1.2.

1 Units of Measurement

1.2 UNITS OF MEASUREMENT

FROM HANDS-ON CHEMISTRY
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1.2.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF UNITS .............................................................................. 4

1.2.2 UNITS IN CHEMSITRY ........................................................................................... 7
1.2.3 PROBLEM SOLVING (dimensional analysis) ....................................................... 12
FOR THE TEACHER....................................................................................................... 17
1.2.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF UNITS ............................................................................ 19
1.2.2 UNITS IN CHEMISTRY ......................................................................................... 20
1.2.3 PROBLEM SOLVING (Dimensional Analysis) ..................................................... 22

An accurate and consistent system of measurement is the foundation of a healthy

economy. In the United States, a carpenter pays for lumber by the board-foot, while a
motorist buys gasoline by the gallon, and a jeweler sells gold by the ounce. Land is sold
by the acre, fruits and vegetables are sold by the pound, and electric cable is sold by the
yard. Without a consistent, honest system of measurement, world trade would be thrown
into chaos. Throughout history, buyers and sellers have tried to defraud each other by
inaccurately representing the quantity of the product exchanged. In the Bible we read that
the people of Israel were commanded to not "...use dishonest standards when measuring
length, weight or quantity" but rather "use honest scales and honest weights..." (Leviticus
19:35-36). From ancient times to the present there has been a need for measuring things
accurately.
When the ancient Egyptians built monuments like the pyramids, they measured
the stones they cut using body dimensions every worker could relate to. Small distances
were measured in "digits" (the width of a finger) and longer distances in "cubits" (the
length from the tip of the elbow to the tip of the middle finger; 1 cubit = 28 digits). The

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 1.2.1 Units of Measurement

Romans were famous road builders and measured distances in "paces" (1 pace = two
steps). Archaeologists have uncovered ancient Roman roads and found "mile"-stones
marking each 1000 paces (mil is Latin for 1000). The Danes were a seafaring people and
particularly interested in knowing the depth of water in shipping channels. They measured
soundings in "fathoms" (the distance from the tip of the middle finger on one hand to the
tip of the middle finger on the other) so navigators could easily visualize how much
clearance their boats would have. In England distances were defined with reference to
body features of the king. A "yard" was the circumference of his waist, an "inch" was the
width of his thumb, and a "foot" the length of his foot. English farmers, however,
estimated lengths in something they could more easily relate to: "furlongs", the length of
an average plowed furrow.
As various cultures emigrated to England, they brought with them their various
measurement systems. Today, the English or Customary system reflects the variety of
different measurement systems from which it originated. There are, for example, many
units in which distance can be measured in the Customary system, but they bear no
logical relationship to each other:

1 statute mile = 0.8688 nautical miles = 1,760 yards = 320 rods = 8 furlongs =5280 feet
= 63360 inches = 880 fathoms = 15840 hands

Many English units are specific to certain professions or trades. A sea captain reports
distances in nautical miles and depths in fathoms, while a horse trainer measures height in
hands and distance in furlongs. Unfortunately, most people have no idea what nautical
miles, fathoms, hands, or furlongs are because they only use the more common measures
of miles, yards, inches.
The early English settlers brought the Customary system of measurement with
them to the American colonies. Although the Customary system is still widely used in
America, scientists prefer to use the metric system. Unlike the English (Customary)
system, the metric system did not evolve from a variety of ancient measurement systems,
but was a logical, simplified system developed in Europe during the seventeenth and

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 1.2.1 Units of Measurement

eighteenth centuries. The metric system is now the mandatory system of measurement in
every country of the world except the United States, Liberia and Burma (Myanmar).
In 1960, an international conference was called to standardize the metric system.
The international System of Units (SI) was established in which all units of measurement
are based upon seven base units: meter (distance), kilogram (mass), second (time),
ampere (electrical current), Kelvin (temperature), mole (quantity), and candela (luminous
intensity). The metric system simplifies measurement by using a single base unit for each
quantity and by establishing decimal relationships among the various units of that same
quantity. For example, the meter is the base unit of length and other necessary units are
simple multiples or sub-multiples:

1 meter = 0.001 kilometer = 1,000 millimeters =1,000,000 micrometers = 1,000,000,000

nanometers

Table 1 shows the SI prefixes and symbols. Throughout this book we use the metric
system of measurement.

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 1.2.1 Units of Measurement

Table 1: SI Prefixes and Symbols

Factor Decimal Representation Prefix Symbol

18
10 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 exa E
15
10 1,000,000,000,000,000 peta P
12
10 1,000,000,000,000 tera T
9
10 1,000,000,000 giga G
6
10 1,000,000 mega M
3
10 1,000 kilo k
2
10 100 hecto h
1
10 10 deka da
0
10 1
-1
10 0.1 deci d
-2
10 0.01 centi c
-3
10 0.001 milli m
-6
10 0.000 001 micro m
-9
10 0.000 000 001 nano n
-12
10 0.000 000 000 001 pico p
-15
10 0.000 000 000 000 001 femto f
-18
10 0.000 000 000 000 000 001 atto a

1.2.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF UNITS

Concepts to Investigate: Fundamental units, derived units, factor labels, dimensions.
Materials: none.
Principles and Procedures: When crossing the border to Canada, American motorists
are often surprised to see speed limits of "90" or "100". If they don't realize that
Canadians measure speed in kilometers/hr while Americans measure in miles/hr (1.00
mile/hr = 1.61 kilometers/hr; 60 miles/hr = 97 km/hr) they may soon be in for trouble
with the law. If, for example, an American motorist accelerates until her speedometer
(measured in miles/hr) reaches "100", she will be traveling 38 miles/hr over the posted
speed limit of 100 km/hr since a speed of 100 km/hr is equal to only 62 miles/hr. As this
example illustrates, measurements without units are meaningless and may lead to serious

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misunderstandings. Everything that can be measured must be expressed with appropriate

units.
Units in everyday life: We use units everyday, often without even realizing it. In
the statements that follow you will find a wide variety of interesting facts, but each is
missing a crucial piece of information -- the dimensions (units)! All the statements are
meaningless until you supply the appropriate units. On the basis of your experiences, try
to match the appropriate units from the list provided.

carats feet kilometers milligrams

cm grams/ml kilowatt-hours pounds
degrees Celsius inches liters stories
degrees Fahrenheit kcal (Cal) megabars tons
kilograms miles yards
miles per hour

(a) America's tallest building (Sears Tower in Chicago) is 110 ___ high.
(b) The Empire State Building in New York is 1250 ___ high.
(c) The Nile is the world's longest river. It is 4180 ___ long.
(d) The Amazon River in South America is ___ 6296 long.
(e) The coldest temperature ever recorded was -128.6 ____ in Vostok, Antarctica in
1983.
(f) The highest recorded temperature in the United States was in Death Valley,
California when the mercury reached 57 ____!
(g) The world record rainfall occurred in Cherrapunji, India where 1042 ___ of rain
fell in one year.
(h) The largest recorded hailstone to ever fall landed in Coffeyville, Kansas in 1979.
It had a diameter of 44.5 _____ !
(i) The longest punt in NFL history was by Steve O'Neal of the new York Jets. He
kicked the football 98____.
(j) The largest seed in the world is that of the coc-de-mer coconut tree, which may
weigh as much as 40 ____!
(k) The world's largest meteorite is located in Southwest Africa. It weighs 650
________ .
(l) The most popular soft drink in the World is currently Coca Cola. More than
210 million ______ were consumed each day in 1990.

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 1.2.1 Units of Measurement

(m) The largest diamond in the world was mined from South Africa in 1905 and
weighs 3,106 _______ .
(n) Earth is the densest of the nine planets, with an average density of 5.515 _____ .
(o) The world's fastest aircraft is the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, clocking a record
speed of 2,193.67____.
(p) The largest gold nugget ever found had a mass of 100 ________ !
(q) One large chicken egg contains an average of 274____ cholesterol.
(r) A 16-year old male requires an average of 2800 ____ of energy per day while a an
average 16-year old female requires only 2100____.
(s) The United States produces and consumes more electric energy than any other
nation. Each year the United States produces over 2500 billion ____ .
(t) The largest pressure ever developed in a laboratory was 1.70 ______, used to
solidify hydrogen in 1978.

Questions:
(1) Why is it essential that all measurements be accompanied by appropriate units?
(2) Individuals who travel to regions of the world with poor sanitation are warned to filter
or boil their water before drinking it to remove deadly water-born pathogens that cause
diseases such as cholera or typhoid. If you were traveling in a region known to have a
polluted water supply, would you drink water that your host said had been heated to 100
degrees for five minutes? Explain.

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1.2.2 UNITS IN CHEMISTRY

Concepts to Investigate: Fundamental units, derived units, SI (International System)
units.
Materials: optional: dictionary, encyclopedia, chemical handbook.
Principles and Procedures:
Fundamental and Derived Units: There are only 26 letters in the English alphabet, yet
with these 26 letters it is possible to construct all of the words in the English language.
Similarly, there are 7 "letters" in the "language of measurement" from which all units of
measurement are derived. These 7 "letters" are distance , mass, time, electric charge,
temperature, amount, and luminous intensity (see the first seven entries in Table 2).
These are known as the fundamental units because they can not be expressed in a simpler
fashion. All other units are derived from these seven units.
Distance is a fundamental unit, because it can be expressed in no simpler terms.
However, volume is a derived unit because it is expressed as the cube of distance. For
example, when measuring the volume of a box you multiply its length by its width by its
height. The resulting volume is expressed as a cube of distance (d3) such as cubic feet or
cubic centimeters. Density is also a derived unit because it is expressed as the ratio of
mass/volume, where volume itself is a derived unit expressed as a function of distance
cubed. Thus, we can express density (a derived unit) in terms of fundamental units as
mass divided by distance cubed (m/d3).
In 1960 the 11th General Conference on Weights and Measures adopted the
International System of measurement (SI) and assigned base units for each physical
quantity. Table 2 shows some common physical quantities and their SI units. The first 7
(bold type) are the seven fundamental units while the remaining units are derived from
these.

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Table 2: Physical Quantities and Their Units

symbol SI measurement units symbol unit dimensions
distance d meter m m
mass m kilogram kg kg
time t second s s
electric charge* Q coulomb C C
temperature T Kelvin K K
amount of substance n mole mol mol
luminous intensity I candela cd cd
acceleration a meter per second squared m/s2 m/s2
area A square meter m2 m2
capacitance C farad F C2.s2/kg.m2
concentration [C] molar M mol/m3
density D kilogram per cubic meter kg/m3 kg/m3
electric current I ampere A C/s
electric field intensity E newton per coulomb N/C kg.m/C.s2
electric resistance R ohm kg.m2/C2.s
emf volt V kg.m2/C.s2
energy E joule J kg.m2/s2
force F newton N kg.m/s2
frequency f hertz Hz s-1
heat Q joule J kg.m2/s2
illumination E lux (lumen per square meter) lx cd/m2
inductance L henry H kg.m2/C2
magnetic flux weber Wb kg.m2/C.s
potential difference V volt V kg.m2/C.s2
power P watt W kg.m2/s3
pressure p pascal (newton per square meter) Pa kg/m.s2
velocity v meter per second m/s m/s
volume V cubic meter m3 m3
work W joule J kg.m2/s2
* The official SI quantity is electrical current, and the base unit is the ampere. Electrical current is the
amount of electrical charge (measured in coulombs) per unit of time.

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SI multiple units and Non SI-Units: Some of the most commonly measured
quantities in chemistry are distance, mass, time, temperature, volume, density, pressure,
amount, concentration, energy, velocity, molarity, viscosity, and electric charge. All of
these quantities can be measured in a variety of different ways. For example, distance can
be measured in centimeters, nanometers, miles, inches, feet, fathoms, ngstroms,
microns, kilometers, yards, light-years, femtometers and mils. Different units are used to
measure different things. For example, interstellar distances are measured in light-years
(e.g. the distance between our Sun and the next nearest star Proxima Centurai is 4 light-
years) while intermolecular bond lengths are measured in ngstroms (e.g. the distance
between hydrogen and oxygen in water is 0.958 )
Unfortunately, those unfamiliar with the variety of units used to measure distance
might assume that all of these units represent different physical quantities, when in fact
they are all used to measure distance. Although groups like the International Union of
Pure and Applied Chemists (IUPAC) and others have recommended that all quantities be
measured in SI units (e.g. meters) or multiples of SI units (e.g. femtometers, nanometers,
micrometers, millimeters, centimeters, kilometers), many other measurement units
continue to be used (e.g., miles, inches, feet, fathoms, ngstroms, microns, yards, light-
years, mils).
The left hand column in Table 3 lists some of the most commonly measured
quantities in chemistry and the middle column lists the SI units. Table 4 provides a list of
other units that are used in the measurement of one of these 8 quantities. Examine each
of these terms and try to determine which quantity it measures (distance, mass, time, etc.).
Place these units in the table adjacent to the quantity you believe they measure. After
classifying the units, consult a dictionary, encyclopedia, chemistry text, or other resource
to determine if you classification is correct.

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Table 3 Different units for the same quantity

Quantity SI units other units

distance meters

mass kilograms

time seconds

temperature kelvin

volume cubic meters

density kilograms per

cubic meter

pressure newtons per

square meter

energy joules

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Table 4 Units of distance, mass, time, temperature,

volume, density, pressure and energy

ngstroms dynes mils

astronomical units dyne per square miles
atmospheres(atm) electron volts milligrams
atomic mass units ergs millennia
bars fathoms millibar
barrels feet milliliters
bayre femtometers milliseconds
board-feet gallons minutes
British thermal units grams per cubic mmHg
bushels centimeter nanometers
Calories grams per liter nanoseconds
carats grams per milliliter ounces
centigrade grams ounces per gallon
centigrams hours pascals
centimeters inches pecks
centuries joules pints
cm H20 kilocalories pounds per cubic foot
cubic centimeters kilograms pounds per square inch
cubic yards kilojoule quarts
cups kilometers slugs
days kilopascals tablespoons
decades kilowatt-hours teaspoons
degrees Celsius light-years therms
degrees Fahrenheit liters tons
degrees Rankine metric tons torrs
micrograms yards
microns

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1.2.3 Problem Solving (Dimensional Analysis)

Concepts to Investigate: Problem solving, dimensional analysis (factor-label method,
unit analysis).
Materials: none.
Principles and Procedures: Cardiovascular diseases (diseases of the heart and blood
vessels) are the leading cause of death worldwide. To address this problem, biomedical
engineers have designed various artificial hearts, and some day surgeons may routinely
implant these in patients whose own hearts are failing. Before implanting such a device
in a patient, a surgeon needs to have an idea of how long it might be expected to work
before needing to be replaced. If an artificial heart is capable of pumping at least
17,000,000 pints of blood before failure, how long will it probably last in a patient if
their average heart rate is 72 beats per minutes, and average stroke volume (the amount of
blood pumped with each stroke) is 70 mL?
When faced with such a problem, people usually resort to their calculators and
punch in sequences such as the following:

(17,000,000 x 473 x 70)/(72 x 60 x 365)=?

(70 x 72 x 60 x 365)/(17,000,000 x 473)=?
(17,00,000 x 473 x 72)/(70 x 60 x 365)=?

Each one of these includes the correct numbers, but which equation yields a correct
answer? Actually, all are incorrect because they do not specify units (a dimensionless
product is meaningless) and illustrate errors in logic (the calculations will yield incorrect
numbers because they are not set up correctly). Fortunately, such errors can be avoided
using a technique known as dimensional analysis.

Dimensional Analysis (also known as factor-label method and unit analysis) is the single
most powerful technique in solving problems of this kind. Dimensional analysis allows
you to set up the problem and check for logic errors before performing calculations, and

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allows you to determine intermediate answers enroute to the solution. Dimensional

analysis involves five basic steps:
(1) Unknown: Clearly specify the units (dimensions) of the desired product (the
unknown). These will become the target units for your equation.
(2) Knowns: Specify all known values with their associated units.
(3) Conversion factors and formulas: Specify relevant formulas and all
conversion factors (with their units).
(4) Equation : Develop an equation (using appropriate formulas and conversion
factors) such that the units of the left side (the side containing the known
values) are equivalent to the units of the right side (the side containing the
unknown). If the units are not equal, then the problem has not been set up
correctly and further changes in the setup must be made.
(5) Calculation: Perform the calculation only after you have analyzed all
dimensions and made sure that both sides of your equation have equivalent
units.

Let us illustrate dimensional analysis using the problem of the artificial heart.

(1) Unknown (target units)

We want to determine the number of years the heart can be expected to beat.

(2) Known values

The artificial heart is projected to pump at least 1.7 x 107 pints of blood
The average heart rate is 72 strokes/minute
The average stroke volume is 70 mL/stroke

(3) Conversion Units

There are 473 mL/pint
There are 60 min/hr
There are 24 hr/day

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There are 365 day/yr

(4 &5) Equation and Calculation

7
1.7 x 10 pints 473 ml stroke min h 1d y = 3.0 years
pint 70 ml 72 strokes 60 min 24 h 365.25 d

We can now analyze the dimensions to insure that our problem is set up correctly before
performing the calculation. The only way that we can get the units on the left and right
side to be equal is by dividing by the stroke volume, heart rate, and time conversion
factors. Notice that when dividing you simply invert and multiply. The units of the
unknown (the target value) are years. Since all of the units on the left side of the equation
except years cancel, the problem is set up correctly and we can perform the calculation
and determine that the heart may be expected to pump a little more than seven years.
In addition to insuring that your problem is set up correctly, dimensional analysis
also yields other answers enroute to the final solution. In this problem, the first
calculation indicates how many milliliters of blood the heart may pump while the second
indicates the number of strokes the heart may be expected to perform. The third product
indicates the number of minutes the heart may be expected to operate, while the fourth
and fifth calculations indicate this same time converted to days and years.

Another example may help indicate how useful this technique is. Let's say that a
painter is painting a fence 300 meters long and 2.0 meters high with paint that costs
$23.00 gallon. If a gallon of paint covers 60 square meters, what does it cost to paint the
fence?

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The unknown in this question is the cost of painting the fence. Thus, our answer
on the right side of the equation must have units of dollars ($). Looking at the known
information we see that the only thing which has the unit "dollar" in it is the cost of the
paint ($23.00/gallon). Knowing that the answer must be expressed in units of dollars, we
start of by multiplying by $23.00/gallon to keep dollars ($) in the numerator. All that is
necessary at this point is to cancel out the units of "gallons" in the denominator. We
know that a gallon covers 60 square meters (1 gallon/60 m2), so we must multiply by this
value to cancel gallons. Now we are left with square meters (m2) in the denominator that
can be canceled if we multiply by the length (300 m) and height (2.0 m) of the fence. All
of the units on the left cancel except dollars ($), indicating that we have set the problem
up correctly and the calculation can now be made.
$23.00 gallon 300 m 2.0 m = $230
2
gallon 60 m

Questions:
(1) Analyze the units in each of the following equations and determine the units of the
answer.
(a) The product of density (g/ml) and volume (ml)=
(b) The product of concentration (mol/l) and volume (l) =
(c) The product of pressure (N/m2) and area (m2)=
(d) The quotient of mass (g) divided by volume (ml)=
(e) The product of velocity (m/s) and time (s)=

(2) Dimensional analysis can be used to solve most word problems, regardless of the
subject. Solve the following problems using dimensional analysis.
(a) Calculate the number of seconds in the month of December.
(b) Linoleum flooring is sold in one foot squares. Approximately how many
squares must be ordered to cover the rooms in a school if each room is 1300
square feet and there are 10 rooms per floor and 3 floors in the building?

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(c) How many donuts can you buy with twenty-three dollars if they cost
$3.00/dozen?
(d) A light year is the distance light travels in one year. Sirius (the dog star), the
brightest star in the sky, is approximately 8.6 light years from earth. How far
(in km) from the earth is it knowing that light travels 3.0 x 108 m/s?
(e) The density of lead is 11.3 g/cm3. What is the mass of a block of lead 20.0 cm
high, by 30.0 cm long by 15.0 cm deep?

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FOR THE TEACHER

Scientific notation and significant figures: When dealing with very large or small
numbers, it is best to use scientific notation. Scientific notation is a method which
simplifies the writing of very small and very large numbers and computations involving
these. In scientific notation, numbers are expressed as the product of a number between 1
and 10 and a whole-number power (exponent) of 10. The exponent indicates how many
times a number must be multiplied by itself. Some examples follow: 101 = 10, 102 = 10 x
10 = 100, 103 = 10 x 10 x 10 = 1000.
Exponents may also be negative. For example, 10-1 = 1/10 = 0.1. Also, 10-2 =
1/100 = 0.01 and 10-3 = 1/1000 = 0.001. Following are some examples of numbers
written in scientific notation:

30 = 3 x 101 150 = 1.5 x 102 60,367 = 6.0367 x 104

0.3 = 3 x 10-1 0.046 = 4.6 x 10-2 0.000 002 = 2 x 10-6

Writing a number in scientific notation involves successively multiplying the

number by the fraction 10/10 (which is equal to 1). Multiplying a number by one does
not change the value of that number. For example:

(3 10 4 ) (5 10 3 ) 15 107
6 10 8
3
2 10 5
3 10
(5 10 ) (2 10 3 ) (1.5 10 4 ) 1.5 102
2

6 10 2 2
4 3 10
2 10

It is certainly not necessary to use the above formal procedure to write a number
in scientific notation. After some practice your students will be doing it in their heads.

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You may wish to explain scientific notation as follows: to write 142 in scientific notation,
move the decimal point two places to the left (which is dividing by 102), and multiply by
102 to get 1.42 x 102. To write 0.013 in scientific notation, move the decimal point two
places to the right (which is multiplying by 102), and divide by 102 to get 1.3 x 10-2.
Computations involving numbers written in scientific notation are easy to
perform. To multiply numbers written in scientific notation, multiply the whole-number
parts and add the powers (exponents). To divide numbers written in scientific notation,
divide the whole-number parts and subtract the power (exponent) of the demoninator
from the power of the numerator. Following are some examples:

(3 104 ) (5 103 ) 15 107

Scientific notation makes it possible to6 unambiguously
108
3
2 105 indicate the number of significant
3 10 reports a measurement of the mass of a
digits in a measurement. Suppose a student
(5 10 ) (2 103 ) (1.5 104 ) 1.5 102
2

reagent as 230 g. How many significant digits are contained in this measurement? We
6 102
don't know! The digits 2 and 3 are obviously 3 102 but what about the zero? Is it
4 significant,
2 10
just a place holder or did the student actually estimate the mass to the nearest g?
Scientific notation can help the student and us answer this important question. Carefully
inspect the following:

230 = 2.3 x 102

230 = 2.30 x 102

The first measurement 2.3 x 102 indicates that there are only two significant
digits in the measurement. That is, the student did not measure to the nearest gram -- the
zero is only a place holder. The second measurement 2.30 x 102 indicates that the
student did measure to the nearest gram -- the zero is a significant digit.

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1.2.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF UNITS

Discussion: It is very common to forget to include units when recording measurements or
performing calculations. Remind your students that measurements without units are
meaningless, and encourage them to "catch" you whenever you have omitted units. If
students try to catch your mistakes (real or planned), they will be much more aware of
their own.
This activity is designed to help students understand the importance of units and
recognize their use in everyday life. Students are asked to supply units for various
measurements where they have been purposely omitted. Some of the questions are
designed in a seemingly contradictory fashion to help students recognize the importance
of always using units. For example: question "a" states that "The world's tallest building
(Sears Tower in Chicago) is 110 ___ high," while question "b" states that "The Empire
State Building in New York is 1,250 ___ high." This seeming contradiction is resolved if
one realizes that the heights of these buildings are measured in different units (stories
versus feet).
Answers:
(Activity): (a) stories, (b) feet, (c) miles, (d) kilometers, (e) degrees Fahrenheit, (f)
degrees Celsius, (g) inches (h) cm, (i) yards, (j) pounds, (k) tons, (l) liters, (m)
carats, (n) grams/ml (o) miles per hour, (p) kilograms, (q) milligrams, (r) kcal (Cal) (s)
kilowatt-hours, (t) megabars.
(1) There are many different ways to measure any particular quantity and it is essential to
use the correct unit to avoid confusion and unwieldy numbers. For example, mass can me
measured in grams, centigrams, kilograms , milligrams, micrograms, atomic mass units,
carats, ounces, slugs, tons, or metric tons.
(2) Hopefully, before you drink, you would ask your host whether it was heated to 100
degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit! Water at 100 degrees Celsius boils (at atmospheric
pressure), while water at 100 degrees Fahrenheit is only slightly above body temperature.

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1.2.2 UNITS IN CHEMISTRY

Discussion: Fundamental and Derived Units: There is a common tendency on the part of
students and teachers to omit units when performing scientific calculations. This bad
habit may result from the fact that many of us have learned mathematics in a
"dimensionless" environment where the problems do not involve real-life measurements.
Encourage the teachers at your school to employ units when teaching mathematics so
students will be accustomed to using them when studying science.
An understanding of fundamental units can help you and your students discover
and understand relationships between various terms and quantities. Every derived unit is
composed of fundamental units. For example, acceleration can be expressed in terms of
velocity and time. By examining the units of acceleration (m/s2), one can see its
relationship to velocity (m/s) and time (s) :
m m 1 1 velocity
a= 2 velocity
s s s time time
Thus, by examining the units (dimensional analysis), it becomes clear that acceleration is
the ratio of velocity to time. This discovery is consistent with the definition of
acceleration as the change in velocity per change in time.
A second example may further help show the value of dimensional analysis: A
farad is a measure of electrical capacitance (the ability to store charge) and can be
expressed in fundamental terms as:
C 2 s2
kg m 2

where C represents charge in coulombs, s represents time in seconds, kg represents mass

in kilograms, and m represents distance in meters. If we know how a quantity may be
expressed in fundamental terms, we can discover relationships between it and other
quantities. For example, knowing the fundamental units of capacitance (C); potential
difference (V), and charge (Q), we can see the relationship between them:

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 1.2.1 Units of Measurement

C2 s2
C = capacitance farad =
kg m 2
2
kg m
V potential difference volt =
C s2
Q = charge coulomb = C
By examination of the fundamental units, it can be seen that capacitance is very similar to
the inverse of potential difference:
C2 s2 1 C s2
capacitance: C = inverse of potential difference
:
kg m 2 V kg m 2
If we multiply the inverse of potential difference (1/V)by charge (Q; measured in
coulombs, C), then the units are the same as capacitance:
1 Q (C) C s2 C2 s2
Q C
V V kg m 2 kg m 2
Thus, by examining the fundamental units of capacitance, charge and potential
difference, we have discovered a basic physical relationship: capacitance is equal to ratio
of charge to potential difference (C=Q/V).
This example indicates how an analysis of fundamental units can elucidate
important relationships. It also illustrates the confusion students may experience when
solving problems. Notice that C represents coulombs, while C represents capacitance.
Students are frequently confused when the same letter is used to represent different
things. Fortunately, there are standards (Appendix 2-1) for the designation of symbols
and these should be introduced to students before confusion arises.

SI multiple units and Non SI-Units: This exercise is designed to show students
the variety of units that may be used to measure the same quantity. When students see the
complexity of terms, they will hopefully understand the value of using SI units whenever
possible.

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Table 5 SI and Non-SI Units

Quantity SI units other units

distance meters centimeters, nanometers, miles, inches, feet,
fathoms, ngstroms, microns, kilometers, yards,
light-years, femtometers, mils, astronomical units
mass kilograms grams, centigrams, kilograms , milligrams,
micrograms, atomic mass units, carats, ounces,
slugs, tons, metric tons
time seconds hours, days, minutes, centuries, decades, millennia,
nanoseconds, milliseconds
temperature kelvin degrees centigrade, degrees Celsius, degrees
Fahrenheit, degrees Rankine
volume cubic meters milliliters , cubic centimeters, liters, bushels,
gallons, cups, pints, quarts, pecks, tablespoons,
teaspoons, cubic yards, barrels, board feet
density kilograms per grams per milliliter, grams per cubic centimeter,
cubic meter grams per liter, pounds per cubic foot, ounces per
gallon
pressure newtons per pascals, kilopascals , bars, millibars , dynes/cm2 ,
square meter bayres, torrs, millimeters Hg, centimeters H20,
atmospheres (atm), pounds per square inch (PSI)
energy joules joules, kilojoules, ergs, dynes, Calories, kilocalories,
kilowatt-hours, British thermal units, therms,
electron volts

1.2.3 Problem Solving (Dimensional Analysis)

Discussion: Dimensional analysis is a very powerful tool for solving problems and can be
used in every discipline where calculations are made using measured values. In this
section we have introduced some simple examples, but it is up to the teacher to illustrate
this technique repeatedly when solving problems before the class. Students will learn by
example, and if you are not consistent with using units and dimensional analysis, they
will not be either. Dimensional analysis has saved many teachers embarrassment when
solving problems in class, because the teacher can check units to determine if the problem
setup is correct or incorrect before proceeding with a calculation. Insist that students
include dimensions and perform dimensional analysis when solving problems. Another
example of dimensional analysis may help illustrate its usefulness in chemistry:

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Determine the volume of dry hydrogen collected over water at 27 C and 75.0 cm
Hg as produced by the reaction of 3.0 g zinc metal with an excess of sulfuric acid.
(1) Unknown: The unknown quantity (V2) is the volume of gas at standard
temperature and pressure and has units of liters of hydrogen. Note that the
unit is not merely liters, but liters of hydrogen as distinguished from other
substances.
(2) Knowns:
Starting mass of zinc: 3.0 g Zn
Temperature: T2 = 27 C = 300 Kelvin
Pressure: The gas pressure (750 mm Hg) is the sum of the vapor pressure of
water at 27 C (27 mm Hg; see Appendicies 1-5 and 1-6)) plus the
vapor pressure of hydrogen. 750 mm Hg = 27 mm Hg + P2
P2 = 723 mm Hg.
(3) Equations and Conversion factors
The balanced equation for this reaction is
Zn H2SO 4
ZnSO4 H2
Thus, the mole ratio of zinc to hydrogen is: 1 mole zinc/1 mole
hydrogen
The gram-atomic weight of Zn is: 65g/mole
Standard temperature; T1=273 K
Standard pressure; P1=760 mm Hg
At standard temperature and pressure the molar volume of a gas is 22.4
liters/mole
Combined gas law:

(4) Connecting Path (Dimensional Analysis): The equation to be used is

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(5) Calculation: The calculation is done only after an analysis of the dimensions insures
that the left and right sides of the equation have equivalent units. In this case, the answer
is 1.2 liters of hydrogen.

The student must make sure that all units (dimensions) are canceled appropriately
to leave just the desired unit, which in this case is liters of hydrogen gas. You will notice
that what may seem like a rather complex problem is reduced to a simple series of
multiplications and divisions. Virtually all of the problems encountered in secondary
science classes may be reduced to a simple "straight line format" which helps students
structure their thinking as they solve problems. With a little practice your students will
find the factor-label method is easy and convenient to use, and is a help in eliminating
errors. If the desired unit does not appear in the final answer, your students can be sure
that something is amiss and can immediately proceed to locate any errors in logic.
Students may not be familiar with the straight-line method for setting up problems and
might not realize that the vertical lines replace the parentheses in a standard algebraic set-
up.
Many students get confused when dividing by fractions because they fail to
specify units and/or do not clearly specify the order of operations. For example, when a
student writes down the problem 3/4/5, he or she will get 0.15 if three-quarters is divided
by 5, or 3.75 if 3 is divided by four-fifths. Such confusion can be eliminated by using the
straight line technique and requiring that fractions not be expressed in the numerator or
denominator:

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ambiguous expression: 3/4/5 clear expressions: 3 or 3 5

4 5 4

Answers:
(1) (a) g; (b) mole; (c) N; (d) g/ml; (e) m

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APPLICATIONS TO EVERYDAY LIFE

Business: Everything that is bought or sold has dimensions. A land investor needs to
know if a tract is measured in acres, hectares, square feet, or square miles. A
commodities broker needs to know if soy beans are priced by the bushel, peck, kilogram,
liter, cubic foot, or cubic yard. A building contractor needs to know whether a developer
has given him an order for concrete order in cubic yards or cubic feet. It would be nearly
impossible to run a successful business without knowledge of the units of the trade.

Retooling: In the 1980s, much of the American automobile industry switched from the
English system of measurement to the metric system of measurement. Changing the
measurement units required a massive amount of retooling. For example, where a one
inch bolt was previously used, a 2.5 cm bolt was substituted. Because of the slight
differences in size, it became necessary to buy new tool sets to work on these cars.
However, the effort put the U.S. automobile industry in a more favorable position
internationally and economically. Many other industries in the U.S. either have made the
change or are making the change.

Home Economics: Recipes always specify measurements in units. You need to know
whether your recipe is measured in tablespoons, teaspoons, cups, quarts, gallons,
milliliters or liters! When cooking dinner, it is essential that you know whether directions
were written for a stove calibrated in Celsius or Fahrenheit. When comparing the rates of
competing long distance phone carriers, it is necessary to know the unit on which the
billing rate is set.

Monetary Systems: Each country has its own monetary system. Although countries
may use the same unit, it may have a different meaning. A Canadian dollar is not worth
the same as an American dollar, neither is a Japanese yen worth the same as a Chinese

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yuan. The full name of the unit should be specified whenever doing calculations. In other
words, it is necessary to specify an American dollar, not just a dollar.

Measurement: It is important that you know the meaning of the units by which
something is measured. On business reports you may hear the price of a particular
commodity quoted. Although they may say that it costs $1000 per ton, the question
remains, are they quoting the price per long ton (1.016 metric tons), per short ton (0.97
metric tons), or per metric ton? To understand the world around us, it is necessary to
know how items are measured, and what the units they are measured in represent.

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