Measure Twice, Cut Once
Students learn the metric units engineers use to measure mass, distance (or length) and volume. They make estimations using these units and compare their guesses with actual values. To introduce the concepts, the teacher needs access to a meter stick, a one-liter bottle, a glass container that measures milliliters and a gram scale.
Measuring slope.Copyright U.S. Department of Justice, Americans with Disabilities Act, http://www.ada.gov/images/measureslope.gif
Engineers use many different methods of measurement, depending on the task at hand. The scales they use range from tiny to very large, and all measurements need to be accurate and precise. Both accuracy and precision are very important — whether building the cars for a new rollercoaster or developing a new type of medicine — because small mistakes can lead to big disasters!
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- List which units of measurement are used for different properties.
- Estimate simple measurements of distance and length.
- Explain how engineers use measurement and understand the importance of accuracy and precision in engineering design.