Metric Take Home Lab

Web-based Activities

If you are still having trouble with the metric system and/or the scientific method, you may want to visit the following Websites:

1) Metric Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology, or

2) International System of Units (SI), Physics Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, or

3) Metric Review Lab, Professor Richard Harwood, Black Hawk College, or

4) Cosmic Zone, ASPIRE, University of Utah, or

5) Scientific Method, ASPIRE, University of Utah.

1. Following your investigation of the information presented at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Website, answer the following questions.

a) What is the mission of the NIST?

b) What is the purpose of NIST's Metric Program?

2. Using the information at the following Websites as references, write a brief newspaper article describing the history of the metric system.

1) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

2) U.S. Metric Association, Inc. (USMA)

3. Use the International System of Units (SI) information at the French Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) Website to answer the following questions.

a) What is the "Convention of the Metre"?

b) In the International System of Units (SI), how is the base unit for time, the second(s), defined?

c) What is meant by an SI derived unit? Give at least two examples of SI derived units.

4. Several special units of measurement are used in the Earth sciences. To help you begin to understand some of these units, use this search engine to research the: a) light-year, b) astronomical unit, c) angstrom unit, d) Kelvin temperature, e) nautical fathom. When you have finished, write a short definition of each in the following space.

5. Convert each of the following units into the indicated equivalents using this interactive units converter.

a) 8,234,187 meters equals: (kilometers, miles, feet, fathoms, astronomical units, light-years)

b) 98°C equals: (°F, Kelvin)

c) 2.85 gallons (U.S. liquid) equals: [liters, gallons (British imperial), fluid ounce (oz)