Video Transcript
Find the suitable unit to measure the weight of a chair, grams, kilograms, or tons.
If we want to measure the weight of a chair, we want to find out how heavy it is. And each of the three units of measurement that we’re given can all be used to measure how heavy things are. We have grams, kilograms, and tons. Although each of these three units could be used to measure the weight of a chair, we need to find the most suitable unit, the one that makes most sense. To help us answer the question, let’s remind ourselves what each of these is worth.
The smallest of our three measurements is the gram. One gram is about the same weight as a paper clip. So, if we were to measure the weight of a chair in grams, the measurement would be a large number. A chair weighs a lot of grams. For example, 1000 grams equal one kilogram.
And this is our next choice. A kilogram is about the same weight as a bag of flour, the sort that we might find in our kitchen cupboard. If we were to measure the weight of a chair in kilograms, we wouldn’t expect the number to be quite so large. It might be a handful of kilograms, something like that.
1000 kilograms is the same as a ton. And one ton is about the same weight as a car. So, if we measure the weight of a chair in tons, we’d expect the answer to be less than one. It would be a decimal number of tons.
So, what’s the most suitable way to measure the weight of a chair? As a very large number of grams, as a handful of kilograms, or as a very small decimal number of tons. We can measure weight using all three units, but the most suitable unit we can use to measure the weight of a chair is kilograms.
