Length+and+Mass

=**__Length and Mass__**=

Length is the measurement of a long dimension on an object (dictionary.com). Its SI base unit is the meter (m) (Brown, LeMay, Bursten 14).

Mass is a measure of the amount of material in an object. Its SI base unit is kilogram (kg) (Brown, LeMay, Bursten 15).

Prefixes are used to denote a specific value.
 * Prefix || Abbr. || Example ||
 * Giga || G || 1 gigameter (Gm) = 1 x 10⁹ m ||
 * Mega || M || 1 megameter (Mm) = 1 x 10⁶ m ||
 * Kilo || k || 1 kilometer (km) = 1 x 10³ m ||
 * Deci || d || 1 decimeter (dm) = 1 x 10-¹ m ||
 * Centi || c || 1 centimeter (cm) = 1 x 10-² m ||
 * Milli || m || 1 millimeter (mm) = 1 x 10-³ m ||
 * Micro || µ || 1 micrometer (µm ) = 1 x 10-⁶ m ||
 * Nano || n || 1 nanometer (nm) = 1 x 10-⁹ m ||
 * Pico || p || 1 picometer (pm) = 1 x 10-¹² m ||
 * Femto || f || 1 femtometer (fm) = 1 x 10-¹ ⁵ m ||

=**The English System Versus the Metric System**=

In chemistry, the Metric System is the standard system of measurement. For this reason, it is important to know how to convert between English and Metric units of measurement. Common English units include the pounds and ounces for mass and inches, feet and miles for length. Their Metric counterparts are the gram and kilogram for mass and the meter and kilometer for length. Examples of the conversions can be seen below.



Sources:

"Chemistry: The Central Science" Brown, LeMay, Bursten.

"length." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 27 Aug. 2008. .

http://www.learner.org/interactives/metric/images/length2.gif

http://www.learner.org/interactives/metric/images/volume2.gif