Volume and Mass Vocabulary

Front

Balance

Back

An instrument used to compare two masses.

*Usually, an unknown mass on one pan is compared to a known mass on the other pan. The masses are equal when the pans are balanced. A balance cannot measure mass directly.

Front

Force

Back

Something that can cause a change in motion; a push or a pull.

Front

Gravity

Back

The force of attraction between objects in the universe due to their mass.

*Earth's gravity causes objects to fall to Earth's surface. Gravity is significant when one of the objects has a lot of mass, like the Earth.

Front

Mass

Back

The amount of matter in an object.

*In the metric system, units for mass include the kilogram (kg) and the gram (g). There are 1000 grams in a kilogram.

Front

Newton

Back

The metric unit of force and weight.

*On Earth's surface, an object with a mass of one kilogram has a weight of 9.82 newtons (N).

Front

Spring scale

Back

An instrument used to measure force.

*The more the spring is stretched, the greater the force.

Front

Weight

Back

The downward force of gravity on an object.

*The greater the strength of gravity, the more the object weighs. The greater the mass of the object, the more it weighs.

Front

Cubic centimeter

Back

A unit of volume equal to the volume of a cube that measures 1 centimeter on each edge.

*The symbol for cubic centimeters is 'cm3' or 'cc.' One cubic centimeter is the same volume as 1 milliliter.

Front

Diameter

Back

A straight line segment that passes from one side of a circle or sphere to the other, passing through the center.

*The term 'diameter' also refers to the length of this line segment.

Front

Graduated cylinder

Back

A tall, narrow container used for measuring volume.

*The sides have tick marks that show the volume of liquid inside.