Measure Mass & Volume (Metric System)

Measurement is something we use to find the size or amount of something.

I have measured flour for a cake in cups. I have measured wood for a box that I made in centimeters.

Centimeters are used to measure the length of objects. Meters are used to measure lengths that are longer, such as the length of a classroom.

You use a ruler marked in centimeters. You line the 0 point on the ruler with one end of the object. You look at the other end of the object to see what measurement it matches up with on the ruler.

If I don't measure the length of wood exactly before I cut it, the pieces may not fit together.

Mass is a measure of how much matter an object contains. We use grams and kilograms to measure mass.

Liquid volume is a way to measure the amount of liquid by giving a measurement of how much space it occupies. We use liters and milliliters to measure liquid volume.

An elephant is large and contains a lot of matter. If I used grams, the number of grams would be gigantic. If I use kilograms, I will get a number of kilograms that is easier to work with.

The amount of water in an eyedropper is very small so you would want to use a milliliter which is a small unit of liquid volume. A liter is a unit that would be too big.

The scientist needs to subtract the amount of salt she has already put into the container from the total amount of salt she needs to put into the container. 400 – 175 = 225. She needs to put 225 more grams of salt into the container.