Metric Unit Objectives, Study notes of English

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Name _______________________________________________ Score ________

Metric Unit Objectives:

At the end of this unit, the student will:

• Explain the metric system.
• Identify which metric units are used to measure length, area, mass, volume, and temperature.
• Select the appropriate metric unit for a given problem.
• Convert from metric to English units and English to metric units.
• Tell the history of the metric system.

State of Utah Intended Learning Objectives covered in

this Unit:

1. Use Basic Science Process Skills

a. Make observations and measurements (uses instruments as appropriate).

5. Understand Science Concepts, Principles, and Systems

a. Know science terminology appropriate to grade level.

6. Communicate Effectively Using Science Language and Reasoning

a. Use the language and concepts of science as a means of thinking and communicating.

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Kilometer km Liter L Milliliter mL Cubic Kilometer/Meter/ Centimeter/Millimeter

km^3 ,m^3 , cm^3 , mm^3

Base Units

Liters Volume (how much space something takes up). Meters Length (how long something is) and distances (how far away something is). Grams Mass (amount of matter in an object; how much it weighs).

Prefixes

kilo- 1,000 times the base unit hecto- 100 times the base unit deka- 10 times the base unit deci- 1/10 of the base unit (base unit * .1) centi- 1/100 of the base unit (base unit * .01) milli- 1/1,000 of the base unit (base unit * .001)

Pre-Lesson • ENGAGE • Explore • Explain • Evaluate • Extend

NESPA Lesson One SW 8 EG- 2007 - 01 - 202 - ARC

Name: Date: ______________

A Brief History of Units of Measurement

Student Reading

To measure a distance between two objects you need two things: a unit of measurement (how much you are measuring by) and a tool (what you measure with). Long before measuring tools like rulers and tape measures were common, people needed a way to measure things. In early times, people who did not have tools used parts of their bodies (like their thumbs) to measure.

About 950 years ago, the width of a person’s thumb was considered an inch. In many languages, the word for thumb and inch are the same or very close. A person’s foot was used to measure feet. A yard was the length from the tip of the king’s nose to the end of his fingertips.

Everyone had a way to measure distances, but there was a problem. Everyone knew what to measure with, but there was no standard for how big things were. For example, if you measured the length of your bedroom with your feet, and then your friend did the same with his feet, you would not get the exact same measurement because your feet and your friend’s feet are different sizes.

Eventually people agreed on standards—measurements that were the same for everyone. The Romans liked to divide things into units of

12. This is why we have 12 months in the year. They decided that a foot contained 12 inches. In England in the 1100 ’s, King Henry I decided to use the Roman standard of measurement for feet, and he spread the word to his people that a foot was 12 inches long. Once the standards were set and everyone agreed on the lengths of units of measurement, the system worked better. But it still is not perfect.

In the 1800 ’s, the French Academy of Sciences was asked to develop a system of measurement that was based on scientific measurements and used the base- 10 system. The Academy set their standard of

Pre-Lesson • ENGAGE • Explore • Explain • Evaluate • Extend

NESPA Lesson One SW 10 EG- 2007 - 01 - 202 - ARC

Our system of measurement has evolved from using thumbs and feet to using the distance traveled by light in one year. As our scope of the universe continues to expand, so will our need for new standards of measurement.

Discussion Questions

1. What is the problem with using parts of the body as a unit of measurement?

2. Why were customary (or standard) units established?

3. What is the advantage of metric units?

4. Why is using kilometers to measure distances in our solar system a problem?

5. What standard unit in astronomy was developed to measure large distances?

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The Metric System

In science, the Metric System (grams, meters, etc.) is used instead of the English System (feet, ounces, miles, etc.). For most objects, we can measure its volume, length, and mass. Below are the units we use to measure these. They are called “ base units .” Base Units :

Liters: Volume (how much space something takes up) Meters: Length (how long something is) Grams: Mass (amount of matter in an object; how much it weighs)

Directions: Write the base unit you would use to measure the following objects:

Example: meter The length of your skis.

____________ The volume of Dr. Pepper in a can.

____________ The mass of the contents in a cereal box.

____________ The length of a soccer field.

____________ The mass of the moon.

____________ The height of a ladder.

____________ The volume of gasoline in a container.

7. What is the best metric unit for measuring the amount of gas in a car's fuel tank?
8. What is the best metric unit for measuring the amount of breakfast cereal in a box?

Please continue on the next page!

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10 meters is called a ______________.

11. What is the best metric unit for measuring the distance between Seattle and Miami?
12. What is the best metric unit for measuring the width of a piece of hair?

Would you use centimeters of meters for the following lengths and heights? Write centimeters or meter near each length. Example: The length of your nose – centimeters.

Your height

The height of a tree

The length of a swimming pool

The length of a table

The distance between the floor and ceiling

Maria has to measure the length of her bed. What units should she use? Justify

your answer!

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Little Millie Metric

When making measurements, it is important to use the correct metric unit. Read the story below and fill in the blanks with the right unit. Choose the unit from the following list. Each unit will be used only once.

milliliter kilogram meter liter millimeter kilometer gram centimeter degrees Celsius

It was a beautiful day. The temperature was a mild (temperature) 27 _____________. Little Millie Metric was packing a lunch basket to take to Grandma's house. She carefully poured (volume) 500 _____________ of homemade lemonade into a bottle, which she put in the basket. Then she placed (mass) 0.5 ___________ of cheese, (mass) 200 ________________ of roast beef and several large chocolate chip cookies in the basket. She strapped the basket on the back of her moped and took a quick check of the gas tank. There were several (volume) _____________________ of gasoline left. After traveling a little more than 5 (distance) ____________________, Millie discovered she had lost her way. At the next corner she spotted a very hairy character leaning against a lamppost. He looked to be only (height) 1.5 ______________ tall. He had a wolfish grin and dark piercing eyes. He introduced himself as Mr. W and offered to help Millie.

Mr. W's directions turned out to be the long way to Grandma's house. So Millie arrived an hour late. She let herself in ad found Grandma in bed. Grandma did not look well. Had she always been so hairy? And those ears! "My goodness," Millie gasped, "what big ears you have, Grandma-and least (length) 15 _____________." to which Grandma replied, "The better to hear you, my dear." Then Millie spotted the teeth. "My, Grandma, what big teeth you have--longer than (length) 25 _____________________.' This last observation made Grandma very angry. She jumped out of bed and snarled, "The better to eat you!" Now Millie realized that this was not Grandma, but the hairy Mr. W! Unfortunately for Mr. W, Millie held a black belt in karate. In just a few seconds, she took care of him.

Millie found grandma in the closet. When they finally sat down to eat lunch, Millie couldn't help thinking that maybe next time she'd just have lunch delivered.

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11. Macho Mel can lift 200 kilograms with ease. How much is this in pounds?

12. The distance between Happyville and Giggleland is 60 miles. How far is this in kilometers?

13. A can of Cheap-O soda holds 355 ml of soda. How many milliliters would be in 2 cans of soda?

14. A cookie recipe calls for 1 pound of butter. How many grams of butter would be needed for three batches?

A Worksheet byT. Trimpe 2000 http://sciencespot.net/

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Metric Conversion Practice

Try these conversions, using the table above.

1000 mg = _______ g 1 L = _______ mL

160 cm = _______ mm 14 km = _______ m

109 g = _______ kg 250 m = _______ km

Compare using <, >, or =.

56 cm 6 m 7 g 698 mg

Write the correct abbreviation for each metric unit.

1. Kilogram _____ 4) Milliliter _____ 7) Kilometer _____

2. Meter _____ 5) Millimeter _____ 8) Centimeter _____

3. Gram _____ 6) Liter _____ 9) Milligram _____

Try these conversions, using the table above.

1. 2000 mg = _______ g 6) 5 L = _______ mL 11) 16 cm = _______ mm

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1. Convert 5gal to L.
2. Convert 2gal to mL.
3. Convert 3mi to km.
4. Convert 7yds to m.
5. Convert 118lbs to kg.
6. Convert 42lbs to g.
7. Convert 87 o^ F. to o^ C.

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Using the table below, convert the Metric units to English units. SHOW YOUR WORK!

Conversion Table – Metric Units to English Units

Multiply By To Get

Grams (g) .04 Ounces (oz)

Liters (L) .26 Gallons (gal)

Celsius ( oC) ( oC x 1.8) + 32 Fahrenheit (oF)

Meters (m) 1.1 Yard (yd)

Kilometers (km) .62 Miles (mi)

Millimeters (mm) .04 Inches (in)

Meters (m) 3.3 Feet (ft)

1. Convert 6L to gal.
2. Convert 1,270km to mi.
3. Convert 24kg to lbs.
4. Convert 32 o^ C. to oF.
5. Convert 27m to yards.

PRE-LESSON • Engage • Explore • Explain • Evaluate • Extend

NESPA Lesson One SW 3 EG- 2007 - 01 - 202 - ARC

Name: Date:

Math Review: Converting Units

Length Volume Mass 1 kilometer = 1, 000 meters 1 gallon! 3. 78 liters 1 pound! 454 grams 1 meter = 100 centimeters 1 gallon = 4 quarts 1 kilogram = 1, 000 grams 1 centimeter = 10 millimeters 1 quart! 0. 95 liter 1 gram = 100 centigrams 1 mile = 5, 280 feet 1 liter = 1, 000 milliliters 1 centigram = 10 milligrams 1 yard = 3 feet 1 pint = 0. 5 quart 1 meter! 3. 28 feet 1 pint = 16 fluid ounces 1 foot = 12 inches 1 inch! 2. 54 centimeters

Directions: Use the table of relationships above to solve practice problems 1 - 5 below. You may use additional paper for doing calculations.

1. Yna bought 3 gallons of milk at the store. How many liters did she buy? liters

2. Jamal caught a pass and ran 57 yards to make a touchdown. How many feet did he run? feet

3. A car weighs 850 pounds. How much does it weigh in kilograms? (Hint: change pounds to grams, then change grams to kilograms) kilograms

4. Jessica runs the 100 - meter dash at the track meet. How many feet does she run? feet

5. Bonus: Juan and his family traveled 339 miles from San Jose to Los Angeles. How many kilometers did they travel? kilometers

Pre-Lesson • ENGAGE • Explore • Explain • Evaluate • Extend

NESPA Lesson One SW 11 EG- 2007 - 01 - 202 - ARC

Name: Date: ______________

Unit Conversion: Building the Concept

1. Looking at the picture of the ruler marked with inches and centimeters, we see that there are approximately 2. 54 centimeters in 1 inch. Write this in the spaces below.

1 inch! ___. ___ ___ centimeters

2. Now that you know there are approximately 2. 54 centimeters in one inch, use this information to solve the problems below. There are many ways to find the answers. For example, you may use a ruler, or draw a picture, or add, multiply, or divide. Show your work, and then discuss your method (or strategy) with the class. Solve Show your method (strategy).

5 inches! ________ centimeters

10 inches! ________ centimeters

________ inches! 15 centimeters