Chapter 2 : The Metric System Flashcards
Historically, length was determined in terms of what?
Hands and feet
The English system of measurement originated in ____ with the signing of the ____ ____ which tried to bring uniform measurements to world trade
1215: magna carta
Define: English system
a nondecimal system of measurement without any basic unit for length, mass, or volume
used primarily in the British empire
In ___, the French government appointed a committee of scientists to try to figure out if they could come up with a universal measuring system. the system they created took __ years to create and accept and was called the ____ _____
1790; 10; metric system
Define: metric system
A decimal system of measurement using prefixes and a basic unit to express physical quantities such as length, mass and volume
It offers simplicity
Give two reasons the metric system is simple and easy to understand
- it uses a single basic unit for what is being measured (meter, gram, liter)
- it uses prefixes to signify the basic unit getting bigger or smaller
The metric system is also sometimes called the ______ ____ __ ______. It is similar to the metric system but more comprehensive
International system of measurement
Define: unit equation
a statement that relates two values that are equivalent
Define: exact equivalent
a statement that relates two values that are exactly equal
Define: unit factor
a ratio of two quantities that are equivalent and can be applied to convert from one unit to another
Define: reciprocal
the relationship between a fraction and its inverse
Define: unit analysis method
also called dimensional analysis or factor-label method; a systematic procedure for solving problems that converts the units in a given value to the units in the answer
What are the three unit analysis method steps
- read 2. analyze 3. write
Define: percent
(%) an expression for the amount of a single quantity compared to an entire sample; expressed in a ratio
volume = ?
(length)(width)(height)
must express each measurement in the same unit before calculating volume
volume is cubic
what is volume by displacement
volume can be indirectly determined of an irregular shaped object by measuring the amount of water it displaces
Define: density
(d) expresses the concentration of mass
greater concentration = greater density
density = ?
mass/volume
an object that ___ in water is estimated to have a density greater than 1 g/mL
sinks
an object that ___ in water is estimated to have a density less than 1 g/mL
floats
Define: specific gravity
the ratio of the density of a liquid compared to the density of water at four degrees Celsius
a unit-less expression
what is temperature determined by?
temperature is determined by how fast the molecules are moving
as molecules move faster, temperature increases
as molecules move slower, temperature decreases
Define: temperature
average kinetic energy of individual particles in motion
Who invented the mercury thermometer in 1724?
German physicist. Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit
