SCIENTIFIC

MEASUREMENT
 Determining Significant Figures

State the number of significant figures

in the following measurements:
2005 cm 0.050 cm
25,000 g 0.0280 g

25.0 ml 50.00 ml
0.25 s 1000 s
0.00250 mol 1000.0 mol
 ACCURACY AND PRECISION

 Accuracy – refers to how close

the measured value is to the
true value
 Precision
– refers to how close
together a group of
measurements to each other
 Accuracy and Precision in
Measurements

Accuracy: how close a

measurement is to the accepted
value.

Precision: how close a series of

measurements are to one another
or how far out a measurement is
taken.

A measurement can have high precision,

but not be as accurate as a less precise 4
one.
Significant Figures

 Scientist
use significant figures
to determine how precise a
measurement is
 Significant
digits in a
measurement include all of the
known digits plus one
estimated digit
For example…
 Look at the ruler below

 Each line is 0.1cm

 You can read that the arrow is on
13.3 cm
 However, using significant figures,
you must estimate the next digit
 That would give you 13.30 cm
Let’s try this one

 Look at the ruler below

 What can you read before you estimate?

 12.8 cm
 Now estimate the next digit…
 12.85 cm
The same rules apply with all
instruments
 The same rules apply
 Read to the last digit that you know
 Estimate the final digit
Let’s try graduated cylinders

 Look at the graduated cylinder below

 What can you read with confidence?

 56 ml
 Now estimate the last digit
 56.0 ml
One more graduated cylinder
 Look at the cylinder below…

 What is the measurement?

 53.5 ml
Rules for Significant figures
Rule #1
 All nonzero digits are ALWAYS
significant
 How many significant digits are in the
following numbers?

274 3 Significant Figures

25.632 5 Significant Digits

8.987
4 Significant Figures
Rule #2

 [Link] zeros to the left of the first

nonzero digit are not significant.
 How many significant digits are in the
following numbers?

0.00054 2 Significant Figures

0.0000756 3 Significant Digits

0.0013 2 Significant Figures

Rule #3

 All
zeros between significant digits are
ALWAYS significant
 How many significant digits are in the
following numbers?

504 3 Significant Figures

60002 5 Significant Digits

9.077
4 Significant Figures
Rule #4

 4. Zeros that follow nonzero digits and are

on the right of the decimal point are
significant.
 How many significant digits are in the
following numbers?

32.0 3 Significant Figures

19.000 5 Significant Digits
105.0020 7 Significant Figures
Rule #5
 5. In a number having no indicated
decimal point, zeros after the last
nonzero digit may or may not be
significant.
 How many significant digits are in
the following numbers?
100 1 Significant Figure
19,000 5 Significant Digits
55,000 2 Significant Figures
For example

How many significant digits are in the

following numbers?

0.0002 1 Significant Digit

6.02 x 1023 3 Significant Digits
100.000 6 Significant Digits
150000 2 Significant Digits
800 1 Significant Digit
How many significant digits
are in the following numbers?
0.0073 2 Significant Digits
100.020 6 Significant Digits
2500 2 Significant Digits
7.90 x 10-3 3 Significant Digits
670.0 4 Significant Digits
0.00001 1 Significant Digit
18.84 4 Significant Digits
 Significant Figures
Rounding off sig figs (significant figures):

Rule 1: If the first non-sig fig is less than 5, drop all non-sig
fig.
Rule 2: If the first sig fig is 5, or greater that 5, increase
the last sig fig by 1 and drop all non-sig figs.

Round off each of the following to 3 significant figures:

12.514748 12.5 0.6015261 0.602

192.49032 192 14652.832 14,700
Significant
Figures in
Calculations
19
Addition or
Subtraction

20
In addition or subtraction, the
answer must be rounded off
according to the smallest
decimal places.

21
Add 125.17, 129 and 52.2
Least precise number.

125.17
Answer given 129
by calculator. 52.2
306.37
Round off to the
Correct answer.
nearest unit.

306.37 22
Multiplication or
Division

23
In multiplication or division,
the answer must be rounded
off according to the least
number of significant digits.

24
 2.3 has two significant
figures.

(190.6)(2.3) = 438.38

190.6 has four

Answer given
significant figures.
by calculator.

The answer should have two significant

figures because 2.3 is the number with
the fewest significant figures.

Round off this Drop these three

digit to four. digits.
438.38
The correct answer is 440 or 4.4 x 102 25
 1. Indicate how many significant
figures there are in each of the
following measured values.
 246.32 1.008 700000
 107.854 0.00340 350.670
 100.3 14.600 1.0000
 0.678 0.0001 320001
 2. Calculate the answers to the
appropriate number of significant
figures.
 a) 23.7 cm x 3.8 cm
 b) 43.678 g + 64.1 g
 c) 45.76 in x 0.25 in
 d) 1.678 g / 0.42 mL
 e) 81.04 m x 0.010 m
 f) 28.367 L - 3.74 L
 g) 6.47 cc + 64.5 cc
 h) 4278 km / 1.006 h
DRILL

The normal body

temp. is 37.0 oC.
Convert this to oF,
Kelvins, R.
98.6 oF, 310 K, 559 R
The lowest recorded
temp. is -125oF. Find
the corresponding oC,
K, and R.
-87.2 oC, 186 K, 335 R
On stage, actors and
actresses perform under
floodlights at a temp. of
3215 K. What is this
temp. in oC and oF?
2942 oC, 5328 oF
TEMPERATURE CONVERSIONS

O F = 1.8 O C + 32
O C = (O F – 32)/1.8
K = O C + 273.15
R = O F + 460
 Helium remains in the gaseous
state until its temperature is
lowered to 4.25 K, at which
point it condenses into a liquid
state. Express the boiling point
of liquid helium in degrees
Fahrenheit and Rankine.
 -452 F, 7.98 R
o
The moon’s surface can
reach a daytime
temperature of 117°[Link]
is this temperature in oF
and K?
243 oF, 390 K
 Can you match these BIG objects
to their weights? The Great Pyramid at Giza

The Earth

300,000,000,000 kg

2,000,000,000,000,0 Blue Whale - largest animal on earth

00,000,000,000,000,
000 kg

600,000,000 kg The Sun

Total Human Population

60,000,000,000,000,0
00,000,000,000 kg

180,000 kg
 Can you match these BIG objects
to their weights? The Great Pyramid at Giza
The Earth
600,000,000 kg

Blue Whale –
Click object largest animal on earth
to reveal 60,000,000,000,000,000, 180,000 kg
answer 000,000,000 kg

The Sun
Total Human Population
2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000 kg 300,000,000,000 kg
 Can you match these small
objects to their weights?
grain of
0.00015 sand
kg
molecule
0.000000000000000000000
000030 kg

0.0000000003 steam
5 kg
 Click to reveal answers.

grain of sand

0.00000000035 kg

molecule

0.000000000000000000000000030 kg

steam

0.00015 kg
 SCIENTIFIC
NOTATION
A QUICK WAY TO WRITE
REALLY, REALLY BIG
OR
REALLY, REALLY SMALL NUMBERS.
Rules for Scientific
Notation
To be in proper scientific notation
the number must be written with
* a number between 1 and 10
* and multiplied by a power of
ten
23 X 105 is not in proper
scientific notation. Why?
Soooo
137,000,000 can be
rewritten as

1.37 X 10 8
CONVERSION OF
UNITS
A bar of magnesium metal is
determined to be 250 mm long.
What is the length of the
magnesium bar in Gm?
A container of salt is reported
to have a mass of 73,700 cg.
Express this quantity in pg.
 Anautomobile is traveling at a
speed of 100.0 km/h on a
major highway. Express the
speed of the automobile in
m/s.
 The volume of a wooden block
is 6.30 in3. This is equivalent to
how many cubic centimeters?
 The density of an object is
1500 kg/m3. Convert this to
lb/ft3
 DENSITY AND
SPECIFIC GRAVITY
PRE – TEST: True or False
 1. The density of a substance cannot
change.
 2. If you have twice as much
material, you have twice as much
weight but not twice as much
density.
 3. If you divide an object in half,
you have half as much volume and
half as much weight but not half as
much density.
4. Heavy things sink and light
things float.
5. Objects either sink or float and
it is helpful to make a list of
sinkers and floaters.
6. Air does not have mass or
density. That is why it is so light.
7. Not all wood floats.
8. The density of 10 g of water is
the same density as 20 g of water.
 ..\Density for Middle School Science.mp4
DENSITY
A property of matter
representing the mass per unit
volume
g/mL –liquid -grams/milliliters
g/cm3 -solid
-grams/centimeters cubed
1mL = 1cm3
To Find the Mass
Grams -mass
-solid -place item on balance
scales
-liquid
1. find the mass of an empty
cylinder
2. find the mass of the cylinder
with the liquid in it
3. subtract the two readings
To Find Volume

Volume -mL or cm3

Use a cylinder for liquid
and read the meniscus
(lowest level of liquid in
the cylinder)
Volume of an Irregular Solid
Use water displacement
for a solid
1. put water in a cylinder
and read
2. drop a solid in the water
and read again
3. subtract the two readings
Volume of a Regular Solid
Volume for a rectangular
prism
=LxWxH
Volume of a cube

= s3
Volume of a cylinder
 = πr2H

Volume of a sphere
 = 4/3 πr3
SAMPLE PROBLEMS
Acertain mineral with a
mass of 427 g occupies a
volume of 35.0 mL. Find
the density and the
specific gravity.
Gold has a density
of 19.3 g/mL. What
is the mass of 25.0
cm of gold?
3
Titanium is a metal used to
make golf clubs. A rectangular
bar of this metal measuring
1.84 cm x 2.24 cm x 2.44 cm
was found to have a mass of
45.7 g. What is its density?
specific gravity?
A tube which has a
diameter of 20.0
centimeters and is 30.0
centimeters high weighs
68.0 grams. Find the
density and specific
gravity of the tube.
The water level in a
graduated cylinder stands at
20.00 mL before and at
26.20 mL after a 16.74 g
metal is submerged in the
water. Find the density and
specific gravity of the metal.
PRACTICE EXERCISES
 1. If 30.943 g of a liquid occupy a
space of 0.035 L, what is the density
of the liquid in g/cm3? What is its
specific gravity?
 2. The density of lead is 11.342
g/cm3.  What would be the volume of
a 200.0 g sample of this metal?
 3. A cube measures 6.25 cm on each
side. Find the density in g/cm3 and
specific gravity if its mass is 58.6 dg.
 4. A rectangular bar measures 3.25
cm x 48.9 mm x 3.41 cm has a mass of
88 g. What is its density?
 5. A bar of aluminum has a volume of
1.85 mL. Its mass is 5 x 10-3 kg. What
is its density in g/mL? specific gravity?
 6. A graduated cylinder has a mass of
80 g when empty. When 20 mL of
water is added, the graduated cylinder
has a mass of 100 g. If a stone is added
to the graduated cylinder, the water
level rises to 45 mL and the total mass
is now 156 g. What is the density of
the stone?
 7. What is the mass of a cylinder of
lead that is 2.50 cm in diameter and
5.50 cm long. The density of lead is
11.4 g/mL.
 8. The diameter of a carbon atom is
182 pm. What is the diameter in km?
 9. Convert 2.60 cL to μL.
 10. Express 9500 lb/in2 in kg/cm2
68