Metric Mania

Name ___________________________________________Period _____
Metric Mania!
Upon completion of this packet, you will be a certified
“metricologist!”
(That’s a person who studies the metric system.)
But, before we get there let’s lay down some ground rules:
♦ All equipment is treated with the same care that you would use when handling a prized possession.
♦ All numbers must be accompanied by the appropriate unit. No unit, no credit!
♦ If this packet is lost, your grade will suffer a TEN point deduction!
♦ When moving the triple beam balance, use TWO hands.
♦ Rulers and meter sticks are NOT swords!
Objectives:
♦ Describe the relative size of basic units of metric measure in relation to common objects. 5.3.8.B1
♦ Use correct metric units when referring to metric measures. 5.3.8.B1
♦ Determine the mass of an object using a balance. 5.6.6.A2 & 5.1.8.A2
♦ Determine the volume of a liquid using graduated cylinder. 5.6.6.A2, 5.1.8.A1 & C1,C2
♦ Determine the volume of a rectangular solid. 5.3.8.B1 & C1 & 5.1.8.A1
♦ Recognize density as a characteristic property of matter. 5.6.6.A4
♦ Calculate density given mass and volume. 5.3.8.B1 & C1
♦ Use density to determine whether an object sinks or floats in water. 5.3.8.C1

Name _________________________________________________ Period __________
Metric Mania: Introduction to Conversions
Common Conversions to remember:
(these conversations all use meters,
but would be the same for liters or grams)
♦
♦
♦
♦
1 m = 1000 mm
1 m = 100 cm
1000 m = 1 km
1 cm = 10 mm
Steps:
• write down your common
conversion (CC)
• Solve
For example:
♦ 17kg = _____ g
if 1 kg = 1,000 g,
then 17 kg = 17,000
♦ 130 mL = _____L
CC: 1000 mL = 1 L
130 mL = .130 L
(Hint: Count your zeroes in your
common conversion…that will tell
you how many times to move your
decimal!)
Try these conversions.
1000 mg = _______ g 1 L = _______ mL
CC: _________________
CC: _________________
160 cm = _______ mm 14 km = _______ m
CC: _________________
CC: _________________
109 g = _______ kg 250 m = _______ km
CC: _________________
CC: _________________
Compare using , or =. (Hint: you want to compare cookies to cookies)
56 cm 6 m 7 g 698 mg
CC: _________________
CC: _________________
(from T. Trimpe 2000 http://sciencespot.net/)

Name _________________________________________________ Period __________
Metric Mania: Conversion Challenge
Write the correct abbreviation for each metric unit.
1) Kilogram _____ 4) Milliliter _____ 7) Kilometer _____
2) Meter _____ 5) Millimeter _____ 8) Centimeter _____
3) Gram _____ 6) Liter _____ 9) Milligram _____
Try these conversions.
10) 2000 mg = _______ g 13) 5 L = _______ mL 16) 16 cm = _______ mm
CC: _________________ CC: _________________ CC: _________________
11) 104 km = _______ m 14) 198 g = _______ kg 17) 2500 m = _______ km
CC: _________________ CC: _________________ CC: _________________
12) 480 cm = _____ m 15) 75 mL = _____ L 18) 65 g = _____ mg
CC: _________________ CC: _________________ CC: _________________
Compare using , or =.
19) 63 cm 6 m 21) 5 g 508 mg 23) 1,500 mL 1.5 L
CC: _________________ CC: _________________ CC: _________________
20) 536 cm 53.6 m 22) 43 mg 5 g 24) 3.6 m 36 cm
CC: _________________ CC: _________________ CC: _________________
(from T. Trimpe 2000 http://sciencespot.net/)

Name _________________________________________________ Period __________
1. What does each unit represent?
Metric Mania: Length Lab
(a) mm = ________________________
(c) cm = ________________________
(b) m = ________________________
(d) km = ________________________
2. How much does each one equal?
(a) 1 m = _______ cm (b) 1 cm = _______ mm (c) 1 km = _______ m
3. Which measurement is the largest? Circle your answer for each pair.
(a) 14 mm or 1 cm (d) 145 m or 145 km
CC: _________________
CC: _________________
(b) 334 m or 1 km (e) 3.4 cm or 30 mm
CC: _________________
CC: _________________
(c) 1 m or 990 cm (f) 10 km or 1000 cm
CC: _________________
CC: _________________
4. Use a metric ruler to find each measurement.
ALL ANSWERS MUST INCLUDE THE CORRECT UNITS FOR CREDIT…NO UNIT, NO CREDIT!
If it says “nearest”, you need to round your answer so you don’t have a decimal point. If not, you should
have one decimal point in your answer.
(a) Length of the line above in centimeters ______
(b) Length of the line above to the nearest centimeter _______
(c) Height of the rectangle above to the nearest millimeter _______
(d) Width of the rectangle above to the nearest millimeter _______
(e) Radius of the circle to the nearest millimeter _______
(f) Diameter of the circle in centimeters ________
(g) Diameter of the circle to the nearest centimeter _______
(from T. Trimpe 2000 http://sciencespot.net/)

Name _________________________________________________ Period __________
(h) Volume of the box above in cubic centimeters
________ x ________ x ________ = _________
(Measure to the nearest centimeter before multiplying)
5. Find the length of your pencil (including eraser) in millimeters. ________
6. What is your height in centimeters? ________ What is your height in meters? _______
7. Find the distance between the letters “A” and “B” in the back of the classroom in meters. ________
8. Use your shoe and a metric ruler to complete this section. Keep your shoes on for this one!
(a) What is the length of your shoe to the nearest centimeter? ________
(b) About how many shoes would it take (heel to toe) to make 1 meter? _______
(c) About how many shoes would it take to make 1 kilometer? ________
9. A stack of ten pennies is about 1.4 cm tall.
(a) How tall would a stack of 100 pennies be in centimeters? ________
(b) How tall would a stack of 1000 pennies be in centimeters? _______
10. Circle the BEST metric unit for each.
(a) The length of an eyelash mm cm m km
(b) The height of a flagpole mm cm m km
(c) The length of a strand of spaghetti mm cm m km
(d) The distance from Chicago, IL, to Peoria, IL. mm cm m km
(from T. Trimpe 2000 http://sciencespot.net/)

Name _________________________________________________ Period __________
Metric Mania: Volume Lab
Part A: Count your drops!
Follow the directions to find the number of drops in 1 milliliter of water, and then answer the questions. You
will need a small graduated cylinder (10 ml), a beaker of water, and an eyedropper for this section.
Practice with the eyedropper before you begin.
Take a guess - How many drops of water will it take to equal 1 milliliter? __________ drops
(1) Fill your eyedropper with water from your beaker.
(2) Using your graduated cylinder, slowly add drops of water, counting as you go. When you get to the
1 ml mark, stop and record the number of drops in the table below
(3) Leave the water in the graduated cylinder. Starting at 1 and count the number of drops it takes to
raise the water to 2 ml. Record the number in the chart.
(4) Repeat for 3 ml, 4 ml, and 5 ml.
(5) Using a calculator, calculate your average and round to the nearest tenth.
Number of
drops to 1 ml
Number of
drops to 2 ml
Number of
drops to 3 ml
Number of
drops to 4 ml
Number of
drops to 5 ml
Average
Based on your average, how close were you to your guess? ____________
Based on your average, how many drops would it take to make 1 liter? _________
Part B: Water Displacement
Follow the directions to find the volume of irregular objects using water displacement.
(1) Add 20 ml of water to a 100 ml graduated cylinder. Record this amount in the chart.
(2) Add the objects to the cylinder and measure the volume. Record this amount in the chart.
(3) Find the difference between the two measurements and record in the chart. The difference between
the two measurements will be the volume of the objects.
(4) Volume can be calculated using liters or meters cubed. The conversion is 1 ml = 1 cm 3 .
Volume of water without
the objects (ml)
Volume of water with
the objects (ml)
Difference in volume /
Volume of objects (ml)
Volume of objects in
cm 3
Part C: Volume by Formula
Use the formula to find the volume of the box in cm 3 . Measure to the nearest centimeter (no decimals)
before calculating your answer.
Volume = length x width x height
__________ x __________ x __________ =______________
(from T. Trimpe 2000 http://sciencespot.net/)

Name _________________________________________________ Period __________
Metric Mania: Mix & Match Mass
Choose items from the classroom that will be closest to the targeted mass. You may use a single item or
mix and match items to reach the targeted mass, but each group much be a new combination (so if you find
that a paper clip is one gram, you cannot just use 5 paper clips for 5g and 10 for 10g, and so on).
Be sure to go in order and learn from your mistakes. Even if you are off by a lot, still record the actual
mass and move on to the next targeted mass.
Targeted Mass Item(s) Actual Mass
1 gram
5 grams
10 grams
20 grams
50 grams
100 grams
200 grams
400 grams
Circle the BEST metric unit for each.
(1) Your mass: mg g kg
(2) Amount of spices in a batch of cookies: mg g kg
(3) Mass of 10 pennies: mg g kg
Mass Challenge: Use your knowledge of the metric system and lab equipment to answer the question. Be
sure to explain your procedure - how you found your answer!
What is the mass of 100 milliliters of water? ________________
Procedure: ___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(from T. Trimpe 2000 http://sciencespot.net/)

Name _________________________________________________ Period __________
Explore Density
Mass is how much stuff is in an object (or more scientifically, how much matter is in an object).
Volume is how much space an object takes up (or how much space an object occupies).
Density is the amount of stuff in a particular space (or how tightly packed the matter is within an object).
FYI: Density is represented by the Greek letter: ρ (pronounced rho).
Find three water proof things and fill in the table below:
Object
Mass in g
(Use the triple
beam balance)
Volume in mL
(Use the water
displacement
method)
Density in g/mL
(Using the
calculator, do mass
divided by volume)
Sink, suspend, or
float
in water, which has
a density of 1 g/mL
Fun Fact: According to a scientist named Schwarzschild, black holes have a density of 2 * 10 23 g/mL, that’s
200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 g/mL!
(from T. Trimpe 2000 http://sciencespot.net/)

Name _________________________________________________ Period __________
Metric Mania: Mystery Canisters
Part A: Use your knowledge of the metric system and lab equipment to modify three vials. One vial should
float (1), another should remain suspended in the middle of the tank (2), and another should sink to the
bottom (3).
Record the mass and volume of each canister in the chart below and calculate the density for each.
Vial 1 (float)
Mass (g) Volume (mL) Density (g/mL)
Vial 2 (suspend)
Vial 3 (sink)
Part B: Based on each density, predict the location of each item in a tub of tap water.
Choose from: float, sink, or suspended.
A. 0.2 g/ml _________________________ D. 1.0 g/ml _________________________
B. 2.3 g/ml _________________________ E. 0.5 g/ml _________________________
C. 0.99 g/ml _________________________ F. 1.9 g/ml _________________________
(from T. Trimpe 2000 http://sciencespot.net/)