Text Lesson

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to

 differentiate between the terms metric unit and SI unit;

 identify the seven units under the International System of Units (SI);
 recognize common derived units under the International System of Units (SI); and
 recognize other common customary units.

When making a calculation or taking a reading, using the correct "unit of measure" may be just
as important as arriving at the correct figure. It is important that units are quantified using the
accepted scale, and it is therefore similarly important that students learn to differentiate between
different units of measure.

Text Lesson

Learn about It!

There are two different systems used to measure things like length or weight: US standard and
metric.

The US standard units are also known as the English units or US Customary units. This system
is only used by three countries today, namely, United States, Liberia, and Myanmar.

The US standard basic units are as follows:

 Length: inch (in), foot (ft), yard (yd), mile (mi)

 Weight: ounce (oz), pound (lb), ton (T)
 Volume: fluid ounce (fl oz), pint (pt), quart (qt), gallon (gal)

The metric units, also known as the metric system is the system of measurement used around the
world.

The metric basic units are as follows:

 Length: meter (m)

 Weight: gram (g)
 Volume: liter (L)

The International System of Units, or SI units, is a metric-based system used to standardize

calculations of scientific quantities.
There are seven units under the SI system of measurement:

 Mass: kilogram (kg)

 Length: meter (m)
 Time: second (s)
 Amount of Substance: mole (mol)
 Temperature: kelvin (K)
 Electrical Current: ampere (A)
 Luminosity: candela (cd)

Text Lesson

Learn about It!

The units under the metric system can be changed according to scale with the use of prefixes. A
prefix represents a factor by which the base unit must be multiplied.

The complete list of the metric prefixes and how they are used will be discussed in another
lesson. However, consider the following example:

Example
Deci- is a metric prefix that has a decimal value of 0.1 and a power of ten of 10–1.

The seven SI units can also be used as a combination of different units, called SI derived units.
These are as follows:

 Celsius (°C) = K – 273.15), another measure of temperature

 Watt (kg

 m2/s3), SI unit for power

 Joules (kg
 m2/s2), SI unit for energy/work
 Pascal (kg/m
 s2), SI unit for pressure
 Newton (kg

 m/s2), SI unit for weight

 Hertz (1/s), SI unit for frequency

Text Lesson
Try It!
Which metric unit will you use for measuring the height of a table?

 meter
 gram
 inch

Try It! Solution

The height of a table is a quantity of length. Thus, the metric unit you will use is meter. Gram is
the unit for the weight of a table. An inch is a unit for length, but it is not a metric unit.

Text Lesson

Tip
Using the proper unit to describe a quantity is important. To measure distances in a room, you
would need a smaller unit of measure, like a meter. But, if you wanted to measure the distance
between two cities, you would need to use kilometers.

Key Points
 There are two different systems used to measure quantities: US standard and metric.
 The International System of Units, or SI units, is a metric-based system used to
standardize calculations of scientific quantities.