UNITS OF

MEASUREMENT

CHAPTER 1
CHM 131
DR.
DR. NUR
NUR ROYHAILA
ROYHAILA MOHAMAD
MOHAMAD
UiTM
UiTM Perak
Perak Kampus
Kampus
Tapah
Tapah

1
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

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

Example:
• One kilometer = 1 km = one thousand meters =1000 m or 103m.

103m = 1000 m = 1 kilometer = 1 Unit

km
SI prefix Name of Prefix
a unit symbol
 COMMON
MEASUREMENT
S AND
CONVERSION
COMMON UNITS IN LAB
MEASUREMENTS

Length Density

Volume Mass

8
 LENGT
 H for most laboratory purpose.
Meter (m), is too large
 Centimeter (cm) and the millimeter (mm) are more
convenient to use.

1 m = 100 cm = 1000 mm

1 cm = 10 mm
EXAMPLE 1
(CONVERSION 1pm = 1 x 10-12 m
)
Convert 100 m to pm.
100 m ?
pm

= 100 m X p m
(10-12) m
= 1 x 1014 pm
EXAMPLE 2
(CONVERSION 1nm = 1 x 10-9 m
) 1mm = 1 X 10-3 m
Convert 210 nm to mm
• 210 nm  ?
mm

11
AREA (M2)
• The most basic area formula is the formula for
the area of a rectangle
• That is, the area of the rectangle is the length multiplied
by the width.
• As a special case, as l = w in the case of a square,
the area of a square with side length s is given by
the formula: A = s2 (square)
EXAMPLE :
CONVERSION
Convert 212 dm2 to km2
 VOLUM
E
 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
Some volume equivalents:

• 1 m3 = 1000 dm3
• I dm3 = 1000 cm3 = 1 L = 1000 mL
• 1 cm3 = 1000 mm3 = 1 mL = 1000
µL
• 1 mm3= 1 µL
EXAMPLE:
CONVERSION
Convert 121 mm3 to nm3
 MAS
S
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
EXAMPLE:
CONVERSION
Convert 414 pg to cg

414 pg ? cg
 DENSIT
The density of anYobject 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).
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

20
EXAMPLE: CONVERSION

• Convert 6.6 g/cm3 to pg/Mm3

= 6.6 x 1036 pg/Mm3

 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?
 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
EXAMPLE:
CONVERSION
Convert 100 °C to °F
°F = (1.8 x °C) + 32

= (1.8 x 100) + 32
= 212 °F
Example:
Conversion
Convert 38 °F to °C

°F = (1.8 x °C) + 32

38 = (1.8 x °C ) + 32°C = 3.3 °C

 EXERCIS
E

200 °F to K…………..?????

Answer: 366.45 K
SIGNIFICAN
T
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.

29
 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 1 2 inches in a foot, you
mean exactly 12.

Exact numbers have no effect

on significant figures in calculation.
SF IN
CALCULATIONS
Multiplication and Division:
the number of s.f. in the answer
should not be greater than the
factor with the fewest s.f.

1.827 m × 0.762 m = ?

0.762 has 3 s.f. so the

reported answer is 1.39 m2
Addition and Subtraction: the reported results
should have the same number of decimal places
as the number with the fewest decimal places

NOTE -
 Be cautious of
round-off errors in
multi-step problems.
 Wait until calculating
the final answer
before rounding.
 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
(c) 53,069 mL 4sf
(d) 57,600 s
(e) 0.0000007160 cm3 5sf

5sf

34
SCIENTIFI
C
NOTATION
PURPOSE OF SCIENTIFIC
NOTATION
Solve the
problem of
writing very
large and small
numbers

Maintain
correct number
of significant
figures
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 bemoved to the right:
exponent is negative.
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

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)

 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

41