Lesson: Chapter - 12

Basic Measurement and Calculation Review

Measurements are essential in chemistry and all its applications. Whenever you use chemical compounds-whether you are adding salt to your cooking, putting antifreeze in your car radiator, or choosing a dosage of medicine-quantities of substances must be measured.

Four basic physical quantities of measurement are introduced in this section: mass, length, time, and temperature. Their respective SI base units are the kilogram (kg), the meter (m), the second (s), and the kelvin (K).

Volume measurements are derived from length and have the SI base unit of cubic meter (m³); however the liter (L), equal to 1 cubic decimeter (dm³), is more commonly used. Two temperature scales other than the Kelvin scale—the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales—are also considered and compared in this section.

The Chemistry test will not directly test you on any of the skills that this appendix discusses.

However, a good working knowledge of the information in this chapter will still prove very helpful during the exam. Remember, you can’t use a calculator during the test!

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