Unit 1 Lesson 3 How Do Scientists Use Tools? Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Unit 1 Lesson 3 How Do Scientists Use Tools?

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company


Florida Benchmarks


• SC.3.N.1.1 Raise questions about the natural world, investigate them individually and in teams through free exploration and systematic investigations, and generate appropriate …

• SC.3.N.1.2 Compare the observations made by different groups using the same tools and seek reasons to explain the differences across groups.

• SC.3.N.1.3 Keep records as appropriate, such as pictorial, written, or simple charts and graphs, of investigations conducted.


Make It Clear!


• Scientists use magnifying tools to help them see small objects.

• Magnifying tools make things look larger.

• Magnifying tools include microscopes, hand lenses, and magnifying boxes.


Close, Closer, Closest!


• A hand lens has one lens and a handle.

• To use a hand lens, hold the lens near your eye.

• Then, move the hand lens closer to the object until the object is sharp and in focus.




• A magnifying box has a lens in its lid.

• You can use a magnifying box to study things that are hard to hold, such as bugs.




• A microscope magnifies objects that are too tiny to be seen with the eye alone.

• Most microscopes have two lenses that work together.

• You can use microscopes to study very tiny objects.


Measure It!


• Measuring uses numbers to describe the world around you.

• There are several ways to measure.

• There is more than one tool and unit for each way to measure.

Length, Mass, and Volume

• A balance measures mass.

• Mass is the amount of matter in an object.

• The basic unit of mass is the gram.




• A balance has two pans.

• Put the object you are studying in one pan.

• Add masses to the other pan until the pans are balanced.




• Measuring tapes and rulers measure length.

• The basic units of length are centimeters, meters, inches, and feet.




• Volume is the amount of space matter takes up.

• You can use a graduated cylinder, measuring cup, or spoon to measure the volume of a liquid.

• You can use these tools to measure the volume of a solid that can be poured, such as salt.




• You use numbers to report measurements and compare objects.

• You can also order things using measurements.



Time and Temperature


Time

• Clocks and stopwatches are tools that measure time.

• The basic unit of time is the second. One minute is equal to 60 seconds. One hour is equal to 60 minutes.


Time

• These frogs are having a race. How could you use time to study their race?



Temperature

• When you say that something is hot or cold, you are describing temperature.

• A thermometer is used to measure temperature.

• The base units of temperature are called degrees.



Temperature

• Most people around the world and scientists measure temperature using the Celsius scale.

• Most people in the United States measure temperature using the Fahrenheit scale.



How Do You Care for Tropical Fish?


Close Encounters

• To care for tropical fish, you must think like a scientist.

• Caring for public and home aquariums take similar skills: observing, inferring, measuring, and recording data.


Keep Good Records

• Keeping good records in your science notebook is important.

• Making correct measurements is part of being a good scientist.



Documents

Unit 1 Lesson 3 How Do Scientists Use Tools? Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company