Standard Units (SI)

Units are how scientists describe what kind of thing is being measured

• 35 mph. The speed limit is measured in the units of miles/hr

• 150 lbs. The weight was measured in pounds

• Both Miles and Pounds are 'English' units

• In the USA, we tend to use 'English' units for daily life

• In science, metric units are more commonly used, so we need to know what English and Metric units are.

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• We need to be able to measure distance

• We also need to be able to measure mass and weight

• If the unit ends with 'gram' it measures weight/mass

• If the unit ends with 'liter' it measures volume

• If the unit ends with 'meter' it measures distance

There are other units in physical science, but we will discuss them as we get to that section of the class. For now, focus on distance and weight.