Standards of Measurement

The International System of

Units
(SI)

Units and Standards

In order for a measurement to be

useful, a measurement standard
must be used.
A standard is an exact quantity that
people agree to use for comparison.

Measurement Systems
Suppose the length of
a string in a ball of
yarn is 100. Can you
tell how much string is
in the ball?

NO!!

It could be 150 feet, 150 meters,

or some
unit youve never
heard of.
In order for a measurement to
make sense it must have a number
and a unit.

International System of
Units
In the U.S. we buy milk by the gallon,
potatoes by the pound, and lumber by
the foot.
These are a part of the English system
of measurement.
Most other nations use a system of
measurement based on multiples of ten.
This is known as the International
System of Units or SI.

Common SI Prefixes
Prefix

Symbol

Multiplying Factor

Kilo-

1000

Deci-

0.1

Centi-

0.01

Milli-

0.001

Micro-

0.000001

Nano-

0.00000000
1

Using SI Units
Every type of quantity
measured in SI has a base unit
and a symbol for that unit.

SI Base Units
Quantity
Measured

Unit

Symbol

Length

Meter

Mass

Kilogram

kg

Time

Second

Electric current

Ampere

Temperature

Kelvin

Amount of
substance

Mole

mol

Intensity of light

Candela

cd

Length
The SI base unit for length is the meter
(m).
Remember: SI is based on powers of ten
Therefore:
1m=10dm=100cm=1000mm
Metric rulers and meter sticks are used to
measure length.

Choosing a Unit
The size of the unit you use to
measure with will depend on the size
of the item being measured.

1 meter

10 football
fields= 1
kilometer

1
centimet
er

Volume
The amount of space occupied by an
object.
Volume= length x width x height
3 cm

3 cm

V= 3cm3x 3cm x3cm

V= 27cm

3cm

Mass
Measurement of the matter in an object.
Base unit: kilograms (kg)
Grams (g) and milligrams (mg) are used
for measuring objects of small mass.

Which ball
has more
mass?

How
gra man
y
ms
one
are
in
kilo
gra
m?

Density
Density is the mass per unit of volume of
a material. (Expressed as grams per
cubic cm)
D=m/v

A cube of silver would be more dense than a cube

of aluminum, even if they were the same size!!

Time and Temperature

The SI unit for time is the second (s).
The SI unit for temperature is the Kelvin (K).
0 degrees K is the COLDEST possible
temperature, also known as absolute zero.

That is -273 degrees

Celsius, which is 273
degrees below freezing!!

Summary

A standard is an exact quantity that people agree to use for

comparison.
In order for a measurement to make sense it must have a number
and a unit.
The International System of Units or SI is a system of measurement
based on units of 10 and used by most nations around the world.
Every type of quantity measured in SI has a base unit and a symbol
for that unit.
The SI base unit for length is the meter (m).
The size of the unit you use to measure with will depend on the size
of the item being measured.
Volume= length x width x height
Mass is the measurement of the matter in an object (kg).
Density is the mass per unit of volume of a material. (Expressed as
grams per cubic cm)
The SI unit for time is the second (s).
The SI unit for temperature is the Kelvin (K).