LON-CAPA Handout for Week 1, Vertebrate Zoology 03051: Metric System and Measurement

Handout for Laboratory 1, Vertebrate Zoology 03051: Metric System and Measurement

Please note that units and conversions are located on the inside cover of the Hickman lab manual

Objectives for this lab:

To be able to make linear, volume, mass, and temperature measurements with appropriate instruments and metric units.
To be able to convert measurements from one metric unit to another metric unit.
To be able to approximate metric and English unit measurement equivalents.

Linear measurement:

Using a meter stick, measure the:

length of a lab table top, in cm, m, and km (label units!):_______________________________
width of a lab table top, in cm and m:_____________________________________________
thickness of a lab table top, in cm and m:___________________________________________

Using a small metric ruler, measure the:

diameter of a quarter, in mm and cm (label units!):____________________________________
thickness of a quarter, in mm and cm:_____________________________________________
diameter of a dime, in mm and cm:_______________________________________________
thickness of a dime, in mm and cm:_______________________________________________

Measure the length, width, and thickness (height) of your lab manual (keep track of your units!):

During our weeks of dissection, we will be making measurements of different parts of the specimens. These measurements will help us to draw comparisons among the vertebrates. For example, a gibbon with proportionately longer arms than a human being is adept at swinging through trees. Allometry ("other measure") is the study of these scaled comparisons. Let's practice by measuring some human structures with the aid of a lab partner. Keep all of your units consistent in cm:

your height, standing:_________________________________________________________
your height, sitting in chair (from chair seat up):______________________________________
hand length (wrist to longest digit), both R and L hand:________________________________
ear length (from skull), both R and L ear:__________________________________________
arm length (from backbone to longest finger), both R and L arm:_________________________
arm span (finger tip to finger tip):_________________________________________________

Your instructor may ask you to enter one or more of these values into a table for comparison.

Mass measurement:

Using the appropriate scale, measure the following:

mass of a quarter in mg, g, and kg (label units!):______________________________________
mass of a dime in mg and g:_____________________________________________________
mass of a lab manual in g and kg:_________________________________________________
mass of yourself in g and kg:_____________________________________________________

Temperature measurement:

Using a centigrade thermometer, measure the following (label units correctly):

air in the room (not in sunlight):___________________________________________________
air under a microscope light:_____________________________________________________
the palm of your hand:_________________________________________________________
cold tap water:_______________________________________________________________
ice water:___________________________________________________________________
boiling water:_________________________________________________________________

Temperature conversion:

Using the formulas found on the inside cover of Hickman, compute the following:

212 ^oF: __________ ^oC
37 ^oC: __________ ^oF
32 ^oF: __________ ^oC
20 ^oC: __________ ^oF

Volume measurement:

Using the water displacement method in a graduated cylinder, measure the volume of the following items. You may find that they are small enough that you will want to use several and average the results:

volume of quarter in ml and l (keep units straight!):____________________________________
volume of dime in ml and l:______________________________________________________
volume of [your object of choice] in ml and l:_________________________________________

Volume computation:

Calculate the following volumes from your previously determined measurements. Compare your directly measured volumes of the quarter and the dime with your calculated one.

volume of quarter in cm³ [cc] and m³:______________________________________________
volume of dime in cm³ [cc] and m³:________________________________________________
volume of lab table top in cm³ [cc] and m³:__________________________________________
volume of lab manual in cm³ [cc] and m³:____________________________________________

Approximate metric and English equivalents:

2.5 cm is close to what English measurement?
1 kg is about how many pounds?
A high of 15 ^oC is most likely to be expected in spring summer winter in Troy (circle one)
1 US quart is close to what metric measurement?

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Please send comments and questions to: cronewil@hvcc.edu

Copyright 1999, 2000 by Wilson Crone

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This web page last updated on January 28, 2000