Question

cumulative practice problems

1. select the unit from the list that you would use to measure each object.

a. the length of a pencil
b. the weight or mass of a pencil
c. the volume of a pencil
d. the weight or mass of a hippopotamus
e. the length of a hippopotamus
f. the length of a fingernail clipping
g. the weight or mass of a fingernail clipping
h. the volume of a sink
i. the volume of a bowl
j. the length of a chalkboard or whiteboard
k. the weight or mass of a chalkboard or whiteboard
l. the length of the border between the united states and canada

1. when this pet hamster is placed on a digital scale, the scale reads 1.5.

what could be the units?

Explanation:

• For 1a: A pencil's length is relatively short. Among the given units, centimeters or inches are suitable for measuring short lengths. In the metric system, centimeters are commonly used for such objects.
• For 1b: The mass of a pencil is light. Grams are used for measuring light masses.
• For 1c: The volume of a pencil (assuming it's a solid, we can think of its displacement volume). Milliliters (or cubic - centimeters, since \(1\space cm^{3}=1\space mL\)) are used for measuring small volumes.
• For 1d: A hippopotamus is a large animal. Kilograms are used for measuring the mass of large objects (while tons are for extremely heavy objects like large ships, but a hippo's mass is better measured in kilograms).
• For 1e: The length of a hippopotamus. Meters are used for measuring the length of larger objects (longer than a few feet/inches but shorter than kilometers).
• For 1f: A fingernail clipping is very short. Millimeters are used for measuring very short lengths.
• For 1g: A fingernail clipping has a very small mass. Grams (even a fraction of a gram, but grams are the appropriate unit from the list) are used for measuring small masses.
• For 1h: The volume of a sink. Gallons (in the US customary system) or liters (in the metric system) are used for measuring the volume of larger containers. Liters are a metric unit for volume.
• For 1i: The volume of a bowl. Cups or liters (if using the metric system more generally) can be used. Cups are a common unit for measuring the volume of containers like bowls in the US customary system.
• For 1j: The length of a chalkboard or whiteboard. Yards (in the US customary system) or meters (in the metric system) are used. Meters are a more standard metric unit for such lengths.
• For 1k: The mass of a chalkboard or whiteboard. Kilograms are used for measuring the mass of larger objects (not as heavy as tons).
• For 1l: The length of the border between the US and Canada. Kilometers (in the metric system) or miles (in the US customary system) are used. Kilometers are a metric unit for long distances.
• For 2: A pet hamster is a small animal. If the scale reads \(1.5\), the unit is likely ounces (in the US customary system for small masses of animals) or pounds (but \(1.5\) pounds is a bit heavy for a very small hamster). If we assume the metric system is not the focus here (since the units in the first question have a mix), ounces are more appropriate.

Answer:

a. centimeters
b. grams
c. milliliters
d. kilograms
e. meters
f. millimeters
g. grams
h. liters
i. cups
j. meters
k. kilograms
l. kilometers

1. ounces