Conversion of Units) Temp, Mass, Volume, Length, Density) G7

Nature of Science
The International
System of Units
Benchmarks:
 Use tools and equipment appropriate to
scientific investigations.
 Use metric measurement devices in an
investigation.
Why do we need to be able to measure
things?
To make sense, Suppose
all measurements
we wantedneed
to both . . .
measure a 2 x 4 for building
a house.
Units by themselves
Numbers by themselves
don’t
don’t
make
make sense.
sense.
A Number and a Unit!
A board is 350 longlong
meters . . . .. . . .
Any Ideas?
Estimation
Estimation is using your knowledge of something similar
in size or amount to determine the size of the new object.
o Helps to make a rough

measurement of an object.
o Usefully when you are in a
hurry and exact numbers are
not required.
Precision and Accuracy
Precision is a description
of how close
measurements are to
each other.
Accuracy is comparing
your measurement to the
actual or accepted value.
Why use the SI System?
In the U.S. we use the English
or Standarduse
Scientists System,
the SI most of
System
the rest of the
worldwide world uses the
because:
Metric or SI System.
 Measurements are easily understood by all scientists

The SI (International System of Units) system is the
 Measurements are easier to convert than the English system
form of measurement typically used by scientists.
Basic Types of Measurement
Length: measures distance between objects
Volume: measures the amount of space
something takes up
Mass: measures the amount of matter
in an object
Other Types of measurement include:
 time
 temperature
 density
 PH
Measurement System Comparisons
MEASUREMENT ENGLISH SI SYSTEM
LENGTH Yard / Inch Meter / Centimeter
MASS Ounce / Pound Gram / Kilogram
VOLUME Quart Liter
TEMPERATURE Fahrenheit Celsius / Kelvin
TIME Second Second
All Measurement systems have standards. Standards

are exact quantities that everyone agrees to use as a basis
of comparison.
In the English system you have to remember
so many numbers . . .
12 inches in a foot
3 feet in a yard
5,280 feet in a mile
16 ounces in a pound
4 quarts to a gallon
In the SI System you only have to remember

one number.
The SI System is based on the number 10.
The SI System uses the following prefixes:
Kilo 1000 This system works with any
Hecto 100 SI measurement.
Deca 10 The UNIT becomes whichever

type of measurement you are
UNIT 1 making. (mass, volume, or
length)
Deci 1/10
Centi 1/100 It is the same system regardless
Milli 1/1000 if you are measuring length,
mass, or volume.
It works for all types of measurement.
If your measuring . . .
Length then
Mass then
Volume thenitititisisisthe
the
thegram
meter
(centi(kilo
gram meter
,
liter (deciliter, milli , gram ,
deca meter
etc.) , etc.)
hectoliter, etc.)
centi gram
The first part of the term indicates the amount, the second
part indicates the type of measurement.
How does converting units work?
Unlike the English system converting in the SI System
is very easy.
For Example in the English system if you wanted to
know how many inches in 2 miles what would you
do?
1. Take the number of miles (2).
2. Multiply it by the number of feet in a mile (5,280).
3. Multiply that by the number of inches in a foot (12).
ANSWER: 126,720 inches in 2 miles

The SI system is much easier.
For example in the metric system if you wanted to know
how many centimeters were in 3 meters, what would you
do?
1. Find the unit you have (meters).
2. Find the unit you are changing to (centimeters).
3. Count the number of units in-between (2).
4. Move the decimal point that many spaces, in the
same direction you counted (right).
3 meters = 300 centimeters

Kilo Hecto Deca UNIT Deci Centi Milli
More Conversions . . .
2,321.0 millimeters to meters = 2.321 meters
521.0 grams to hectograms = 5.21 hectograms
8.5 kiloliters to centiliters = 8,500,000 centiliters
NOTE: The digits aren’t changing, the

position of the decimal is. In the
English system the whole number
changes.
Kilo Hecto Deca UNIT Deci Centi Milli

Things to Remember
 All measurements need a
number and a unit!
 Basic units of Measurement
(meter, liter, gram)
 How to convert metric
units
 Vocabulary words
Nature of Science
The International
System of Units
Basic Types of Measurement
Length: measures distance between objects
Volume: measures the amount of space
something takes up
Mass: measures the amount of matter
in an object
In SI the basic units are:
 Length is the meter
 Mass is the gram
 Volume is the liter (liquid)
 Temperature is Celsius
Metric Measurement: Length
Length is the distance between two points.
 Does not matter if it is width, height, depth, etc.
All are length measurements.
 The basic unit of length in the SI System is the
meter.
 The meter is about the length of the English yard
(3 feet).
 Area is a variation of a length measurement.
 Area is length x width.

 Expressed in units2 (m2, cm2, mm2 etc.)
Using SI Units
Units of Length
The table below lists the prefixes in common use.
Commonly Used Metric Prefixes
Prefix Symbol Meaning Factor
mega M 1 million times larger than the unit it precedes 106
kilo k 1000 times larger than the unit it precedes 103
deci d 10 times smaller than the unit it precedes 10-1
centi c 100 times smaller than the unit it precedes 10-2
milli m 1000 times smaller than the unit it precedes 10-3
micro μ 1 million times smaller than the unit it precedes 10-6
nano n 1 billion times smaller than the unit it precedes 10-9
pico p 1 trillion times smaller than the unit it precedes 10-12
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or

its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
Metric Measurement: Mass
Mass is a measurement of the amount of matter in
an object.
 Basic unit of mass is the gram. There are
454 grams in one pound.
 Weight and mass are related, but NOT the
same.
 Weight is the pull of gravity on an object
 The greater the mass, the larger the pull of
gravity.
Using SI Units
Units of Mass
◦ The mass of an object is measured in
comparison to a standard mass of 1 kilogram
(kg), which is the basic SI unit of mass.
◦ A kilogram was originally defined as the mass

of 1 L of liquid water at 4°C.
 A cube of water at 4°C measuring 10 cm on
each edge would have a volume of 1 L and a
mass of 1000 grams (g), or 1 kg.
◦ A gram (g) is 1/1000 of a kilogram; the mass

of 1 cm3 of water at 4°C is 1 g.
Using SI Units
Units of Mass
The relationships among units of mass are shown in
the table below.
Metric Units of Mass

Unit Symbol Relationship Example
Kilogram
kg 1 kg = 103 g small textbook ≈ 1 kg
(base unit)
Gram g 1 g = 10-3 kg dollar bill ≈ 1 g
Milligram mg 103 mg = 1 g ten grains of salt ≈ 1 mg
Microgram μg 106 μg = 1 g particle of baking powder ≈ 1 μg

Using SI Units
Units of Mass
◦ Weight is a force that measures the pull on a
given mass by gravity.
 Weight, a measure of force, is different from mass,

which is a measure of the quantity of matter.
 The weight of an object can change with its

location.
◦ An astronaut in orbit is weightless, but not massless.

Metric Measurement: Volume
Volume is a measurement of the amount of space
something takes up.
 The basic unit used for volume is the liter. This unit
is used for the volumes of liquids.
 Volumes of solids are figured using this formula:
(L)ength x (W)idth x (H)eight
cm x cm x cm = cm3
 Objects without a definite length, width or
height (a rock for example), can use water
displacement to determine volume.
NOTE: 1 ml = 1 cm3
Using SI Units
Units of Volume
◦ The space occupied by any sample of matter
is called its volume.
◦ You calculate the volume of any cubic or

rectangular solid by multiplying its length by
its width by its height.
 The unit for volume is thus derived from the

units of length.

Using SI Units
Units of Volume
◦ The SI unit of volume is the amount of space
occupied by a cube that is 1 m along each edge.
 This volume is a cubic meter (m3).
◦ A more convenient unit of volume for everyday

use is the liter, a non-SI unit.
 A liter (L) is the volume of a cube that is 10

centimeters (10 cm) along each edge (10 cm x 10
cm x 10 cm = 1000 cm3 = 1 L).

Using SI Units
Units of Volume
◦ A smaller, non-SI unit of volume is the
milliliter (mL); 1 mL is 1/1000 of a liter.
 Thus, there are 1000 mL in 1 L.
 Because 1 L is defined as 1000 cm3, 1 mL and 1

cm3 are the same volume.
 The units milliliter and cubic centimeter are thus

used interchangeably.

Using SI Units
Units of Volume
These figures give you some
idea of the relative sizes of a
liter and a milliliter.
1L
1 mL
Using SI Units
Units of Volume
◦ There are many devices for measuring liquid
volumes, including graduated cylinders,
pipets, burets, volumetric flasks, and syringes.
◦ The volume of substances will change with

temperature, so accurate volume-measuring
devices are calibrated at a given temperature
—usually 20 degrees Celsius (20°C), which is
about normal room temperature.

Using SI Units
Units of Volume
The relationships among common metric units of
volume are shown in the table below.
Metric Units of Volume

Unit Symbol Relationship Example
Liter L base unit quart of milk ≈ 1 L
Milliliter mL 103 mL = 1 L 20 drops of water ≈ 1 mL
Cubic centimeter cm3 1 cm3 = 1 mL cube of sugar ≈ 1 cm3
Microliter μL 103 μL = 1 L crystal of table salt ≈ 1 μL

Metric Measurement: Temperature
Temperature is a measure of the kinetic energy of
the atoms in an object.
Temperature is measured with a thermometer and
measured in Celsius or Kelvin.
 Celsius ranges from 0 (freezing) to 100 (boiling).
The Kelvin scale begins at absolute zero, or 0 K. At 0
Kelvin no more heat can be removed from an object.
 To convert to Kelvin you add 273 degrees to the
Celsius reading.
 Freezing in Kelvin is 273 K, boiling is 373 K.
Temperature
Scales
Temperature Scales
What temperature units do scientists

commonly use?

Temperature
Scales
◦ Temperature is a measure of how hot or

cold an object is.
◦ An object’s temperature determines the

direction of heat transfer.
 When two objects at different temperatures are

in contact, heat moves from the object at the
higher temperature to the object at the lower
temperature.

Temperature
Scales
◦ Almost all substances expand with an

increase in temperature and contract as the
temperature decreases.
 A very important exception is water.
◦ These properties are the basis for the

common bulb thermometer.

Temperature
Scales
The liquid in a thermometer expands and

contracts more than the volume of the
glass, producing changes in the column
height of liquid.

Temperature
Scales
Scientists commonly use two equivalent

units of temperature, the degree Celsius
and the kelvin.

Temperature
Scales
The Celsius scale sets the freezing

point of water at 0°C and the boiling
point of water at 100°C.
◦ The distance between these two fixed points

is divided into 100 equal intervals, or
degrees Celsius (°C).

Temperature
Scales
Another temperature scale used in the

physical sciences is the Kelvin, or
absolute, scale.
◦ This scale is named for Lord Kelvin (1824–
1907), a Scottish physicist.
On the Kelvin scale, the freezing point

of water is 273.15 kelvins (K), and the
boiling point is 373.15 (K).
◦ Note that with the Kelvin scale, the degree
sign is not used.
Temperature
Scales
◦ The figure below compares the Celsius and

Kelvin scales.
◦ The zero point on the Kelvin scale, 0 K, or

absolute zero, is equal to –273.15°C.
Celsius 100
divisions
0°C 100°C
Freezing point Boiling point
of water of water
273.15 K 373.15 K
100
Kelvin divisions
Temperature
Scales
◦ Because one degree on the Celsius scale is

equivalent to one kelvin on the Kelvin scale,
converting from one temperature to another
is easy.
◦ You simply add or subtract 273, as shown in

the following equations.
K = °C + 273
°C = K – 273
Sample Problem 3.7
Analyze List the known and the unknown.
1Use the known value and the equation K = °C +

273 to calculate the temperature in kelvins.
KNOWN
Temperature in °C = 37°C
UNKNOWN
Temperature in K = ? K

Sample Problem 3.7
2 Calculate Solve for the unknown.

Substitute the known value for the Celsius
temperature into the equation and solve.
K = °C + 273 = 37 + 273 = 310 K

Sample Problem 3.7
3 Evaluate Does the result make sense?

You should expect a temperature in this range,
since the freezing point of water is 273 K and
the boiling point of water is 373 K; normal body
temperature is between these two values.

Is the change of one degree on the
Celsius scale equivalent to one kelvin
on the Kelvin scale?

Is the change of one degree on the
Celsius scale equivalent to one kelvin
on the Kelvin scale?
Yes, a change of one degree on the Celsius

scale is equivalent to a change of one
kelvin on the Kelvin scale.

Key Equations
K = °C + 273
°C = K – 273

Density
Density
What determines the density of a

substance?

Density is how much matter is in something
(mass)
They,are Which
compared istheheavier
both onetokilogram
amount of. .space
so they . itthetakes
weight
same,
up but it takes
(volume).
A kilogram more feathers
of feathers than leadoftolead?
or a kilogram equal
one kilogram!
The formula for density is:
Mass (grams) divided by Volume (cm3)
So the unit for density is g / cm3
 Every substance has a density, and that density
always remains the same.
Which one takes up more space (volume)?
 Density can be used to figure out what an unknown
We say the lead is more dense than the feathers.
substance is.
 The density of water is 1 g / cm3
Density
◦ The relationship between an object’s mass

and its volume tells you whether it will float
or sink.
 This relationship is called density.
◦ Density is the ratio of the mass of an object

to its volume.
Density = mass
volume
Density
◦ When mass is measured in grams, and

volume in cubic centimeters, density has
units of grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm3).
◦ The SI unit of density is kilograms per cubic

meter (kg/m3).

Density
This figure compares the density of four

substances: lithium, water, aluminum, and
lead.
Increasing density (mass per unit volume)
10 g 10 g 10 g 10 g
19 cm3 10 cm3 3.7 cm3 0.88 cm3
0.53 g/cm3 1.0 g/cm3 2.7 g/cm3 0.88 g/cm3

Density
Density is an intensive property that

depends only on the composition of a
substance, not the size of the sample.

Density
Because of differences in
density, liquids separate
into layers.
Corn oil
◦ As shown at right, corn oil Water
floats on top of water because
it is less dense.
Corn syrup
◦ Corn syrup sinks below water
because it is more dense.

Interpret Data
Densities of Some Common Materials

Solids and Liquids Gases
Density at Density at
Material Material
20°C (g/cm3) 20°C (g/L)
Gold 19.3 Chlorine 2.95
Mercury 13.6 Carbon dioxide 1.83
Lead 11.3 Argon 1.66
Aluminum 2.70 Oxygen 1.33
Table sugar 1.59 Air 1.20
Corn syrup 1.35–1.38 Nitrogen 1.17
Water (4°C) 1.000 Neon 0.84
Corn oil 0.922 Ammonia 0.718
Ice (0°C) 0.917 Methane 0.665
Ethanol 0.789 Helium 0.166
0.66–0.69
Gasoline Hydrogen 0.084
Density
What happens to the density of a substance as its

temperature increases?
◦ The volume of most substances increases as

the temperature increases, while the mass
remains the same.
◦ Since density is the ratio of an object’s mass to

its volume, the density of a substance
generally decreases as its temperature
increases.
 Water is an important exception.

Sample Problem 3.8
Calculating Density
A copper penny has a mass of 3.1 g
and a volume of 0.35 cm3. What is
the density of copper?

Sample Problem 3.8
1 Analyze List the knowns and the unknown.

Use the known values and the equation for density
to solve the problem.
KNOWNS
mass = 3.1 g
volume = 0.35 cm3
UKNOWN
density = ? g/cm3
Sample Problem 3.8

Start with the equation for density.
mass
Density =
volume

Sample Problem 3.8

Substitute the known values for mass and
volume and then calculate.
31 g
Density = = 8.8571 g/cm 3
= 8.9 g/cm 3
0.35 cm3
The calculated answer must be

rounded to two significant figures.
Sample Problem 3.8
3 Evaluate Does the result make sense?

A piece of copper with a volume of about 0.3
cm3 has a mass of about 3 grams. About three
times that volume of copper, 1 cm3, should have
a mass three times larger, about 9 grams. This
estimate is close to the calculated result.

Can you assume that something with
a low weight will float in water?

Can you assume that something with
a low weight will float in water?
No, it is the relationship between an

object’s mass and its volume, its density,
that tells you whether it will float or sink.

Key Concepts
All metric units are based on multiples of

10. As a result, you can convert between
units easily.
Scientists commonly use two equivalent

units of temperature, the degree Celsius
and the kelvin.
Density is an intensive property that

depends only on the composition of a
substance.

Key Equations
K = °C + 273
°C = K – 273
Density = mass
volume

Measurement Review
 Measurements need a number and a
unit!
 Basic units of Measurement (meter,
liter, gram)
 How to convert metric units
 Be able to make basic measurements of
volume, length, and mass
 Definition of density and how to figure
it out.
 Vocabulary words

Conversion of Units) Temp, Mass, Volume, Length, Density) G7

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Nature of Science

o Helps to make a rough

 Measurements are easily understood by all scientists

All Measurement systems have standards. Standards

In the SI System you only have to remember

Deca 10 The UNIT becomes whichever

ANSWER: 126,720 inches in 2 miles

3 meters = 300 centimeters

NOTE: The digits aren’t changing, the

Kilo Hecto Deca UNIT Deci Centi Milli

 Area is length x width.

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or

◦ A kilogram was originally defined as the mass

◦ A gram (g) is 1/1000 of a kilogram; the mass

Metric Units of Mass

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or

 Weight, a measure of force, is different from mass,

 The weight of an object can change with its

◦ An astronaut in orbit is weightless, but not massless.

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or

◦ You calculate the volume of any cubic or

 The unit for volume is thus derived from the

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or

 This volume is a cubic meter (m3).

◦ A more convenient unit of volume for everyday

 A liter (L) is the volume of a cube that is 10

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or

 Thus, there are 1000 mL in 1 L.

 Because 1 L is defined as 1000 cm3, 1 mL and 1

 The units milliliter and cubic centimeter are thus

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or

◦ The volume of substances will change with

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or

Metric Units of Volume

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or

What temperature units do scientists

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or

◦ Temperature is a measure of how hot or

◦ An object’s temperature determines the

 When two objects at different temperatures are

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or

◦ Almost all substances expand with an

 A very important exception is water.

◦ These properties are the basis for the

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or

The liquid in a thermometer expands and

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or

Scientists commonly use two equivalent

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or

The Celsius scale sets the freezing

◦ The distance between these two fixed points

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or

Another temperature scale used in the

On the Kelvin scale, the freezing point

◦ The figure below compares the Celsius and

◦ The zero point on the Kelvin scale, 0 K, or

◦ Because one degree on the Celsius scale is

◦ You simply add or subtract 273, as shown in

Analyze List the known and the unknown.