Chemistry · Ch 1 — Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry
Measurement of Physical Properties
1.3.2
Measurement of Physical Properties
The Need for Measurement in Chemistry
Quantitative measurement of properties is required for scientific investigation. Many properties of matter — length, area, volume and so on — are quantitative in nature, and any quantitative observation or measurement is represented by a number followed by the unit in which it is measured. For example, the length of a room can be represented as 6 m: 6 is the number, and m (metre) is the unit in which the length is measured. The number tells us how much; the unit tells us of what.