Digital scales need a battery or electricity to work.
Before scales, people used to weight most things with balances, like this:
Different scales measure weight in different units.
Bathroom scales, for example, will show weight in either pounds or kilograms.
Common units for weight in the United States are ounces (oz), pounds (lb), and tons (t).
Common units for weight in the rest of the world are grams, or g from short, and kilograms, or kg.
Try to remember these, because you'll be using them a lot.
Measuring Length, Perimeter, and Area
Length tells us how long something is.
Perimeter is the distance around an object or space.
Area is the amount of space that an object or shape covers.
We use the same tools to measure all three: length, perimeter, and area.
To get the perimeter and area of a shape, we need to measure the length of the sides first.
We can do this using these tools:
1. ruler (inch ruler and centimeter ruler)
2. meter stick
3. measuring tape
We use inch and centimeter rulers for smaller objects.
For larger objects, we can use a meter or yard stick and a measuring tape.
Measuring Time
Time can be measured in terms of years, months, weeks, and days.
We use a calendar to measure long periods of time.
We can also measure time in terms of hours, minutes, and seconds.
To see what time of day it is in hours, minutes, and seconds, we use a clock or watch.
A stopwatch can be used to measure how long it takes to do something.
An hour glass can also be used to measure time, but they aren't very accurate.
Measuring Temperature
Temperature tells us how cold or hot the weather, a place, or a thing is.
We measure temperature using a thermometer.
There are different types of thermometers.
Some are analog, others are digital.
The units of measure for temperature are Celsius (°C) or Fahrenheit (°F).
Measuring Volume of Liquids
When liquid is poured into a container, it takes up some space. The amount of space is called its volume.
We measure volume using a beaker.
It's marked with lines, each for a specific volume.
Cylinders, pipettes, and burettes are used for smaller volumes of liquids. You'll use them once you're a little older.
Teaspoons and tablespoons are used to measure the volume of liquids used in cooking.
Common units of volume include milliliters and liters.
Milliliters can be abbreviated to ml.
Liters can be shortened to lower case l or capital L.
In the United States, volume is also measured in gallons, pints, quarts, cups, tablespoons, and teaspoon.
These units are usually written on measuring tools in their abbreviated form:
gallon = gal
pint = pt
quart = qt
cup = c
Great job learning about measuring tools.
Now, complete the practice.
You've come a long way. 👏
