Name _____________________
VOCABULARY for MEASUREMENT Unit
Learn the following definitions for commonly used terms in this unit of study.
Matter: substance that has mass and volume
Measurement Type length: distance between 2 points
volume: amount of space occupied by an object
mass: quantity of matter in an object
time: interval between 2 events
temperature: a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles in a substance
derived unit: unit obtained by combining other units mathematically, such as cm3 (volume calculated
from measured length)
Tools Ruler: tool that measures length
Triple Beam balance: tool that measures mass
Electronic scale: tool that measures mass
Graduated cylinder: tool that measures
volume of liquids and, by displacement, volume
of irregular solids
Beaker: not a measurement tool; more of a container than a measuring tool; can
provide a rough volume estimate
Thermometer: tool that measures temperature
Metric Base Units meter: metric base unit of length
second: metric base unit of time
gram: metric base unit of mass
degrees Celsius: metric base unit of temperature
liter: metric base unit of volume
Prefixes and Abbreviations milli: prefix meaning one-thousandth; 0.001
mL or ml: abbrev. for milliliter
centi: prefix meaning one-hundredth; 0.01
cm3 or cc: abbrev. for cubic centimeter
kilo: prefix meaning one thousand; 1,000
Measurement Learning Targets 1. I can distinguish between an observation and an inference.
2. I can identify the appropriate tools to measure the length, temperature, mass, and volume of an
object.
3. I can accurately measure length, temperature, mass and volume (of a liquid) to the precision of the
tool.
4. I can accurately determine the volume of regular solids and irregular solids.
5. When measuring an object, I can determine the most appropriate metric unit to use, including the
base unit and the commonly used prefixes “kilo,” “centi,” and “milli.”
6. I can convert between kilo-, centi-, and milli- measurements.