Chemistry 3 Vocab

absolute zero

the zero point on the Kelvin temperature scale, equivalent to -273.15ºC

accepted value

a quantity used by general agreement of the scientific community

accuracy

the closeness of a measurement to the true value of what is being measured

calorie

the quantity of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1g of pure water 1ºC

Celsius scale

the temperature scale on which the freezing point if water is 0ºC and the boiling point is 100ºC

conversion factor

a ratio of equivalent measurements used to convert a quantity from one unit to another

density

the ratio of the mass of an object to its volume

dimensional analysis

a technique of problem-solving that uses the units that are part of a measurement to help the problem

energy

the capacity for doing work or producing heat

error

the difference between the accepted value and the experimental value

experimental value

a quantitive value measured during an experiment

gram

a metric mass unit equal to the mass of 1cm³ of water at 4ºC

International System of Units

the revised version of the metric system, adopted by international agreement in 1960

joule

the SI unit of energy 4.184 J = 1 calorie

Kelvin Scale

the temperature scale in which the freezing point of water is 273K and the boiling point is 373K - 0K is absolute value

kilogram

the mass of 1L of water at 4ºC; it is the base unit of mass in SI

liter

the volume of a cube measuring 10 cm on each edge; common unprefixed unit of volume in the metric system

measurement

a quantitive description that includes both a number and a unit

meter

the base unit of length in SI

percent error

the percent that a measured value differs from the accepted value

precision

describes the closeness, or reproducibility, of a set of measurements taken under the same conditions

scientific notation

an expression of numbers in the form m x 10n, where m ≥ 1 and < 10, and n is an integer

significant figures

all the digits that can be known precisely in a measurement, plus a last estimated digit

temperature

a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles in matter; temperature determines the direction of heat transfer

weight

a force that measurements the pull of gravity on a given mass