Name______________________________ Class __________________ Date ______________
Measuring Length, Mass, Volume, and Temperature
(Adapted from Prentice-Hall, Inc. Biology Lab Manual B)
Don’t forget to
label your
answers with the
correct units!
Introduction : Doing experiments is an important part of science. Most experiments include making measurements.
Many different quantities can be measured. Some examples are length, mass, volume, temperature, and time. Some
quantities, such as length, can be measured directly. Others, such as speed, are calculated from other measurements. In
science you will probably use metric units to estimate, measure, and record data. The three fundamental metric units
are the meter for length, the gram for mass, and the liter for capacity. In this investigation you will carry out different
types of measurements.
Problem : What types of measurements are used to describe quantities?
Pre-Lab Discussion: Read the entire investigation. Then, work with a partner to answer the following questions.
1. How will you record a distance that is 2 centimeters longer than 5 meters? ________ 2 centimeters shorter? _______
2. Why would you measure the contents of a paper cup in milliliters (mL) rather than in liters?
3. Explain why don’t measurements start at the beginning of a ruler, yard stick, meter stick, etc? (the zero point is
always a little bit offset from the end)
Materials (per group):
meter stick
millimeter ruler
250-mL graduated cylinder
tripple beam balance
thermometer
2 paper cups
30 cm of string
golf ball
1 sheet college-ruled notebook paper
Toy car (like a hotwheels car)
Safety : Wear your lab apron and safety goggles while dealing with glassware.
Procedure:
1. Measure and record the length and width of a piece of notebook paper in centimeters.
length: ________________ width: _________________
2. Picture in your mind a familiar distance nearby that you think is 5 m long. Write a description of this distance below
(for example, “The distance from our classroom to room 203 down the hall”). Then measure the distance with a meter
stick and record your result.
Area measured: _________________________________________________________________________
length: ________________ How good was your estimate?
3. Measure and record the space between two lines on a piece of college-ruled notebook paper in millimeters.
length: ________________
4. Using a triple beam balance, find and record the mass in grams of a hotwheels toy car.
mass: ________________
5. Fill a paper cup about two-thirds full with water. Pour the water into the graduated cylinder and record its volume in
milliliters.
volume: ________________
6. Place the thermometer in the water and find its temperature. Record your measurement below.
cool tap water: ________________
7. What is the difference between surface area and volume?
8. A prism measures 2cm in height, 2cm in width, and 5cm in length. Calculate the surface area and volume of the
prism.
surface area: __________________
volume: ___________________
9. Imagine that the prism in question #8 is pliable and malleable. Can you increase its surface area without changing the
volume? Explain.
8. Find the volume of a golf ball in cm3 using the displacement of water (a technique often used for finding the volume
of irregular objects). Fill a beaker half full of water. Record the volume of the water in mL. Place the golf ball in the
beaker of water. Record the volume of water in mL. The water displaced is equal to the volume of the golf ball.
(1 mL of water = 1 cm3)
Initial volume of water: __________________
Final volume of water: __________________
Volume of golf ball: __________________
9. The raider cross country team was a bit tired this morning, so they took an easy morning stroll. Using the map of the
route below, find the distance that they ran in kilometers. Hint: A string can be a useful tool when measuring the
circumference of an object as well as lines that are not straight.
Distance: ____________________
Analysis and Conclusions:
1. One student measured the height of a plant as 52 mm. Another student measured the same plant to the nearest
tenth of a centimeter. What was the second student’s measurement?
Was one method more precise? Explain your answer.
2. Why might two people measuring the same temperature get very different results?
3. Why might it be a good practice to measure a quantity several times and average the results?