CHAPTER 1

UNITS OF
MEASUREMENT

ROZAINA BINTI SALEH

UiTM Cawangan Perak
Kampus Tapah

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Objectives:

 Identify the basic units of measurement in the metric

and SI systems of measurement.
 Determine how many significant figures are in a
number, and use the concept of significant figures in
expressing the answer to a calculation.
 Explain rules for rounding numbers.

 Explain the concept of scientific notation

 Calculate density of substance

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 SI UNITS

International System of Units

Physical Quantity Name of Unit Symbol

Length Meter m
Mass Kilogram Kg
Time Second S
Temperature Kelvin K
Amount of substance Mole mol

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 SI DERIVED UNITS

Measure of Unit Symbol

Area square meter m2
Volume cubic meter m3
Velocity meter per second m/s
Acceleration meter per second squared m/s2
Density kilogram per cubic meter kg/m3
Current density ampere per square meter A/m2
Specific volume cubic meter per kilogram m3/kg

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 SI PREFIXES
Selected Prefixes Used in the Metric
System Exponential
 A prefix used in
Prefix Symbol Numerical the
Tera T 1,000,000,000,000 1012 International
Giga G 1,000,000,000 109 System to
Mega M 1,000,000 106 indicate a
Kilo k 1,000 103 power of 10.
Hecto h 100 102
Deca da 10 101
No prefix means: 1 100  Example:
Deci d 0.1 10-1
Centi c 0.01 10-2  Gigahertz
Milli m 0.001 10-3 (GHz)
Micro μ 0.000001 10-6
Nano n 0.000000001 10-9
 Kilogram (kg)
Pico p 0.000000000001 10-12

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 COMMON
MEASUREMENTS
AND
CONVERSION

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COMMON UNITS IN LAB
MEASUREMENTS

Length Density

Volume Mass

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 LENGTH
 Meter (m), is too large for most laboratory purposes.
 Centimeter (cm) and the millimeter (mm) are more
convenient to use.

1 m = 100 cm = 1000 mm

1 cm = 10 mm

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EXAMPLE 1
(CONVERSION)

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EXAMPLE 2
(CONVERSION) 1nm = 1 x 10-9 m
1mm = 1 X 10-3 m
Convert 210 nm to mm

210 nm  ? mm

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AREA (M2)

• The most basic area formula is the formula for

the area of a rectangle
• Length multiplied by the width.
• The area of a square with side length s is given by
the formula: A = s2 (square)

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EXAMPLE : CONVERSION
Convert 212 dm2 to km2

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VOLUME
Volume is a derived unit with
dimensions of (length)3.
SI unit for volume is the cubic
meter, m3.
Volume units typically use the
Liters base
Very convenient for measuring
the volume of irregularly shaped
containers

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Some volume equivalents:

• 1 m3 = 1000 dm3
• 1 dm3 = 1000 cm3 = 1 L = 1000 mL
• 1 cm3 = 1000 mm3 = 1 mL = 1000 µL
• 1 mm3 = 1 µL

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EXAMPLE: CONVERSION

Convert 121 mm3 to nm3

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 MASS
 In the SI, the base unit for mass is the kilogram
(kg).
 However, gram (g) is a more convenient unit for
laboratory measurements.

1 kg = 1000 g

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EXAMPLE: CONVERSION

Convert 414 pg to cg
414 pg ? cg
 DENSITY
The density of an object is its mass per unit
volume,
m
d=
V
where d is the density, m is the mass, and V is
the volume.
 The SI unit of density is kilogram per cubic meter
(kg/m3).
 Typically, density is in units of g/L (g/dm3) or g/mL
(g/cm3).

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PROBLEM 1

A sample of the mineral galena (lead sulfide)

weighs 12.4g and has a volume of 1.64 cm3.
What is the density of galena?

Density = mass
volume
12.4 g
=
1.64 cm3

= 7.5609 = 7.56 g/cm3

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EXAMPLE: CONVERSION

• Convert 6.6 g/cm3 to pg/Mm3

= 6.6 x 1036 pg/Mm3

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 EXERCISE
Seawater has a density of about 1.03 g/mL.

a)What mass of seawater would fill a sampling

vessel to a volume of 225 mL.

b)What is the volume, in mL, of 45.0 g of

seawater?

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 TEMPERATURE
 Temperature is a measure of the
intensity of heat.
 The Celsius scale is the temperature
scale in general scientific use.
 The SI base unit of temperature is the
kelvin (K).

K = °C + 273.15

°F = (1.8 x °C) + 32

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EXAMPLE: CONVERSION
Convert 100 °C to °F

°F = (1.8 x °C) + 32

= (1.8 x 100) + 32
= 212 °F

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Example: Conversion

Convert 38 °F to °C

°F = (1.8 x °C) + 32
38 = (1.8 x °C ) + 32°C = 3.3 °C
 EXERCISE

Convert 200 °F to K.

Answer: 366.45 K
SIGNIFICANT
FIGURES
 SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
(S.F)

 All digits in a number that are known with

certainty plus the first uncertain digit
 The more significant digits obtained, the better
the precision of a measurement
 The concept of SF applies only to
measurements.

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 An exact number is a number that arises
when you count items or when you define a
unit.

 Example:
 You have nine coins in a bottle, you
mean exactly nine.
 There are 12 inches in a foot, you mean
exactly 12.

Exact numbers have no effect on

significant figures in calculation.

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SIGNIFICANT FIGURES (S.F)
1. Non-zero digits are always significant.
26.38 : 4 significant figures

2. Any zeros between two significant digits are

significant.
406 : 3 significant figures
3. A final zero or trailing zeros in the decimal
portion ONLY are significant.
3500 : 2 significant figures 35.00 : 4 significant figures

4. Zero to the left of the non-zero numbers are

not significant

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0.00523 : 3 significant figures
 SF IN CALCULATIONS

Multiplication Addition and

and Division Subtraction

Answer follows the

Answer follows the
fewest decimal
lowest SF in the
places in the
problem given
problem given

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 SF IN CALCULATIONS
Multiplication and Division:

1.827 m × 0.762 m = ?

0.762 has 3 SF so the

reported answer is 1.39 m2

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Addition and Subtraction

NOTE -
 Be cautious of
round-off errors in
multi-step problems.
 Wait until calculating
the final answer
before rounding.

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 EXERCISE

For each of the following quantities, determine the number

of significant figures in each quantity.
(a) 0.0030 L 2sf
(b) 0.1044 g 4sf
(c) 53,069 mL 5sf
(d) 57,600 s 3sf
(e) 0.0000007160 cm3 4sf

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SCIENTIFIC
NOTATION
PURPOSE OF SCIENTIFIC NOTATION

Solve the problem of writing

very large and small numbers

Maintain correct number of

significant figures

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CONVERTING NUMBERS TO
SCIENTIFIC NOTATION
Numbers written in scientific notation have two parts:
a stem and a power of 10.
• The power of ten has two parts. There is a base and
there is an exponent.

2.205 x 10-5 Exponent = -5

Base
always be 10

 If decimal point had to be moved to the left:

exponent is positive.
 If decimal point had to be moved to the right:
exponent is negative.

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ADDITION & SUBTRACTION:

• Must be converted to a form in which all the

exponents have the same values.

• Example:

a) 1.36 x 102 + 4.73 x 103

b) 6.923 x 10-3 – 8.756 x 10-4

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MULTIPLICATION & DIVISION:

• When multiplying, multiplying the values of N

and sum the values of n.
• When dividing, dividing the values of N and
subtract the values of n.

• Example:

a) (6.022 x 10-3)(6.42 x 10-2)

b) (1.67 x 10-24)/(9.12 x 10-28)

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 EXERCISE

Report the results of the following calculations to

the correct number of significant figure
 100.0 – 0.19 = ____
 135.08 + 109.2 + 50.296 = ____
 8.91 – 6.435 = ____
 100.0 x 0.125 = ____
 125/5.0 = ____
 14 cm x 25.60 cm = ____ cm2

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