Unit Conversion Lab

Use unit conversion calculations to answer each of the following questions. Show your work for each calculation. Don’t forget units!!!

Station 1: Length of the chemistry room

Find the length of the Chemistry room in inches. There are 45 floor tiles across the length of the chemistry room.

  • What unit you start with:
  • What unit you will end with:
  • Conversions factors you will use:

Calculations:

Station 2: Mass of a paper clip

Find the mass of the paper clip in tons. There are 2.2 pounds in a kilogram and 2000 pounds in a ton.

  • What unit you start with:
  • What unit you will end with:
  • Conversions factors you will use:

Calculations:

Station 3: Volume of a very small beaker

Find the volume of the beaker in gallons. There are 0.26 gallons in a liter.

For this station, fill the beaker to the line closest to the top with tap water. Pour the water into the graduated cylinder to accurately measure the volume. *Note: you should always read the volume of a graduated cylinder at the bottom of the meniscus.

  • What unit you start with:
  • What unit you will end with:
  • Conversions factors you will use:

Calculations:

Station 4. Find the temperature of your armpit.

Find the temperature of your armpit in Kelvins. The temperature of a substance in Kelvins is equal to its temperature in Celsius plus 273.

  • What unit you start with:
  • What unit you will end with:
  • Conversions factors you will use:

Calculations:

Station 5. Length of time you can hold your breath.

Find the maximum amount of time you can hold your breath, in years. There are 365 days in a year.

  • What unit you start with:
  • What unit you will end with:
  • Conversions factors you will use:

Calculations:

Station 6. Area of a paper towel

Find the area of a paper towel in square meters. *Note* Convert each length to meters before finding the area to simplify the math.

  • What unit you start with:
  • What unit you will end with:
  • Conversions factors you will use:

Calculations:

Station 7. Length of a pencil

Determine the length of an unsharpened pencil in miles. There are 1.6 kilometers in a mile.

  • What unit you start with:
  • What unit you will end with:
  • Conversions factors you will use:

Calculations:

Unit Conversion Lab

Post-Lab Individual Practice

Complete the following problems INDIVIDUALLY once the lab is complete and you are seated back at your desks.

Show all of your work and make sure to include units!

  1. Your car is approximately 3.2 meters in length. How long is your car in centimeters?
  1. One of your friends is celebrating her birthday this week. She will be 16 years old. How old will she be in days?
  1. Convert 905 mg to kg.
  1. The speed limit in Canada is 100 km/hr. Convert this to meters/second
  1. You are having a party with 20 people and want to order pizza. You need enough so that every person can have at least two slices. Each pizza is 8 slices. How many pizzas should you order?