SCIENTIFIC MEASUREMENT

COURSE CONTENT/OUTCOMES
1. Type of measurements and SI units
2. Units derived from based units
3. Measurement of mass, weight and
temperature
4. Distinguish between accuracy and precision
5. Conversion of measurements to scientific
notation
6. Importance of significant figures
MEASUREMENT
 Measurements
• Measurement – process of observing and recording
objects or events
– Gives the world meaning & gives reference to us
– Allows us to solve problems, compare objects, record
results etc.
• Measurements are made everyday
– Buying products
– Sports activities
– Cooking
– weather
• Scientific measurements can either be
a) qualitative
b) quantitative
 Measurements
• Qualitative measurements are descriptive and
non-numeric
– e.g. heavy, hot, rough, bright
• Quantitative measurements involve numbers
or values, and depend on:
– The reliability of the measuring instrument
– The care with which it is read by the user
 Quantitative Measurement
• Measured with accuracy, clarity, without
ambiguity and reported as a value.
• Value is a quantitative description that
includes both a number and a unit e.g. 10 kg,
100 oC
• Units are quantities or dimensions generally
accepted as standards for comparisons or
exchange in measurements e.g. Kg, m
The International System of Units
• Measurements depend upon units that serve
as reference or standards
• The standards of measurement used in
science are those of the Metric System,
devised in 18th century by the French
• Metric system was revised and named as the
International System of Units (SI) , as of 1960
The International System of Units
• SI is simplistic and practical, based on
multiples of 10
• Consists of 7 base units, but only 5 commonly
used in chemistry
– Meter (length)
– Kilogram (mass)
– Kelvin (temperature)
– Second (time)
– mole (amount)
The Fundamental SI Units
 Units Derived From SI Units
• Sometimes, non-SI units are used for
measurement
– E.g. Liter, celsius, calorie
• Some units of measurement are derived from
the appropriate base units, such as:
– Volume m3
– Speed Km/hour
– Density g/mL
 Length
• In SI, the basic unit of length is the meter (m)
• Length is the distance between two objects
• Length is measured using a;
– Metric ruler
– Metric tape
– Meter stick
• We use Prefixes for units larger or smaller than
a meter
Conversion of SI Units
 Conversions
𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡
• Desired unit = Given unit x
𝐺𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡
• Convert 4m to mm
𝑚𝑚
• mm = m x
𝑚
• We know 1mm = 0.001m

1𝑚𝑚
• mm = 4m x = 4000mm = 4.0 x 10 ^3
0.001𝑚
 𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡
• Desired unit = Given unit x
𝐺𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡
• Convert 500m to km
• 1km = 1000m = 1 x 10^3m
𝑘𝑚
• Km = m x
𝑚
1𝑘𝑚
• = 500m x
1000𝑚
• 0.5km
 Take home exercise
• Convert 4cm to m
• Convert 4cm to mm
• Convert 0.45L to mL
• Convert 350g to kg
 Mass and Weight
• Mass is a measure of the quantity or amount of
matter present in an object
• The SI unit for mass is kilogram (Kg)
• Measured using a balance scale

• An object’s mass always stays the same

regardless of location i.e. Constant
 Mass and Weight
• Weight is a force that measures the pull by
gravity i.e. The force of gravity on an object
• Thus, calculated as:
w = mg where w = weight
m = mass
g = gravity
• The SI units of weight is Newton (N), derived
from kg.m/s2
• Measured using a spring balance
 Temperature
• Temperature is a measure of the intensity of heat
i.e. how hot or cold an object is
• Temperature is measured using a thermometer
• 3 different scales are used to measure temperature
– Celsius (oC)
– Fahrenheit (oF)
– Kelvin (K)
• In SI system, temperature is based on the Kelvin (K)
scale
K = oC + 273.15
• K = oC + 273.15
• oF = 1.8 (oC) + 32
• What value is 65 ℃ in K?
• K = 65C + 273.15
• = 338.15 K
• What value is 203 ℃ in F
• F = 1.8 (203C) +32
=397.4F
• What value is 312F in K
• F = 1.8 ( C ) + 32
• 312F = 1.8 ( C ) +32
• 312F -32 = 1.8 ( C)
𝟑𝟏𝟐𝑭 −𝟑𝟐
• = C = 155.56 C K = oC + 273.15 = 155.56 + 273.15
𝟏.𝟖
 Take home exercise
• What value is 202K in ℃
• What value is 22F in K
• What value is 18F in ℃
 Temperature
• On Celsius thermometer, freezing point of
water is 0 oC and boiling point is 100 oC
• On Fahrenheit scale, freezing point of water is
32 oF and boiling point is 212 oF
oF = 1.8 (oC) + 32

• the lowest possible temperature is referred to

as absolute zero
0 K, -273.15 oC and -459.67 oF
Temperature Scales
 Measurement Error and Uncertainty
• Quantitative measurements involve numbers or
values and depend on:
– The care with which it is read by the user
– The reliability of the measuring instrument
• It is necessary to make good, reliable
measurements
• Measurements have a degree of error and
uncertainty
 Error in Measurement
• Error in a measurement is related to both the
accepted/true value and experimental value
• Accepted Value – the correct value based on
reliable references/standards e.g. density of H2O at
25 oC = 1.0 g/mL
• Experimental Value – the value measured by an
individual in the lab
• Error – difference between the accepted/true value
and experimental value
Error = Accepted value – experimental value
➢ can be positive or negative
 Uncertainty in Measurement
• Measurements are performed with instruments,
and no instrument can read to an infinite number
of decimal places
• Thus, all measurements are uncertain to an extent
• Uncertainty – degree of inexactness in an
instrument
➢Describes the range within which the value lies
• Always best to use instruments that offer the most
exact measurement i.e. Lowest uncertainty
 Accuracy and Precision
• The uncertainty of a measurement is related
to both the accuracy and precision of the
measurement
• Accuracy – how close a measurement is to the
true value
• Precision – how close the measurements are
to each other (reproducibility) i.e. not related
to the true value
 Precision and Accuracy

Neither Precise, Precise

accurate but not AND
nor precise accurate accurate
 Significant Figures
• Degree of reliability in a measurement is
related to the number of significant figures
• Significant figure - number of figures in a value
that are known with a degree of accuracy and
precision
• These figures take into consideration the
embedded uncertainty
• Important to record measurements to the
correct number of significant figures
 Significant Figures
Which measurement is the best?
What is the measured
value?

What is the measured

value?

What is the measured

value?
Rules for Counting Significant
Figures

Non-zeros always count as

significant figures:

3456 has
4 significant figures
 Rules for Counting Significant
Figures

Zeros
Leading zeroes do not count as
significant figures:

0.0486 has
3 significant figures
 Rules for Counting Significant
Figures

Zeros
Captive zeroes always count as
significant figures:

16.07 has
4 significant figures
 Rules for Counting Significant
Figures
Zeros
Trailing zeros are significant only if
the number contains a written
decimal point:

9.300 has
4 significant figures
 Sig Fig Practice #1
How many significant figures in the following?

1.0070 m → 5 sig figs

17.10 kg → 4 sig figs
100,890 L → 5 sig figs
3.29 x 103 s → 3 sig figs
0.0054 cm → 2 sig figs
3 200 000 mL → 2 sig figs
5 dogs → unlimited
 Rules for Significant Figures in
Mathematical Operations
• Multiplication and Division: # sig
figs in the result equals the number in
the least precise measurement used in
the calculation.

• 6.38 x 2.0 =
• 12.76 → 13 (2 sig figs)
 Sig Fig Practice #2
Calculation Calculator says: Answer
3.24 m x 7.0 m 22.68 m2 23 m2
100.0 g ÷ 23.7 cm3 4.219409283 g/cm3 4.22 g/cm3
0.02 cm x 2.371 cm 0.04742 cm2 0.05 cm2
710 m ÷ 3.0 s 236.6666667 m/s 240 m/s
1818.2 ft x 3.23 ft 5872.786 ft2 5870 ft2
1.030 g x 2.87 mL 2.9561 g/mL 2.96 g/mL
 Rules for Significant Figures in
Mathematical Operations
• Addition and Subtraction: The
number of decimal places in the result
equals the number of decimal places in
the least precise measurement.

• 6.8 + 11.934 =
• 18.734 → 18.7 (3 sig figs)
 Sig Fig Practice #3
Calculation Calculator says: Answer
3.24 m + 7.0 m 10.24 m 10.2 m
100.0 g - 23.73 g 76.27 g 76.3 g
0.02 cm + 2.371 cm 2.391 cm 2.39 cm
713.1 L - 3.872 L 709.228 L 709.2 L
1818.2 m + 3.37 m 1821.57 m 1821.6 m
2.030 mL - 1.870 mL 0.16 mL 0.160 mL
*Note the zero that has been added.
 Rounding off
• Rules for rounding off numbers include:
1. When the number dropped is < 5, the preceding number
remains unchanged
e.g. 2.222 becomes 2.22
2. When the number dropped is > 5, one (1) is added to the
preceding number
e.g. 2.227 becomes 2.23
3. When the number dropped is = 5;
• if the preceding number is even, then it remains
unchanged
e.g. 2.2225 becomes 2.222
• If the preceding number is odd, then one (1) is added to it
e.g. 2.2235 becomes 2.224
 Scientific Notation
• Several methods used to record values which have
been measured
• Measurements can be extremely large e.g. distance
between two stars or extremely small e.g.
microscopic size of a cell.
• Scientific notation – use of exponents to represent
large and small numbers, as a product of powers of
10
a x 10 b where a = coefficient, any real #
b = exponent, an integer
– Positive exponents for values > 1
– Negative exponents for values < 1
Scientific Notation
Scientific Notation
Scientific Notation
THE END
Scientific Method