Math, Science: Measurement Websites

August 30th, 2008 By: Diane Trim in Math Teaching Strategies, Science Teaching Strategies, Technology in the Classroom

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Just how small is an amoeba? What is a picometer? How do I stack up to the Great Pyramids of Egypt?  How far is it to the next galaxy?

According to the National Council of Teachers of Math, all students, k-12, need to make decisions about what units and methods are the best for measuring something. A unifying concept for high school science is the idea of change, constancy and measurement.

But when you talk to students about how small an atom really is or the breadth of the universe, they have a hard time visualizing just how small or large the scale really is.

Nikon has developed an interactive Website, the Universcale, which places light years and femtometers (a quadrillionth of a meter) into perspective. The site features a bar at the bottom of the screen that lists the units of measurement from the smallest to the greatest. Above the measurement bar are silhouettes that illustrate an object that is commonly measured with each unit. Objects line up from least to greatest, with invisible quarks at the small end, the great pyramids in the middle, and the vastness of outer space at the far end. Humans are included on the scale, as are rabbits, fleas, and dust mites.

At each measurement stop (picometers, nanometers, centimeters, meters, kilometers) the site offers an explanation of what the measurement term means and what it commonly measures. Measurements are listed in scientific notation and a grid displays the relative grandeur of each object.

Another great site, though much simpler in design is SensibleUnits.com. Type in any unit of measure and the site will offer equivalent measurements in relatively common objects. Two centimeters is the same as the length 2.5 grains of basmati rice, lined up end to end, or the width of two CD cases, stacked. Ninety-seven feet is the same as the span of 22 moose antlers. For numbers over 1,000, the site will translate the number into scientific notation, but it does not accept it for entries.

When used together, the Nikon site and the Sensible Units site reveal some interesting results. According to Nikon, the Great Pyramid of King Khufu is 147 meters tall, or 1.3 American football fields, according to Sensible Units. The 15-meter Tyrannosaurus is the equivalent of 2.5 stretched out human intestines or 7.6 Kobe Bryants.

Both sites could be used, separately or in conjunction, to make math and science measurements more accessible.

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