measuring – Page 2 1. Does the ruler on the left measure in Metric or English units? 2. What units would you use? ml 3. What is the distance from the end of the ruler to each point? Don’t forget to include units. A. 4ml B. 1.9 cm B. 3.7 cm C. 6.3 cm D. 7.3 cm 4. What is the equivalent of measurement C in inches? Show all work, round answer to nearest tenth. 3.7x 5. Does the ruler on the left measure in Metric or English units? 6. What units would you use? inches 7. What is the distance from the end of the ruler to each point? Don’t forget to include units. A. ¼ B. 7/8 Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2010 GTT – Unit 1 – Lesson 3 – 1.3.1 – English and Metric Measuring – Page 3 C. 1 5/8 D. 2 3/16 E.2 7/8 8. What is the equivalent of measurement C in millimeters? Show all work, round answer to nearest tenth. 9. Complete the chart below by entering an educated guess of the length of each object in the units provided. Then obtain the proper measuring tool: ruler, metric ruler, yard stick, meter stick, or tape measure. Record the correct measurement in the chart. Don’t forget to include units. Item Educated Educated Actual English Guess - English Guess - Metric Measurement in. cm Notebook Actual Metric Measurement Desk ft Door* 3 yd 2.7432 m 2yd 10 ½ in. 1.920m. Pencil* 6 in. 152.4 mm 5 ¾ in. 146.05mm Cabinet* 2 ¼ ft 0.6858 m 2ft 2in. 0.67m Window* 7 in. 17.78 cm 6in. 15.24 cm Bulletin Board yd m m Conclusion 1. Which measurement system is easier for you to use? Why? I liked inches better because I have just been using them for a long time 2. Convert the length of a 2 ft 6 in. desk to each of the following. Show your equations and math. a. ____________30 inches_____ inches (in.) b. _______2 ft and 6 in.__________ yards (yd) Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2010 GTT – Unit 1 – Lesson 3 – 1.3.1 – English and Metric Measuring – Page 4 c. _______________.79__ meters (m) d. __________50 cm._______ centimeters (cm) 3. Convert the length of a 4.5 meter bulletin board to each of the following. Show your equations and math. a. __________450_______ centimeters (cm) b. ________________ decameters (dam) c. ________137.16_________ feet (ft) d. ________1.5_________ yards (yd) 4. List four ways that you have used measurement in your life and identify the units that you used. For example, I drove 7 miles to get to school today – English units. I cook example cups into glaons Driving or biking a distance. Measuring for a project Building something. Project Lead The Way, Inc. 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