Observations and Dimension
Lab 1 (5pts)
Concepts to Investigate: Dimensions (units), measurement, accuracy, precision. (5pts)
Materials: Meter Stick(5pts)
Background Notes: (5pts)
Measuring an object means comparing it to a selected unit (such as a meter) and expressing it as a
multiple or fraction of that unit (e.g. 2 meters, ½ meters, 1.3 meters).
Accuracy of measurement refers to the discrepancy between the true or actual value and the result
obtained by measuring.
Precision refers to the agreement among repeated measures of the same quantity or object.
(To understand the difference between precision and accuracy, suppose you use a meter stick to
measure the length of a table and get these results: 2.31m, 2.32m, and 2.3m. The spread of the
measurements is only .02m, which indicates good precision.
Part 1
Principles and Procedures: We use units every day, often without even realizing it. In the statements
that follow, you will find a side variety of interesting facts, but each is missing a crucial piece of
information – the dimensions. All the statements are meaningless until you supply the appropriate
units. On the basis of your experiences, try to determine the appropriate units from the list provided.
Units may be used more than once or not at all. (5pts)
Possible Units for Questions in (a) – (t) (10pts)
Bushels
Centimeter(s)
days
Degrees Celsius
feet
Kilometers
Milligrams
second
grams
Kilowatt hours
Minutes
Square miles
hours
meters
percent
stories
inches
miles
persons
terms
Degrees
Fahrenheit
Kilocalories
Miles per hour
Pounds
yards
(1pt. each)
a. The Willis (fmr. Sears) Tower in Chicago is 110 ____ high; it was the world’s tallest building when
built in 1973.
b. The world’s tallest structure is 828____ tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
c. The Empire State building in New York is 1250 ______high.
d. The Nile is the world’s longest river. It is 4180 ______ long.
e. The Amazon river in South America is 6296____long.
f. Alaska has very low recorded temperatures of any state. In 1981, the temperature was
recorded at -81 ______.
g. A very high recorded temperature in the United States was in Death Valley, California, when the
mercury reached 57____.
h. The largest hailstone ever recovered in the United States, a 17.8 wide ______ chunk of ice
almost as large as a soccer ball.
i. The largest punt in NFL history was by Steve O’Neal of the New York Jets. He kicked the football
98 ____.
j. Big fish don’t always get away: In 1953, A.C. Glassel caught a marlin that weighed in at 1560
______.
k. The dimensions of a professional basketball court are 94____ by 50______.
l. In 1986, Bobby Rahal won the Indianapolis 500 averaging a speed of 170.722 _____ for all 500
______.
m. In August 1989, the U.S. spacecraft voyager passed the planet Neptune at a time when the
planet was 2.8 billion ____from the sun. By contrast, the Earth averages only 93million
_____from the sun.
n. The temperature of the core of the Earth is estimated to be 11,000 _______.
o. The world’s fastest aircraft was the Lockheed SR-71 A/B Blackbird. Before being retired, it
clocked a record speed of 2193.67 ______.
p. Iowa is the biggest corn producer in the country. Each year it averages over 1.6 million ______.
q. One large cooked egg yields an average of 6______ fat and 274 ____ cholesterol.
r. A 16-year-old male requires an average of 2,800 ____of energy per day while an average 16year-old female requires only 2,100 _____.
s. Before its breakup, the world’s largest country was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. It
had an area of 8,649,496 ______, compared to only 3,615,105 _____for the United States
t. The United States produces and consumes more electric energy than any other nation. Each
year we produce over about 2500 billion _____ while the entire nation of China produces only
about 400 billion _______.
Part II (5pts)
Background:
Area is 2D;
Volume is 3D;
Area = Length x Width
Volume= Length x Width x Height
Procedure: (5pts)
A. Determine the Surface Area of the typical Lab table. Take 3 trials: measure three tables. Calculate
precision. Units – meters.
B. Determine the amount of Granite needed to replace the counter tops in the Lab excluding teacher’s
work counter. Units – centimeters.
c) Determine the cost of the Granite for ‘b’ if the cost is $35.00 per square feet. Need to convert to
Square feet.
Data Area: (Suggestions)
Data Tables IIA (15pts)
Length
Width
Area
Area Table 2
Area Table 3
Precision
Table 1
Table 2
Table 3
Area Table 1
Data Table IIB(15pts) Create Data table
Data Table IIC(15pts) Create Data table and show Dimensional Analysis
Part III(15pts)
Make 3 Observations and Estimations in your world.
a) One must reference floor’s area in sq. feet
b) One must reference height in meters
c) One must reference table in Length and width (do not compute area).
Part IV(15pts)
Conclusion: Discuss Observation and Measuring in relationship to Scientific Inquiry. (Give rational
complete thought and support your position).