Chapter 3 – Scientific

Measurement

Jennie L. Borders
 Accuracy vs. Precision
Accuracy is a measure of how
close a measurement comes to
the actual or true value.
Precision is a measure of how
close a series of measurements
are to one another.
Accuracy vs. Precision
 Error
Error = experimental value – actual value

The accepted value is the correct value.

The experimental value is the value
measured in the lab.
The percent error is the absolute value
of the error divided by the accepted
value.
 Error
Error = experimental value – actual value

Percent Error = I Error I x 100

Accepted value

So in other words,

%E = I e – a I x 100
a
 Sample Problem
A block of aluminum has a mass of 147.3g. A student
measures the mass of the block as 138.9g. What is the
student’s error?

-8.4g

What is the percent error?

5.70%
Section 3.1 – Measurements and Calculations
A measurement is a quantity that has both a number and
a unit.
The unit typically used in the sciences are those of the
International System of Measurements (SI).
In scientific notation, a given number is written as the
product of two numbers: a coefficient and 10 raised to a
power.
In scientific notation, the coefficient is always a number
equal to or greater than one and less than ten.
 Sample Problems
Write the following numbers in scientific notation:
39400000
3.94 x 107
2800 2.8 x 103
0.000567 5.67 x 10-4
0.0000002 2 x 10-7

Write the following numbers in regular notation:

3.22 x 104 32200
2.1 x 10-5 0.000021
8 x 102 800
7.90 x 10-6 0.00000790
 Significant Figures
The significant figures in a measurement include all the
digits that are known, plus a last digit that is estimated.
 Rules for Significant Figures
Every nonzero digit is significant. Ex: 254 or 65.43
Zeros between significant figures are significant. Ex: 3005
or 1.083
Zeros before (to the left) the significant figures are not
significant. Ex: 0.07902 or 0.6932
Zeros after (to the right) the significant figures AND after
the decimal place are significant. Ex: 20.3200 or 63000
Numbers that can be counted and conversion factors have
an infinite number of significant figures. 370 crayons or
1km = 1000m (both have an infinite number of sig. figs.)
 Sample Exercise
How many significant figures are in each measurement?
a. 123 m 3
b. 40506 mm 5
c. 9.8000 5
d. 0.07080 m 4
e. 98000 m 2
 Practice Exercise
How many significant figures are in each measurement?
a. 0.05730 m 4

b. 8765 m 4

c. 0.00073 m 2

d. 8.750 x 10-2 g 4
 Significant Figures in Calculations
In general, a calculated answer cannot be more precise
than the least precise measurement from which it was
calculated.
Addition and Subtraction
When adding or subtracting, your answer can only have
the same amount of decimal places as the number with
the least amount of decimal places.
 Sample Exercise
Calculate the sum of the three measurements. Give the
answer to the correct number of significant figures.

12.52 m 2
349.0 m 1
+ 8.24 m 2
369.76 m

Rounding to 1 decimal place

369.8m
 Practice Exercise
Perform each operation. Express your answers to the
correct number of significant figures.
a. 61.2 m + 9.35 m + 8.6 m =

79.15 m, round to 1 decimal place = 79.2 m

b. 34.61 m – 17.3 m =

17.31 m, round to 1 decimal place = 17.3 m

 Multiply and Divide
When multiplying or dividing, your answer can only have
the same amount of significant figures as the number with
the lowest amount of significant figures.
 Sample Exercise
Perform the following operations. Give the answers to the
correct number of significant figures.

7.55 m x 0.34 m = 2.567 m2

3 2

Rounding to 2 sig. figs. = 2.6 m2

 Practice Exercise
Solve each problem and report your answer with the
correct amount of significant figures.

2.10 m x 0.70 m =

1.47 m2, rounded to 2 sig. figs. = 1.5 m2

8432 m / 12.5 =

674.56 m, rounded to 3 sig. figs. = 675m

 Section 3.1 Assessment
1. How are accuracy and precision evaluated?
2. A technician experimentally determined the boiling point
of octane to be 124.1oC. The actual boiling point of octane is
125.7oC. Calculate the error and the percent error.
3. Determine the number of significant figures in each of the
following:
a. 11 soccer players
b. 0.070020 m
c. 10800 m
d. 5.00 m3
 Section 3.1 Assessment
4. Solve each of the following and express your answer with
the correct number of significant figures.
a. 0.00072 x 1800 =

1.296, rounded to 2 sig. figs. = 1.3

b. 0.912 – 0.047 =

0.865, rounded to 3 decimal places = 0.865

c. 54000 x 3500000000 =

189000000000000, rounded to 2 sig. figs. =

190000000000000 or 1.9 x 1014
Section 3.2 – The International System of Units
Section 3.2 – The International System of Units
The International system of Units (SI) is a revised version
of the metric system that scientists use around the world.
Quantity SI Base Unit Symbol
length meter m
mass kilogram kg
temperature kelvin K
time second s
amount of
substance mole mol

luminous intensity candela cd

electric current ampere A
 Prefixes
Prefixes are used to show a very large or small quantity.
For your prefixes sheet it is important to remember the
following:
1 prefix unit = 10x base unit

Example of Base Units Example of Prefix Units

m cm
L mL
g kg
 Writing Conversion Factors
Remember: 1 prefix unit = 10x base unit

Write the conversion factors for the following:

a. cm  m
1 cm = 10-2 m
b. g  kg
1 kg = 103 g
c. s  ns
1 ns = 10-9 s
d. dL  L
1 dL = 10-1 L
 Derived Units
Some units are a combination of SI base units. These are
called derived units.

Volume = length x width x height

(m) (m) (m) = m3

Density = mass (kg) = kg/m3

volume (m3)
 Mass vs. Weight
Mass is the amount of matter that an object contains. The
SI unit is kilograms.
Weight is the force that measures the pull of gravity on a
given mass. The SI unit is Newtons.
Since weight is based on gravity, it changes with location.
Mass stays constant regardless of location.
 Temperature
Temperature is a measure of how hot or cold an object is.
(It is the measure of the average kinetic energy of an
object’s particles)
There are 3 temperature scales that are used: Celsius,
Fahrenheit, and Kelvin.
 Absolute Zero
Absolute zero is zero on the Kelvin scale.
Kelvin temperature is directly proportional to the kinetic
energy (speed) of the particles.
If the particles are not moving, then the Kelvin
temperature is zero.
Since the particles cannot go slower than stopped, then
the Kelvin scale does not have any negative values.
 Converting Temperatures
The following formulas are used to convert between
temperatures:

K = oC + 273 o
C = 5/9(oF – 32)

oC = K – 273 o
F = 9/5(oC) + 32
 Sample Exercise
Normal human body temperature is 37oC. What is that
temperature in kelvin?

310 K
 Practice Exercise
Make the following temperature conversions.

a. 77.2K  oC

-195.8oC
b. 120oC  oF

248oF
c. 56oF  K

286.3K
 Energy
Energy is the ability to do work or supply heat.
The SI unit of energy is the Joule (J).
In America, we use calories instead of Joules.

1 cal = 4.184J
 Section 3.2 Assessment
1. What are the SI units for the 5 common base units used in
Chemistry?
2. What is the symbol and meaning for each prefix?
a. milli-
b. nano-
c. deci-
d. centi-
3. List the following units in order from largest to smallest:
mL, cL, mL, L, dL.
4. What is the volume of a paperback book 21 cm tall, 12 cm
wide, and 3.5 cm thick?
882 cm3
 Section 3.2 Assessment
5. State the difference between weight and mass.
6. Convert 170oC to kelvin.
7. State the relationship between joules and calories.
 Section 3.3 – Conversion Problems
A conversion factor is a ratio of two equivalent
measurements.
Whenever two measurements are equivalent, then
the ratio equals 1.

12 in = 1 ft or 1 ft = 12 in

Ratio form:
12 in or 1 ft
1 ft 12 in
 Dimensional Analysis
Dimensional analysis is a way to analyze and solve
problems using the units of the measurements.
Some conversion factors that you should be familiar with
involve time:
1 min = 60 s
60 min = 1 hr
24 hr = 1 day
365 days = 1 yr
3600s = 1 hr
 Sample Problem
How many seconds are in a workday that lasts exactly
eight hours?

28800 s
 Practice Problems
How many minutes are there in exactly 1 week?

10080 min

How many seconds are in exactly 40 hours?

144000 s

How many years is 895600000 s?

28.4 years
 Sample Problem
Convert 750 dg to grams.

75g
 Practice Problems
Convert 0.044 km to meters.

44 m

Convert 6.7 s to milliseconds.

6700ms

Convert 4.6 mg to grams.

0.0046g
 Sample Problem
What is 0.073 cm in micrometers?

730 mm
 Practice Problems
Convert 0.227 nm to centimeters.

2.27 x 10-8 cm

Convert 1.3 x 104 km to decimeters.

1.3 x 108 dm

Convert 1325 dag to megagrams.

0.01325 Mg
 Sample Problem (Honors)
Convert 60 g/mL to kg/dL.

6 kg/dL
 Practice Problems (Honors)
Convert 90 km/hr to m/s.

25 m/s

Convert 78 hg/mL to g/L.

7.8 x 109 g/L

 Sample Problem (Honors)
Convert 20 km2 to cm2.

2 x 1011 cm2
 Practice Problems (Honors)
Convert 140 dm3 to hm3.

1.4 x 10-7 hm3

Convert 50 m/s2 to km/hr2.

648000 km/hr2
 Other Conversion Factors
Here is a list of other conversion factors that you need to
memorize:

1 in. = 2.54 cm
1 kg = 2.2 lbs.
1 cm3 = 1 mL
1 cal = 4.184 J
 Sample Problem
Convert 120 lbs. into kg.

54.5 kg
 Practice Problems
Convert 250 cal into joules.

1046 J

Convert 50 cm3 into liters.

0.05 L

Convert 25 m into feet.

82.02 ft
 Section 3.3 Assessment
1. What conversion factor would you use to convert between
these pairs of units?
a. minutes to hours
b. grams to milligrams
c. cubic decimeters to milliliters
2. Make the following conversions:
a. 14.8 g to micrograms 1.48 x 107 mg

b. 3.72 x 10-3 kg to grams 3.72 g

c. 66.3 L to cubic centimeters 66300 cm3

 Section 3.3 Assessment
3. An atom of gold has a mass of 3.271 x 10-23 g. How many
atoms of gold are in 5.00 g of gold?
1.53 x 10 atoms
23

4. Convert the following:

a. 7.5 x 104 J to kilojoules 75 kJ

b. 3.9 x 105 mg to decigrams 3900 dg

c. 2.21 x 10-4 dL to microliters 22.1 mL

 Section 3.3 Assessment
5. (Honors) Light travels at a speed of 3.00 x 1010 cm/s. What
is the speed of light in kilometers per hour?

1.08 x 109 km/hr

 Section 3.4 - Density
Density is the ratio of the mass of an object to its volume.

Density = mass
volume

Density is an intensive property that depends only on the

composition of a substance, not on the size of the sample.
 Density and Temperature
The density of a substance generally decreases as its
temperature increases.
Water is an exception to this rule.
 Sample Problem
A copper penny has a mass of 3.1 g and a volume of 0.35
cm3. What is the density of copper?

8.9 g/cm3
 Practice Problems
A bar of silver has a mass of 68.0 g and a volume of 6.48
cm3. What is the density of silver?

10.5 g/cm3
A substance has a density of 0.38 g/mL and a volume of 20
mL. What is the mass of the object?

7.6 g
A metal block has a density of 0.66 g/cm3 and has a mass
of 2 kg. What is the volume of the block?

3030.3 cm3
 Section 3.4 Assessment
1. What determines the density of an object?
2. How does density vary with temperature?
3. A weather balloon is inflated to a volume of 2.2 x 103 L
with 37.4 g of helium. What is the density of helium in
grams per liter?
0.017 g/L
4. A 68 g bar of gold is cut into 3 equal pieces. How does
the density of each piece compare to the density of the
original gold bar?
5. A plastic ball with a volume of 19.7 cm3 has a mass of
15.8 g. Would this ball sink or float in a container of
gasoline? (Density of gasoline = 0.675 g/cm3)
Density 0.802 g/cm3 so it would sink.
 Section 3.4 Assessment
6. What is the volume, in cubic centimeters, of a sample of
cough syrup that has a mass of 50.0 g? The density of cough
syrup is 0.950 g/cm3.
52.6 cm3
7. What is the mass, in kilograms, of 14.0 L of gasoline?
(Assume that the density of gasoline is 0.680 g/cm3.)

9.52 kg
THE END