Algebra 1

Section 1.2

Measurements and units

Measurements and units

Now that we know the types of numbers that we will deal with in Algebra 1, we need to know
what these numbers can represent. Often in math, we use numbers to represent measurements. Mea-
surements are a quantity associated with a unit that represents a physical value such as length, speed,
or time. But what are units?

Units are what the number of a measurement is describing. For example, if I told you I have
5, you would ask 5 what? 5 apples? 5 feet? This qualitative (not a number) descriptor is the unit
of a measurement. Why do we care about units? First of all, some measurements dont make sense
without the right units. Its fine to say my speed is 5 miles per hour, but it doesnt mean anything if I
say my speed is 5 milliliter. Second, different units may represent the same type of measurement but
can have different values of that measurement. Feet and miles are both units of length, but being 6
feet tall is very different from being 6 miles tall. Finally, different measuring tools are used to gather
measurements for different units. For example, I can find the volume of some water with a measuring
cup, but not with a ruler.

To avoid the confusion associated with using the wrong units, its important to understand what
units are used for certain measurements, and what tools can be used to gather those measurements.

So, to recap, measurements must have both a value and a unit, and certain units describe only
specific types of measurements and can be measured only with specific tools. The table below describes
some common units and the measurements they represent.

Unit Measurement Measuring tool

Feet Length Ruler
Miles per hour Speed Speedometer
Pounds Weight Scale
Liters Volume Measuring container
Degrees Celsius Temperature Thermometer

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Accuracy and precision

It is important to realize that measurements will not always be exact. Usually, we hope to take
measurements that are very close to the value we are interested in. However, sometimes our measuring
tools do not measure small enough values to be exact. I can say, for example, that Tom is 5 feet 10
inches tall, but he is likely 5 feet 10 inches and some fraction. If that fraction is not exactly zero,
which it is almost certainly not, then our measurement of Toms height is not exact.

So when we measure quantities, we will have some error, or difference between the measurement
we took and the exact value of the measurement we are interested in. We hope to be as close as
possible, and we also hope to get the same value if we take a measurement multiple times. These two
goals represent accuracy and precision.

Accuracy is how close a measurement is to an exact value. For example, if a car is going at 54.2
miles per hour, and a policeman records the vehicles speed as 54 miles per hour, the policeman is very
accurate. However, if the policeman finds the vehicles speed to be 80 miles per hour, the policeman
is not accurate.

Precision refers to the same measurement being taken multiple times. The measurement is pre-
cise if the values found each time are very close.

We hope that a measurement is both accurate and precise, but it is important to understand
that accuracy and precision have no influence on each other. A measurement can be both accurate
and precise, accurate and not precise, precise and not accurate, or neither accurate nor precise. The
images below illustrate these situations. Think of the center of the target as the exact value of the
measurement we want, and think of the green circles as the measurements we take.

Not accurate, not precise Accurate and precise

Precise, not accurate Accurate, not precise

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 Clearly, it is useless to be precise if a measurement is not accurate, and it can be difficult to
determine an exact value if a measurement is not accurate, even if it is precise. So how do we make
our measurements as precise AND accurate as possible?

A measurement being not accurate or not precise is usually due to using a measuring instrument
that is not appropriate for the measurement being taken. A ruler measures length, and a persons
height is in length, but it does not make sense to use a ruler to measure a persons height. The ruler
is simply too small. Measuring tape, which also measures length, would be more useful to measure
someones height. This is because measuring tape contains multiple feet, and will usually be larger
than a persons height. However, if a measuring tool is too big, it may not have small enough units to
provide a useful measurement.

This is why it is important to find an appropriate measuring tool for taking a specific measure-
ment. A good measuring tool will be able to measure values greater than the object being measured,
but will also have measuring increments that are small enough to provide precise measurements.

It is also important to recognize that accuracy and precision are relative terms. Measurements
being off by one foot when measuring a persons height are not very precise. However, when measuring
the length of an ocean, measurements that are off by one foot are very precise. Every time a measure-
ment is taken, one needs to determine how precise and accurate they would like their measurements
to be.

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Examples

Here are a few examples to test the concepts provided in this section. Answers can be found on
the following pages.

1. Describe why 2 feet is not larger than 1 pound, even though 2 is greater than 1.

2. Is the following data accurate, precise, both, or neither?

Exact value: 5.0

5.1
3.8
4.2
6.7
5.8

3. Explain why you wouldnt use measuring tape to observe the length of a bacteria.

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Solutions

These are the solutions to the questions on the previous page

1. Feet and pounds are different units, and describe different measurements. A foot is a unit of
length, while a pound is a unit of weight. Length and weight are completely different things, and
so cannot be compared. Thus, despite the fact that the quantity 2 is greater than the quantity
1, it is impossible for a measurement of 2 feet to be larger than a measurement of 1 pound.

2. The data is neither accurate nor precise. Even though the first value, 5.1, is close to the exact
value, 5.0, the rest of the values are very far from the exact value, so the data is not accurate.
Also, the values are not very close to each other, and so the data is not precise.

3. Bacteria are very small, and so very small units of length are needed to find the length of a
bacteria. Measuring tape, however, will not have increments small enough to be close to the
length of a bacteria. Thus, a more precise instrument is needed to find the length of a bacteria.