1.4 - 1.5 Measurements and Significant Figures

What is a measurement?

A quantity with a number and a unit.

What is a unit in measurement?

A standard for comparison in measurement.

What does SI stand for?

International System of Units.

What is a base unit?

Fundamental unit of measurement.

What is a derived unit?

A unit formed from base units.

What is the SI unit for length?

Meter (m).

What is the SI unit for mass?

Kilogram (kg).

What is the SI unit for temperature in Kelvin?

Kelvin (K).

What is the common temperature scale besides Kelvin?

Celsius (°C).

What is volume?

The amount of space an object occupies.

What is a liter?

Common unit of volume.

What is a milliliter?

One-thousandth of a liter.

What is density?

Mass per unit volume.

What is an exact number?

A value with no uncertainty.

What is measurement uncertainty?

The estimated digit in a measurement.

What is a meniscus?

The curved surface of a liquid in a container.

What is accuracy in measurement?

How close a measurement is to the true value.

What is precision in measurement?

How close repeated measurements are to each other.

What are significant figures?

Digits that reflect measurement precision.

What are leading zeros?

Zeros before nonzero digits; not significant.

What are captive zeros?

Zeros between nonzero digits; significant.

What are trailing zeros?

Zeros at the end of a number; may be significant.

What is scientific notation?

Expressing numbers using powers of ten.

What is the addition/subtraction rule for significant figures?

Least decimal places determine significant figures.

What is the multiplication/division rule for significant figures?

Least number of significant figures determines result.

What is rounding in significant figures?

Adjusting numbers to correct significant figures.