Glossary
A
- accurate
- - correct, exact, with little or no error
- air pressure
- - the weight of air pressing down on the earth
- approximate
- - not quite exact, close to what is needed
B
- biologist
- - a scientist who studies living things
C
- calculate
- - to solve or figure out using math, to compute
- calibrate
- - to check or adjust a tool for accuracy by comparison with a standard
- consume
- - to use up
- current
- - flow of electric charge
- customary units
- - the measurement system used in the United States, with inches, feet, pounds, quarts, gallons
D
- derived
- - to come from a particular source
- device
- - an invention or machine used to perform a certain purpose
- digital
- - showing information in electronic numerical form
E
- error
- - inaccuracy in a scientific measurement
- exact
- - correct, specific, accurate, no more and no less
- exclusively
- - only; including no others
F
- fraction
- - a part of a single unit
G
- general
- - broad, not detailed or specific
H
- hand span
- - distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger with the fingers outstretched
I
- international trade
- - buying and selling goods between different countries
M
- mass
- - amount of matter in an object
- metric system
- - system of measurement based on the number ten
- multiple
- - more than one
N
- nautical mile
- - equal to 1.15 land miles
- nonstandard unit
- - a measuring unit that may vary in length or weight, such as a sock, a foot, a handspan, or a marble
P
- population
- - the number of organisms of a species in a given area
- precise
- - obtaining a high degree of sameness when taking repeated measurements of the same thing
- prefixes
- - a meaningful word part attached to the beginning of an existing word
- property
- - attribute, characteristic, or trait of a substance, such as size, color or weight
Q
- quantity
- - a number that describes how much or how many of something
R
- rate
- - a number measured in relation to another measurement, as in meters per second or miles per hour
- round
- - to simplify a number so that it is close to the actual value but not exact
S
- standard unit
- - a measuring unit that is always the same and provides a consistent reference: an inch, mile, meter, kilometer, second, etc.
- stern
- - the rear part of a boat
- superior
- - much better than others, higher in quality
U
- unit of measure
- - a quantity or object used as a standard; how much makes up "1" of the measurement.
