CHEM 115 Chapter 1 (1.3 – 1.

5) Notes

Chapter 1: Chemistry Basics – Measurements (Sections 1.3 & 1.5)

1.3Math Counts
 Units, Prefixes, and Conversion Factors
o In every almost every aspect of our lives we make measurements or report a
value of some kind. Very rarely do we report a value and not say some word
after the number. That word after the number is very important. We refer to
that word as a ___________________.
o The ______________________________________ is used by scientists and health care
professionals throughout the world. Even though most of the United States
uses a different system called the English system.
o This system is a part of the _________________________________________________________
or ________________________________________________________________. This system will
be used throughout the class.
o SI system is based on a series of standard units for different properties.
These “SI units” are below:
 Mass: _________________________________
 Volume: ___________________________________
 Length: _________________________________
o To deal with really large or really small numbers compared to one another a
set of ___________________________ can be applied to the base unit that change the
meaning of the unit by a power of ten. (Need to know Table 1.2 on page 11 of
textbook)

o Quantities can be related to each other by an equal sign are called

_____________________________________________.
 These equivalencies can then be used as _____________________________________.
 Example: 1000mm = 1m

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CHEM 115 Chapter 1 (1.3 – 1.5) Notes

1000 mm 1m
∨
1m 1000 mm
 Using these to convert from one unit to another is a process called
_________________________________________________.
 Steps to convert units:
o Step 1:
________________________________________________________________________________________
_
o Step 2:
________________________________________________________________________________________
_
o Step 3:
________________________________________________________________________________________
_
o Step 4:
________________________________________________________________________________________
_
 Significant Figures
o All measurements have some level of __________________________________________.
o In any measurement, the ________________________________________________________
are the digits known with certainty plus an ________________________________ digit.
o In any measurement, all ____________________________ are significant.
o __________________________ are “troublemakers” because their significance
depends on their position in the number. Summarized in the table below:
Rule:
1. A digit is significant if it is:
a. ______________________________________________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________________________________________
c. ______________________________________________________________________________

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CHEM 115 Chapter 1 (1.3 – 1.5) Notes

2. A zero is not significant if it is:

a. _______________________________________________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________________________________________
 Calculating Numbers and Rounding
o Rules for Significant Figures in Calculations
 Addition and Subtraction:
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
 Multiplication and Division:
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
o Rules for Rounding Numbers
 ____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
 Scientific Notation
o In chemistry, extremely _________________________ and extremely __________________
numbers can be used in the same calculation.
o To represent these numbers more clearly we use can use
___________________________________________________.

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CHEM 115 Chapter 1 (1.3 – 1.5) Notes

o The general form:

 C is called the ______________________________________ and is a number between
_______ and _________
 n is the _______________________________ telling us the number of
______________________________ that apply.
 Make sure you know how to use your calculator appropriately for
scientific notation. If you have any questions please ask me.
 Percent
o Percentages are found throughout chemistry. General formula for a percent:

1.4Matter: The “Stuff” of Chemistry

 Mass
o ____________________________________ is a measure of the amount of material
in an object.
o Common unit is ___________________________ (_____)
o The terms _______________________ and __________________, while related, do
not mean the same thing.
 Volume
o Another way to say something “takes up space” is to say it has
___________________________.
o Three-dimensional measure of the amount of space occupied by
___________________________.
o Common unit is ___________________________ (______)
o Typical unit in the clinical setting is the
______________________________________ (_______ or _______)

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CHEM 115 Chapter 1 (1.3 – 1.5) Notes

o One _______________________________________ equals one

_____________________________________
 Density
o The property of matter that compares (also known as a
_________________) of a substance’s _________________ (_____) to its
______________________ (____).
o This can be displayed mathematically as:

o Objects that are _____________ dense than water will float.

o Objects that are _____________ dense than water will sink.
o ______________________________________ is a condition that occurs when
someone’s bones lose mass while the volume stays the same.
o Because the density of a substance does not change, we can use
density as a _________________________________ to determine either the mass
or volume of a substance.
 Specific Gravity
o The ratio of the density of a sample to the density of water is called
_________________________________________________ (________________)
o Measured by using a simple instrument called a _________________________
 Temperature
o Measurement of _______________________ or ________________________
o Three different temperature scales
 __________________________________ (____) (Only used in the US)
 Boiling Point of Water ____________________
 Normal Body Temperature ____________________
 Freezing Point of Water ____________________
 __________________________________ (____)
 Boiling Point of Water ____________________
 Normal Body Temperature ____________________

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CHEM 115 Chapter 1 (1.3 – 1.5) Notes

 Freezing Point of Water ____________________

 __________________________________ (_____)
 Boiling Point of Water ____________________
 Normal Body Temperature ____________________
 Freezing Point of Water ____________________
 _____________________________ and ____________________________ are on
the size of increments, but they are offset by _________________
units.
 This can be represented mathematically by:

o Normal body temperature is ____________________ or _________________

 A condition known as ___________________________ can happen if the
body temperature rises over ________________ (_____________)
 A condition known as ___________________________ can happen if the
body temperature drops below ____________________ (___________)
 Energy
o _______________________ defined as the ability to do ______________.
o Food contains chemicals that can transform energy into work. This
type of stored energy is called _______________________________________.
o The energy of motion is called _______________________________________.
o Energy has various forms, but it is never created or destroyed. This is
known as _____________________________________________________.
o SI unit for energy is the ___________________ (______)
o Another common unit (that you might be more familiar with) is called
the ____________________________ (___________)
 1 ________ = 4.184 ________
 Can use this as a conversion factor

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CHEM 115 Chapter 1 (1.3 – 1.5) Notes

o A nutritional _____________________ (the kind you eat in your food and on

food labels) is termed a ____________________________ (_______) and is 1000
times larger than a calorie. It uses a capital ___________ to distinguish
the difference.

 Heat and Specific Heat

o ____________________ is kinetic energy flowing from a warmer body to a
colder one.
o ____________________ is a form of energy.
o Every substance has the ability to _____________________ or _________________
heat as the temperature changes.
o Each substance does this at a different rate. This rate can be measured
and is referred to as ________________________________________________________.
This definition is the amount of _______________ needed to _____________
the __________________________ of exactly _______________________ of a
substance by exactly ______________.
o We can use the Greek capital ________________, __________, with the symbol
for __________________________, (_______), to indicate the change in
____________________________________.
o The specific heat of a substance can be represented mathematically
as:

 States of Matter
o A ______________________________________ is the physical form in which the
matter exists.

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CHEM 115 Chapter 1 (1.3 – 1.5) Notes

o Three states of matter:

 ________________________________________:
 Properties:___________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
 ________________________________________:
 Properties:___________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
 ________________________________________:
 Properties:___________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
 Refer to Table 1.5 in your textbook for a summary.

1.5 Measuring Matter

 Accuracy and Precision
o Accuracy and Precision are typically thought of as the same thing,
however from a scientists prospective, they have different meanings.
o ___________________________ is how close an individual result is to the
actual or “true” value.
o ___________________________ is how close multiple measurements are to
each other.
o In taking measurements, it is best to be _____________________ and
______________________. This can be accomplished by taking
______________________________________________ and _____________________________
their values.
 Measurement in Health: Units and Dosing
o Measurements in health care require great ___________________________
and a level of ___________________________ that leads to correct diagnoses.

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CHEM 115 Chapter 1 (1.3 – 1.5) Notes

o Comparison of Metric and U.S. Customary Systems

 While healthcare officials use SI or metric units in many
applications, they must also be familiar with the U.S. customary
system.
 Table 1.7 shows some common SI units and U.S. customary
units.
 Reading Lab Reports
o Health care professionals must be well acquainted with units in order
to read and understand various types of reports. There is an example
of a blood chemistry report contained in Table 1.8.
o In the United States, body weight is usually measured in units of
________________________.
o Pharmaceuticals are often dispersed by body weight in
___________________________.
o Because of this it is important for health care professionals to be able
to convert between these two units.
 Percents in Health
o Percent Active Ingredient
 Several medicines are administered in very small amounts,
typically in _______________________. Because the amounts would
be very small to work with, several inert binders are added,
thus making the percent of active ingredient important.
o Percent of an Adult Dose
 Several medicines are given to children based on the adult
dose by determining the ratio of the dose given to an adult and
then calculating the dose based on the child’s weight.
o Percent on Nutrition Labeling
 Labels indicate several different things related to the “average”
daily diet. The percentage of that vitamin, mineral, or other
things the food contains is on each food label.

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CHEM 115 Chapter 1 (1.3 – 1.5) Notes

 __________________________________________________

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