Mass and Capacity in the Metric System Lesson 8-4 Mass and Capacity in the Metric System

Mass – the amount of matter that an object has. The standard unit is a gram. A gram is about the mass (or, basically, the weight) of a paper clip. 1,000 grams make a kilogram. You would use kilograms to measure heavier things, like desks and people. A kilogram is roughly equivalent to the weight of a one liter bottle of water. A newborn baby weighs about 3 kg. A milligram is very small. It takes 1,000 mg to make a gram. An eyelash weighs about 1 mg.

Capacity – the amount of liquid an object holds. The standard unit is a liter. A bottle of juice holds about a liter of liquid. 1,000 liters make a kiloliter. If you filled 2-3 bathtubs with water, you would have about a kL of water. A milliliter is very small. It takes 1,000 mL to make a liter. A couple of drops of water would be equivalent to 1 mL. You would use milliliters to measure how much liquid was in a glass, or a juice box, or a can of soda.

Practice Time P439