Introduction to Chemistry

CHM 1025
Dr. Melko

Chapter 2
The Metric System and YOU

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 The Metric System

The English System uses inches, pounds, gallons.

In 1790, the French government appointed a team of
scientists to make a universal system of
measurement. The result was the Metric System.
In 1975 Gerald Ford signed an official metric
conversion act. The U.S. was the last nation in the
world to adopt the metric system.

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 The Metric System

Scientists use the metric system.

- Single base unit for every quantity measured.
- A decimal system is used where prefixes reduce
or enlarge the basic unit. 1 cm = 1/100 of a meter

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 The Metric System

United States Rest of the World

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 Original Metric System Definitions

- A meter was 1/10,000,000 of the distance from the

North Pole to the equator.
- A kilogram was equal to the mass of a cube of
water measuring 0.1 m on each side.
- A liter was set equal to the volume of one kilogram
of water at 4ºC.

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 The Metric System Prefixes

Prefixes reduce or enlarge the basic unit in

multiples of 10.
COMMIT THESE TO MEMORY!!!

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 The Metric System Abbreviations

Names of metric units are abbreviated with the letter

corresponding to the prefix and the original base unit
abbreviation.

- Kilometer = km
- Milligram = mg
- Nanosecond = ns
- Microliter = μL

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 Quiz

State the name and symbol for the prefix that

corresponds to the following numbers:

1 x 106
1 x 10-12
1 x 103
1 x 10-9

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Dimensional Analysis (Using Conversion Factors)

Dimensional analysis is a problem solving strategy

commonly used in scientific mathematical problems.
GET GOOD AT IT!

A unit equation relates two quantities that are equal.

- 1 km = 1000 m
- Unit equations are exact numbers. So don’t
consider them in accounting for sig figs.

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 Dimensional Analysis

When using dimensional analysis to solve a

mathematical problem, you often use a unit factor.

- A unit factor is a ratio of two equivalent quantities.

- For the unit equation 1km = 1000 m, the ratio you

use in the problem would be:
1 km 1000 m
or
1000 m 1 km

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Using Dimensional Analysis

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 Quiz

What is the mass in grams of a 325 mg pill?

Step 1: We want grams: g

Step 2: We write down what’s given: 325 mg

Step 3: We apply a unit factor (correctly so

unwanted units cancel)

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 Multistep Dimensional Analysis

Sometimes we need to do a two-for-one conversion:

A hospital has 125 deciliters of blood plasma. What

is the volume in milliliters?

1: We want mL
2: We have dL
3: Convert dL to L, then L to mL

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 Metric-English Conversions

English system is still common in the U.S. If we all

only used metric, there would be little need for these
conversions. However, we find that we often have to
convert between these two systems.

THESE WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU ON EXAMS

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 Metric-English Sig Figs

When doing metric-metric conversions (100 cm = 1 meter) we

ignore the conversion sig figs because it is exact.
When doing metric-English conversions (946 mL = 1 quart) we
assume 3 sig figs. This is because it is not exactly 946 mL for
every quart. We are rounding and limiting ourselves to 3 sig
figs. Make sure you consider this when deciding how many sig
figs to include in your final answer.

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 Quiz

In a football game, a Jaguar running back ran

for 120 yards. How long did he run in meters?
(Note: 1 yd = 0.914 m)

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 Quiz

A half-gallon of milk has 64.0 fl oz. How many

milliliters is that?
(Note: 1.00 qt = 32 fl oz, 1.00 qt = 946 mL)

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 Compound Units

Some units have ratios in them. For example,

miles/hr or g/L.

Use dimensional analysis ONE UNIT AT A TIME.

What is 105 km/hr in m/s?

- Convert km to m
- Convert hr to s
105 km 1000 m 1 hr
× × = 29.2 m/s
hr 1 km 3600 s
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 Units are Important

The Mars Climate Orbiter

cost about $100,000,000.

An engineer from NASA

incorrectly used English
units instead of metric
units, which caused the
spacecraft to crash into the
planet instead of orbit the
planet.

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 Percentages

A percent (%) is a ratio of parts per 100 parts.

In chemistry, we frequently specify the percent of a

certain element in a total substance.
For example, substance A is 42% copper and 58%
tin.

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 Quiz

Sterling silver contains silver and copper. If a sterling

silver chain contains 18.5 g of silver and 1.5 g of
copper, what is the mass percent of silver in the
chain?

mass of silver
% silver  100%
mass of silver  mass of copper

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 Percentages

25% can be expressed as 25 parts out of 100 parts:

- Useful as a unit factor in calculations

A given problem may give you a percentage, which

you need to use as a unit factor in a calculation.

The moon is 4.70% iron. How many grams of iron

are in a 92 gram moon rock?

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 Volume

Volume is calculated by multiplying together length,

width, and thickness of the material.
volume = l × w × t
All three measurements must be in the same unit.
If the block below measures 3 cm long by 2 cm wide
by 1 cm thick, the volume is 6 cm3.

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 Quiz

An engine has a volume of 498 cm3, what is the

volume in cubic inches (in3)?
(Note: 1 in = 2.54 cm)

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 Volume by Displacement

Many solids are not perfect, nicely ordered shapes.

These volumes can be measured by measuring the amount
of water the solid displaces.

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 Volume by Displacement

To do this, partially fill a container with water,

measure the water volume, add the solid, and
measure the new (water + solid) volume. The solid
volume will be the difference in your two
measurements. The jade has a volume of 10.5 mL.

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 Density

Density is a way to convey concentration of mass.

- Density is the mass divided by the volume:

- Usually expressed in g/mL or g/cm3 for either
solids or liquids, while for gases it is usually g/L

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 Estimating Density in the Lab

Density can be estimated

by comparing how it
behaves in liquids of known
density.
- If it floats, the object has
a lower density than the
liquid.
- If it sinks, it has a higher
density than the liquid.

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 Density

Density may be used as a unit factor when

converting between mass and volume.
- A car battery has 1275 mL of battery acid. If the
density of battery acid is 1.84 g/mL, how many
grams of acid are there?

1.84 g
1275 mL × = 2350 g
mL

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 Quiz

A rectangular block of copper has a mass of 143.584

grams and measures 5.05 cm long by 0.0255 m
wide by 12.5 mm thick. What is the density of the
sample in units g/cm3?

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 Temperature

Temperature measures the average kinetic energy

of individual particles in motion.
There are 3 temperature scales: Celsius (ºC),
Fahrenheit (ºF), and Kelvin (K).
Water freezes at: Water boils at:

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 Temperature

Temperature conversions are done using the

following formulas (which you’ll be given on exams).

Converting Celsius to Fahrenheit:

Converting Fahrenheit to Celsius:

Converting Celsius to Kelvin: ºC + 273 = K

Converting Kelvin to Celsius: K – 273 = ºC

*Note: These equations use exact relationships* 32

 Quiz

The temperature of liquid nitrogen is -196 ºC. What

is this on the Kelvin scale?

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 Heat vs. Temperature

Temperature is an average energy, expressed in

degrees C, F, or K.
Heat is a measure of total energy, expressed in
Joules (J) or calories (cal).
- Both beakers have the same temperature (100 ºC),
but NOT the same amount of heat.

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 Specific Heat

Specific heat is the amount of heat required to raise

the temperature of 1 gram of substance 1 ºC.

- The higher a substance’s

specific heat, the more total
energy you need to give it in
order for its temperature to rise.
- Water’s high specific heat
means our oceans resist large
temperature swings and
maintain our global temperature.

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