General Chemistry: Measurements, Units, and Calculations

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts regarding SI units, temperature scales, density, energy, pressure, scientific notation, and measurement reliability from the lecture.

Celsius scale

A temperature scale commonly used in chemistry where water freezes at $0\,^\circ\text{C}$ and boils at $100\,^\circ\text{C}$ under $1\,\text{atm}$ of pressure.

Kelvin scale

The absolute temperature scale where the lowest possible temperature is $0\,\text{K}$, referred to as absolute zero.

Fahrenheit scale

A temperature scale common in the United States where water freezes at $32\,^\circ\text{F}$ and boils at $212\,^\circ\text{F}$ under $1\,\text{atm}$ of pressure.

Cubic meter

The SI-derived unit for volume, denoted as $\text{m}^3$.

Density

The ratio of mass to volume for a given substance, expressed mathematically as $d = \frac{m}{V}$.

Kinetic energy

Energy resulting from the motion of an object, denoted as $E_K$.

Potential energy

Energy resulting from an object's position in a force field, denoted as $V$.

Radiant energy

Energy resulting from electromagnetic radiation, denoted as $E_{\text{photon}}$.

Law of conservation of energy

The principle stating that the total energy of any isolated process remains constant ($\Delta E_{\text{TOT}} = 0$), though energy may convert between different forms.

Pascal

The standard SI unit of pressure, denoted as $\text{Pa}$, which equals $1\,\text{N\,m}^{-2}$.

Scientific Notation

A format consisting of a decimal part and an exponential part used to write and manipulate very large or very small numbers efficiently.

Significant figures

All the meaningful digits in a reported measurement, where the final digit represents the estimated or uncertain value.

Accuracy

A measure of how close a set of experimental measurements is to the true or accepted value.

Precision

A measure of how close replicate measurements are to one another, reflecting repeatability and degree of variation.

Exact numbers

Numbers that have defined constant values or are obtained by counting discrete objects, possessing an infinite number of significant figures.

Inexact numbers

Numbers obtained through measurement methods other than counting, which contain inherent uncertainty and must be reported with appropriate significant figures.