| Questions | 5 |
| Topics | Base Units, Kelvin Scale, Mass vs. Weight, Terrestrial Planets, Thermosphere |
| Measurement | Base Unit | Example |
|---|---|---|
| length / distance | meter (m) | km |
| mass | gram (g) | kg |
| volume | liter (L) | mL |
| volume (medical) | cubic centimeter (cc) | cc |
| time | second (s), minute (min), hour (h) | ms, min, h |
| temperature | centigrade (°C) | °C |
In contrast to the Celsius scale (measured in degrees centigrade) that fixes 0° at the freezing point of water and the Fahrenheit scale that uses 32°, the Kelvin scale fixes 0° at absolute zero (-273°C) which is the lowest temperature possible in the universe.
Mass is the amount of matter something has while weight is the force exerted on an object's mass by gravity. So, although a person's mass doesn't change when going from the Earth to the Moon, their weight will decrease because the force of the Moon's gravity is much less than that of Earth.
The four planets closest to the Sun (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) are called terrestrial (Earth-like) planets because, like the Earth, they're solid with inner metal cores covered by rocky surfaces.
Temperatures again increase with altitude in the thermosphere which is the hottest (4,530 °F / 2,500 °C) atmospheric layer due to direct exposure to the Sun's radiation. However, the gas in this layer is highly diluted so even though the atoms of gas may be very high in temperature, there are too few of them to effectively transfer much heat.