Measurements

Form 1 science, chapter 13 (physics)

NOTES
Science
The philosophy of understanding the universe through evidence from observation and experimentation.

3 major fields
Biology - the study of living things

Chemistry - The study of substances that make objects (matter)

Physics - The study of how energy and matter interact

Bunsen burner
The most common method of using fire as a heat
source in the laboratory

Natural gas is ignited to form a consistent flame

Use the gas intake valve and the collar to adjust

flame size/colour

Hazard symbols
Length/Distance
The measurement of an object’s extent, end-to-end. Found using a meter stick / ruler

Base Unit: meter (m)

1 kilometer (km) = 1000m

1 decimeter (dm) = 0.1m
1 centimeter (cm) = 0.01m
1 millimeter (mm) = 0.001m
1 nanometer (nm) = 0.000000001m

Area

Area
2-dimensional measurement of an object’s size

Area = Length x Width

Units become squared (m2)

Volume
3-dimensional measurement of an object’s size

Volume (cube) = Length x Width x Height

Units become cubed (m3)

Different formulae for different shapes

Volume of a liquid

- Base unit = Liters (L)

- 1 milliliter (mL) = 1 cubic centimeter (cm3)
- Use a measuring cylinder to determine volume.
- Pro-Tip: get at eye-level and record the volume at the
bottom of the meniscus or bend in the liquid

Determining volume of irregular objects

For objects that don’t exactly fit the classification of a

“geometric shape”, we need to use the displacement method
to calculate volume
 Place the object in a known volume of water. 

 Record the new volume of the water and object. 

 Subtract the water’s volume from total to get the volume

of the object only

Temperature
The measurement of the average speed of the particles
in an object

The hotter an object is, the faster the particles move

Measured in degrees Celsius (℃) using a thermometer

Liquid in the thermometer is usually alcohol (dyed red)

or mercury (silver liquid metal)

Determining mass
The amount of matter in an object

Measured in grams (g) or kilograms (kg)

To calculate mass, a scale or balance is typically

required.

You should always “zero” or “tare” the scale before

placing an object on the scale