Measurement and Significant Figures
Pre-lab Study Questions
1. What are the standard units of length, mass, volume, and temperature in the metric (SI)
system?
PHYSICAL QUANTITY NAME OF UNIT ABBREVIATION
Mass Kilogram kg
Length Meter m
Time Second s
Temperature Kelvin K
Amount of Substance Mole mol
Electric Current Ampere A
Luminous Intensity Candela cd
2. Why is the metric system called a decimal system of measurement?
The metric system is a called a decimal-based system because it is based on
multiples of ten. Any measurement given in one metric unit (e.g., kilogram) can
be converted to another metric unit (e.g., gram) simply by moving
the decimal place.
3. What is the purpose of using prefixes in the metric system?
To differentiate between smaller and larger units. Example: kilo is used for larger
quantities; milli is used for smaller quantities.
4. Give the name or the abbreviation for each metric unit listed. State the property that is it
measures.
Name of unit Abbreviation Property Measured
meter L length
centimeter cm length
kilometer km length
milligram mg mass
5. What is the advantage to using the metric system over the English system?
metric system is a decimal system of weights and measures it is easy to convert
between units (e.g. from millimeters to meters, or grams to kilograms) simply by
multiplying or dividing by 10, 100, 1000, etc. Often this is just a case of moving the
decimal point to the right or left.
Report Sheet - Lab 1
A. Measuring Length
A.1 What units are represented by the numbers marked on the meter stick?
What do the small lines marked on the meter stick represent?
Complete the following statements:
There are __100__ centimeters (cm) in 1 meter (m).
There are __1000_____ millimeters (mm) in 1 meter (m).
There are ___10____ millimeters (mm) in 1 centimeter (cm).
A.2 Fill in the lengths below and include units:
(hint: for your wrist use a piece of string and then measure the string)
Item Length
Width of little fingernail 8mm
Distance around your wrist 6.26 inches
Length of your shoe 26.7 cm
Your height 5’7”
A.4 Measure the length of the following line:
|------------------------------------------------|
7.336 cm
Questions and Problems
Q.1 Why could the measured values obtained by other students be different from yours?
As I overlap my little fingermail with the line and I found it’s the line of 2.9 inches (7.336 cm) so
that it varies from the person to person.
B. Measuring Volume
B.1 Volume of a Liquid
Using the exercise module, “Volumetric Measuring Module”, determine the volumes in the three
graduated cylinders:
Cylinder 1 ___ 5.9mL______
Cylinder 2 ____41.5mL______
Cylinder 3 ___66.6mL______
Which cylinder would be the best choice for measuring the volume of water in a small test tube?
Explain.
In my opinion, cylinder 1 is best to measure because it has the capacity of only 10mL. It means,
we would be having more accuracy and precision if we use the cylinder of lesser size.
B.3 Volume of a solid by volume displacement
Using the exercise module, “Density of a Solid Demonstration,” determine the volumes requested
below including units:
Volume of water ______20mL_________
Volume of water and submerged solid ____________32mL_______
Volume of solid ________12mL__________
C. Measuring Mass
Using the exercise module, “Mass Measuring Module,” determine the masses requested below:
The units on the scale are in grams
C.1
Beaker ___50gm________
Stopper ___11gm___________
Evaporating dish ______31gm_______
