Measuring Length, Mass, Volume, and Temperature

Measuring Length, Mass, Volume, and Temperature

Name______Class ______Date ______

Measuring Length, Mass, Volume, and Temperature

(Adapted from Prentice-Hall, Inc. Biology Lab Manual B)

Introduction : Doing experiments is an important part of science. Most experiments include making measurements. Many different quantities can be measured. Some examples are length, mass, volume, temperature, and time. Some quantities, such as length, can be measured directly. Others, such as speed, are calculated from other measurements. In

science you will probably use metric units to estimate, measure, and record data. The three fundamental metric units are the meter for length, the gram for mass, and the liter for capacity. In this investigation you will carry out different types of measurements.

Problem : What types of measurements are used to describe quantities?

Pre-Lab Discussion: Read the entire investigation. Then, work with a partner to answer the following questions.

1. How will you record a distance that is 2 centimeters longer than 5 meters? ______2 centimeters shorter? ______

2. Why would you measure the contents of a paper cup in milliliters (mL) rather than in liters?

3. Explain why don’t measurements start at the beginning of a ruler, yard stick, meter stick, etc? (the zero point is always a little bit offset from the end)

Materials (per group):

  • meter stick
  • millimeter ruler
  • 250-mL graduated cylinder
  • tripple beam balance
  • thermometer
  • 2 paper cups
  • 30 cm of string
  • golf ball
  • 1 sheet college-ruled notebook paper
  • Toy car (like a hotwheels car)

Safety : Wear your lab apron and safety goggles while dealing with glassware.

Procedure:

1. Measure and record the length and width of a piece of notebook paper in centimeters.

length: ______width: ______

2. Picture in your mind a familiar distance nearby that you think is 5 m long. Write a description of this distance below (for example, “The distance from our classroom to room 203 down the hall”). Then measure the distance with a meter stick and record your result.

Area measured: ______

length: ______How good was your estimate?

3. Measure and record the space between two lines on a piece of college-ruled notebook paper in millimeters.

length: ______

4. Using a triple beam balance, find and record the mass in grams of a hotwheels toy car.

mass: ______

5. Fill a paper cup about two-thirds full with water. Pour the water into the graduated cylinder and record its volume in milliliters.

volume: ______

6. Place the thermometer in the water and find its temperature. Record your measurement below.

cool tap water: ______

7. What is the difference between surface area and volume?

8. A prism measures 2cm in height, 2cm in width, and 5cm in length. Calculate the surface area and volume of the prism.

surface area: ______volume: ______

9. Imagine that the prism in question #8 is pliable and malleable. Can you increase its surface area without changing the volume? Explain.

8. Find the volume of a golf ball in cm3 using the displacement of water (a technique often used for finding the volume of irregular objects). Fill a beaker half full of water. Record the volume of the water in mL. Place the golf ball in the beaker of water. Record the volume of water in mL. The water displaced is equal to the volume of the golf ball.

(1 mL of water = 1 cm3)

Initial volume of water: ______

Final volume of water: ______

Volume of golf ball: ______

9. The raider cross country team was a bit tired this morning, so they took an easy morning stroll. Using the map of the route below, find the distance that they ran in kilometers. Hint: A string can be a useful tool when measuring the circumference of an object as well as lines that are not straight.

Distance: ______

Analysis and Conclusions:

1. One student measured the height of a plant as 52 mm. Another student measured the same plant to the nearest tenth of a centimeter. What was the second student’s measurement?

Was one method more precise? Explain your answer.

2. Why might two people measuring the same temperature get very different results?

3. Why might it be a good practice to measure a quantity several times and average the results?

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