Term 1: Measurements

Term One:

(2) Measurements

This topic was taught to me in the later half of term 1. In this topic, we were taught about the importance of measurements and how grave mistakes can happen if one does not use measurements wisely. We were also introduced to how to convert our units when using them during measurements. This was an important skill which I picked up along the way as it came into great use not only in future Science questions but also in the subject Mathematics. We also learnt how to read meniscus (concave or convex). Personally, I feel that this topic was closely linked with Mathematics as it was all about conversions and numbers. Fortunately, my Maths is strong and I am able to convert effortlessly but sometimes I am confused. I have also learnt that Vinegar+bi-carbonate will have a chemical reaction of effervescence forming. And when copper sulfate is mixed with water, the water will become blue. And when carbonate is mixed with water it has no chemical reaction as carbonate is not soluble in water.I learnt about the Metre rule and how to avoid parallax error. I also learnt about what is the function of an external caliper, internal caliper and vernier caliper. I encounter some difficulty understanding the function but soon I understand after reading it again and again thoroughly.

Pendulum

For measuring of length, one can use a metre rule, vernier calipers, and a micrometer screw gauge.

1. A metre rule can measure up to 1m of things. It can measure up to 1mm. Parallel error may occur, so we must record the findings properly.
2.  A vernier caliper measure the diameters of objects, and have two jaws that are hinged at one end. There are internal and external calipers, and they measure internal and external diameters respectively. It can be measured up to 0.01cm. Before using the vernier calipers, we must also check for zero error. If there is, we must add or subtract the result later.
3. A micrometer screw gauge can measure to a precision of 0.01mm, and like the vernier caliper, we must also check for zero error and do the necessary recalculations again.

  

Vernier Caliper