SI Metric-Matters

Cross-curricular Activities for Schools

Philip Bladon with a Dictionary of International Units
photo courtesy BDC PHOTOGRAPHY
barry.cox4@tesco.net   +44 07875100880

Cross-curricular Activity: Science/Mathematics/History/Presentation Skills.

This activity, which can also be extended to cover other subjects, for example languages, is based on a section in A Dictionary Of International Units, by Philip Bladon.

Symbols For Scientists

Students should tabulate the information in a similar way as shown in the book. Students should add an extra column as shown in the example below.

Teachers might prefer to prepare a worksheet for this. One line of this is shown below ; ‘hertz’ is used as an example.

SYMBOL

UNIT

QUANTITY

SCIENTIST

NAME

YEARS
Born - Died

Age when died

NATIONALITY

Hz

hertz

Use the details in the book

Heinrich Rudolf
Hertz

 1857 - 1894

 STUDENTS CALCULATE THIS

 German

EXERCISE:  Some possible questions:

Timeline

Students prepare a scale with linear divisions.

Graph paper (Landscape format) can be used.
Alternatively, a one or two metre long piece of paper could be used. This is ideal for a display on a classroom wall.

The scale should start at YEAR 1600 and end at the YEAR 2000:

blank timeline 

 

Present the Scientists on a time-line. Two have been done as an example.  This example is NOT to scale

timeline including scientists 

Different coloured lines could be used for the different nationalities.
Students may have difficulties like trying to present all the 19 scientists neatly on a small piece of paper.

EXERCISE: Use the information presented in the timeline to answer questions:
Prepare suitable questions
Name the Scientist(s) who were alive in  ……… ?

There may be too much to do in one lesson, this activity could be part of a school’s work for a National Science Week.

©Philip Bladon 2005


 

SI Units – Famous Scientists

American    
Surname Unit Symbol
Henry henry H
Tesla tesla T
     
British    
Surname Unit Symbol
Faraday farad F
Gray gray Gy
Joule   joule  J
Lord Kelvin kelvin     K
Newton   newton N
Watt watt W
     
French    
Surname Unit Symbol
Ampere ampere A
Becquerel  becquerel  Bq
Coulomb  coulomb C
Pascal pascal Pa
     
German    
Surname Unit Symbol
Hertz hertz Hz
Ohm  ohm Ω
Siemens  siemens S
Weber  weber Wb
     
Italian    
Surname Unit Symbol
Volta volt  V
     
Swedish    
Surname Unit Symbol
Celsius degree Celsius °C
Sievert sievert Sv
     

Reluctance
Not just a unit used in Physics!

“One over  henry”,   “henry under one”.  

Unit :  1/henry             Symbol:    1/H

Used by some people to describe an individual who does not want to adopt  the SI / Metric System of Units.