Year 7 Science · Unit 4 · Lesson 4
Foundation Worksheet
Learning Goals
Match each instrument to what it measures
Write the letter of the matching quantity and unit in the middle column. Each letter is used once. The letters are not in the same order as the instruments.
| Instrument | Letter | Quantity and unit |
|---|---|---|
| Ruler | A. Mass, in grams (g) or kilograms (kg) | |
| Measuring cylinder | B. Temperature, in degrees Celsius (°C) | |
| Balance | C. Length, in centimetres (cm) or millimetres (mm) | |
| Thermometer | D. Time, in seconds (s) | |
| Stopwatch | E. Volume of a liquid, in millilitres (mL) |
Analog or digital? Sort it
An analog instrument has a marked scale that you read yourself. A digital instrument shows the reading as a number on a screen. Write each instrument in the correct box. The boxes do not hold the same number of items.
Analog
Digital
Fill the gap: range, sensitivity and accuracy
Choose the correct word from the word bank. Each word is used at most once. Two words are not needed: cross them out.
The of an instrument is the smallest to the largest value it can measure. Its is the change it can detect, so a ruler marked in millimetres beats a ruler marked only in centimetres. Its is how close a reading is to the true value. Looking at a scale from above or below, instead of at eye level, causes a error.
In range or out of range?
A garden thermometer has a range of −10 °C to 50 °C. For each temperature, write Yes if this thermometer can measure it, or No if it cannot.
| What you want to measure | Yes or No? |
|---|---|
| A swimming pool at 26 °C | |
| A cup of hot tea at 80 °C | |
| The inside of a fridge at 4 °C | |
| A pot of boiling water at 100 °C | |
| A frosty Canberra morning at −3 °C |
1. Kitchen scale P reads to the nearest 1 g. Kitchen scale Q reads to the nearest 10 g. Which scale is more sensitive? Explain how you can tell.
Read the data: three readings of one cylinder
Scenario
Three students took turns to read one cylinder. It holds exactly 35 mL. Table 1 shows how each of them read it.
| Student | Where their eye was | Part of the water surface they read | Reading (mL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ava | Above the water, looking down | The bottom of the curve | 37 |
| Ben | Level with the water surface | The bottom of the curve | 35 |
| Chloe | Level with the water surface | The edges, where the water curves up the glass | 36 |
Source: made-up readings for this worksheet.
2. Which student read the cylinder correctly? Give two reasons from Table 1.
3. Ava and Chloe both wrote down the wrong volume, but for different reasons. Explain each student’s mistake.
4. Your class is going on a five-day bush camp with no power. Each morning you will check the temperature of the creek water. You can take an analog liquid thermometer (range −10 °C to 110 °C, marked every 1 °C) or a digital thermometer that runs on a battery (range −40 °C to 200 °C, reads to 0.1 °C). Which would you take? Explain your choice.
Match each instrument to what it measures
Ruler → C; Measuring cylinder → E; Balance → A; Thermometer → B; Stopwatch → D. 1 mark each. [5 marks]
Analog or digital? Sort it
Analog: wooden ruler; liquid thermometer; clock with hands; measuring cylinder; bathroom scales with a needle. Digital: digital kitchen scales; phone stopwatch app; lab thermometer with a screen. All 8 correct = 3; 6 or 7 = 2; 4 or 5 = 1. [3 marks]
Fill the gap: range, sensitivity and accuracy
range; sensitivity; smallest; accuracy; parallax. Not needed: largest, digital. 1 mark each. [5 marks]
In range or out of range?
Pool: Yes. Tea: No (above 50 °C). Fridge: Yes. Boiling water: No (above 50 °C). Frosty morning: Yes. All 5 = 3; 3 or 4 = 2; 1 or 2 = 1. [3 marks]
Question 1
Scale P (1). It can detect a smaller change: steps of 1 g instead of 10 g (1). [2 marks]
Read the data: three readings of one cylinder
2. Ben (1). Eye level with the surface, and he read the bottom of the curve (both for 1). [2 marks]
3. Ava looked from above, not at eye level: a parallax error (1). Chloe read the edges where the water curves up, not the bottom of the meniscus (1). [2 marks]
Question 4
Marking guide (accept either thermometer if justified): 1 a choice with a camp reason (analog needs no battery, so cannot go flat; or digital if spare batteries are packed); 1 analog = liquid line on a marked scale you read yourself, digital = number on a screen; 1 range: both cover creek water; 1 sensitivity: digital detects 0.1 °C, analog 1 °C, and 1 °C is enough here; 1 how to read it correctly (analog: at eye level to avoid parallax; digital: keep the probe in the water and wait for the number to settle before reading). [5 marks]
Model answer: I would take the analog thermometer (a liquid line on a scale I read myself), because the digital one (a number on a screen) needs a battery that could go flat. Both ranges cover creek water. The digital one is more sensitive (0.1 °C), but 1 °C steps are enough. I would read the scale at eye level to avoid parallax.
Common error: calling 0.1 °C steps “more accurate”. Small steps are sensitivity; accuracy is closeness to the true value.