Measurement

Pretend that it is summer, and you live in a moderate climate in the United States. If you casually asked someone what the temperature was outside, they would likely give an answer that would range somewhere between 67° to 87°. Now, pretend that you ask the same question of someone living in Rome, Italy. Their answer would range somewhere between 19° to 30°. It sounds like these two climates are very different, but they are actually the same. The difference is the unit of measurement. On a national level, the United States records the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit (°F), while most other countries use the unit of degrees Celsius (°C). In fact, most other countries use a system of measurements known as the metric system, or the International System of Units (SI). Scientists all over the world, including the United States use the SI system in order to easily share information, compare research, and publish their findings.

Measurements collected during an experiment, called data, are often organized in charts and graphs. Charts and graphs are an easy way to identify patterns or trends in data that affect the conclusion. In this topic, you will learn to measure mass, volume, and density using the metric system, and you will construct two types of graphs.

Essential Questions

• Why do scientists use the metric system?
• What are mass and volume, and how are they measured?
• What is density, and what is the formula for calculating density?
• How are qualitative and quantitative data represented on graphs?