Prealgebra for Two-Year Colleges/Workbook AIE/Length, area, and volume

Length, Weight, and Volume

Materials Needed: Textbook

Why
Real-world problems almost always contain units. Some of the most common units in the U.S. are English units of length, weight, and volume.

Learning Objectives

 * 1) Explain the difference between length, weight, and volume, and identify appropriate English units for each.
 * 2) Know the conversion factors for common English units of length, weight, and volume.
 * 3) Give examples of situations in which a given operation (+, –, , ) is appropriate.

Warm-up
You should have the following facts memorized. Complete the table. Length	: ___12__ in = 1 ft ___3__ ft = 1 yd ___5280__ ft = 1 mi		Weight	: ___16__ oz = 1 lb ___2000__ lbs = 1 ton	Time: ___60__ sec = 1 min ___60__ min = 1 hr ___24__ hr = 1 day ___30__ dys = 1 mon ___12__ mon = 1 yr ___52__ wks = 1 yr ___365__ dys = 1 yr		Volume/Capacity	: ___8__ fl oz = 1 cup ___2__ cups = 1 pt ___2__ pt = 1 qt ___4__ qt = 1 gal

Activity
1)	Does the situation describe a length, weight, or volume? Write L, W, or V. a)	Filling you car with gasV		b)	Going on a dietW			c)	Measuring cough syrupV d)	Figuring postageW		e)	Driving to CincinnatiL		f)	Building a fenceL	2)	Write an appropriate English unit for measuring each of the following: a)	The distance from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. miles b)	The weight of an aircraft carrier tons c)	The size of a soda bottle quart d)	The size of a sheet of paper inches e)	The amount of flour in a loaf of bread cup f)	The amount of Cheerios in a box oz 3)	Because of construction CalTrans needs to install 100 yds of concrete barriers along the edge of Highway 4. Each barrier is 1 yd 2 ft long. How many barriers are needed? 100 yds = 300 ft; 1 yd 2 ft = 5 ft 100/5 = 20 barriers

4)	Write a realistic problem situation for 2 tons 850 lbs – 1 ton 1430 lbs. Solve the problem you wrote. A fully-loaded pickup truck weighs 2 tons 850 lbs. If the emptied truck weighs 1 ton 1420 lbs (a fact I found in the owner’s manual), then how much does the cargo weigh? 2 tons 850 lbs – 1 ton 1430 lbs = 1420 lbs

5)	Write a realistic problem situation for 1 cup 4 fl oz  13. Solve the problem you wrote. I have 13 friends coming over on a hot day. I want to make enough lemonade to be able to serve each of them 1 cup 4 fl oz. How much lemonade do I need to make? 1 cup 8 fl oz  13 = 13 cups 52 fl oz = 19 cups 4 fl oz

6)	Write a realistic problem situation for 3 lbs 12 oz  12. Solve the problem you wrote. At Costco, a box of 12 cans of cat food weighs 3 lbs 12 oz. How much does each can weigh? 3 lbs 12 oz  12 = 5 oz

7)	Write a realistic problem situation for 24 ft 9 in + 18 ft 6 in + 24 ft 9 in + 18 ft 6 in. Solve the problem you wrote. I have a garden that is 24 ft 9 in long and 18 ft 6 in wide. What length of fencing material should I buy if I want the fence to go all the way around the garden? 24 ft 9 in + 18 ft 6 in + 24 ft 9 in + 18 ft 6 in = 84 ft 30 in = 86 ft 6 in