LAST NAME (ALL IN CAPS): FIRST NAME: 1. MEASUREMENTS & SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY Instructions: Your work will be graded on the basis of its accuracy, completion, clarity, neatness, legibility, and correctness of scientific term spelling. When you are done with your lab work, please clean the desk and leave all materials you worked with in the same way you found them! INTRODUCTION The Metric (SI) System The fundamental unit of measurement used in science has been established by the International System of Units (SI, Système International d Unités) synonym: Metric System. The basic metric unit for length is the meter (m), for volume it is the liter (L), and for mass it is the gram (g). US Standard System [The English System] Although the metric system is globally accepted as the standard system of measurement, the United States continues to use the English (Standard) system of measure. The basic English (standard) unit for length is the inch (in), for volume it is the gallon (gal), and for mass it is the pound (lb). As out world becomes smaller and we find ourselves involved in global business, educational, and leisure activities, an understanding of and ability to use metric system becomes more important. Some common conversion factors: 1 in = 2.54 cm 1 kg = 2.204 lb 1 m = 100 cm 1 nm = 0.000001 mm 1 ft = 0.3 m 1 gal = 3.78 L 1 m = 1.093 yd 1 m = 0.001 km 1 mi = 1.61 km 1 in 3 = 16.4 cm 3 1 mi 2 = 2.589 km 2 1 L = 1000 ml 1 ft = 12 in 1 km = 1,000 m 1mL = 1.000 cm 3 1 km = 1,000,000 mm TEMPERATURE SCALES ( o F, o C, K) Conversion from one temperature scale to another can be accomplished using an equation. To convert Celsius degrees to Fahrenheit degrees: o F = (1.8) X ( o C) + 32 o To convert Fahrenheit degrees to Celsius degrees: o C = (( o F) 32) 1.8 To convert Kelvins (K) to Celsius degrees: o C = K-273 Students must memorize these conversions UNDERSTANDING COMPOSITE BAR GRAPHS Another alternative for a simple bar graph is to have the bars stacked rather than side-by-side. This arrangement is useful when the summation of all the independent variables is as or more important than the values for each level. The stacking of the bars means there is no common baseline for the individual bar elements. A particularly powerful use for the composite bar graphs is when the sum of all the dependent variable values for each bar is the same. For example, in the bottom example, the sum of the different types of minerals will always equal 100 percent. Page 1 of 6
SIMPLE BAR GRAPHS STACKED (COMPOSITE) BAR GRAPHS STACKED (COMPOSITE) COMPLEX GRAPHS Figure 1. Examples of bar and complex graphs Page 2 of 6
CONVERSIONS (METRIC & STANDARD UNITS) QUESTIONS Q1. Write Metric (SI) or Standard (English) by the side of each of the following units. 4.7 gallons 53.45 millimeters 3.78 Liters 4.7 Square miles 10.0 Pounds 1000 meters 57.20 yards 15 nanometers Q2. Use the metric conversion factors given on page 1 to convert the following. I) 2.05 meters (m) = centimeters (cm) II) 1.50 meters (m) = millimeters (mm) III) 9 gallons (g) = Liters (L) IV) 5.4 kilo grams (kg) = pounds (lb) V) 10 square miles (mi 2 ) = square kilometers (km 2 ) VI) 150 feet (ft) = meters (m) VIII) 7 nanometer (nm) = millimeter (mm) VII) 32 meters (m) = yards (yd) Q3. Convert the following temperatures to their equivalents. I) On a cold day, it was 8 o F = o C II) Ice melts at 0 o C = o F III) Room temperature is 72 o F = o C IV) A lava flow is 1,200 o C = o F V) Normal body temperature is 98.6 o F = o C VI) A hot summer day was 35 o C = o F VII) Hot soup is 72 o C = o F VIII) Water boils at 212 o F = K Q4. Answer the following questions. I) The thermometer reads 28 o C. Will you need your winter coat? Yes or No? II) The thermometer reads 10 o C. Will the outdoor swimming pool be open today? Yes or No? III) If your body temperature is 40 o C, do you have a fever? Yes or No? IV) The temperature of a cup of cocoa is 90 o C. Will it burn your tongue? Yes or No? V) Your bath water is 15 o C. Will you have a scalding, warm, or chilly bath? Choose one. VI) The thermostat in your home reads 37 o C. Are you shivering or perspiring? Choose one. Page 3 of 6
Q5. Consider the Stacked (Composite) Complex graph given in the lower chart of Figure 1. Write the % of each of the following minerals that you would find in an average diorite and average peridotite. Round off your answer to the nearest multiple of 5. MINERALS AVERAGE DIORITE AVERAGE PERIDOTITE Orthoclase feldspar Quartz Plagioclase feldspar Pyroxene Amphibole Biotite mica Muscovite Olivine Q6. The amount of CO 2 in the atmosphere has been monitored at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii since 1958. Below is data showing how concentration of CO 2 has changed per decade since 1958 (with average seasonal cycle removed). Plot the data onto the graph as neatly and perfectly as possible, then draw a best fit line through the points. Data obtained from NASA (https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/). Year CO 2 (ppmv) 1958 315 1968 323 1978 335 1988 350 1998 365 2008 385 2018 408 i) What does the above graph show? Describe all information that you get from this graph. Use full sentences! ii) What are two ways you can tell from the graph that the concentration of CO 2 has increased since 1958? Page 4 of 6
Q7. Study the two figures given below and describe what each figure intends to show in the box below. Figures obtained from NASA (https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/). CO 2 vs. Year (top figure): Temperature vs. Year (lower figure) The above graph shows CO 2 levels during the last three glacial cycles, as reconstructed from ice cores. This graph illustrates the change in global surface temperature relative to 1951-1980 average temperatures. Seventeen of the 18 warmest years in the 136-year record all have occurred since 2001, with the exception of 1998. The year 2016 ranks as the warmest on record. Page 5 of 6
Q8. i) What relationship between temperature and CO 2 concentration is revealed by the graphs for Q6 and Q7? ii) What do you predict will happen to Earth s atmospheric temperature in the near future? Use figures Q6 and Q7 to help you answer this question? Explain by providing evidence. Q9. What do geologists do? Elaborate in one or two sentences. MEASURING VERY GREAT DISTANCES QUESTION FOR EXTRA CREDIT POINTS (3 points max.) Q10. The astronomical unit (AU) is used for measuring distances within the solar system. One astronomical unit is equal to the average distance of Earth from the Sun, about 150 million kilometers, or about 93 million miles. The light-year (LY) is used for measuring distances to the stars and beyond and is defined as the distance that light travels in a vacuum in 1 year about 6 trillion (6,000,000,000,000) miles. I) The planet Saturn is 1427 million kilometers from the Sun. Saturn is AUs from the Sun. II) Approximately how many kilometers will light travel in 1 year? Kilometers (km). III) The nearest star to Earth, excluding our Sun, is named Proxima Centauri. It is about 4.27 light-years away. What is the distance of Proxima Centauri from Earth in miles and kilometers? miles (mi) Kilometers (km) Page 6 of 6