The activities below are about precision, accuracy, significant digits, errors in measurement, and measurement conversions. Each activity is provided as a lesson plan that can span a full math period.
Materials:
- Each lesson has an answer sheet that provides guidance, a description of the key concept, and questions from the lesson. You or students can use this sheet to check answers.
- The student sheet can be printed and completed by the student, or the student can write the answers on a separate document.
- Ruler and protractor (Download a printable ruler and protractor.)
- Scale (Students can use a food scale set to grams or a bathroom scale. If needed, note to divide by 1,000 to convert kilograms to grams and to divide by 454 to convert pounds to grams.)
- Block of wood, metal, or other solid uniform material in the shape of a rectangular prism
Activity 1: Precision and accuracy
The terms precision and accuracy are often used interchangeably in everyday speech, but they have distinct meanings in mathematics. Use this lesson to compare the precision and accuracy of measurements and learn about tolerance.
Activity 2: Significant digits
The number of digits in a measurement is related to the precision of the measurement. Significant digits are those digits of a measurement that contribute to the precision of the measurement. Use this lesson to learn how to identify significant digits and use the correct number of significant digits in reporting the result of a calculation.
Activity 3: Errors in measurement
The significance of an error in measurement depends on both the accuracy of the measurement and the magnitude of what is being measured. Use this lesson to understand both absolute and relative error and to explore how the relative error is influenced by the accuracy of the measurements being used.
Activity 4: Measuring objects lab
The density of a material is its mass per unit volume. In this lab, you will use what you have learned about precision, accuracy, significant digits, and measurement errors to calculate the density of an object.
Activity 5: Converting measurements
An essential idea behind using conversion factors is the concept that when you multiply a measurement by 1, its value is unchanged. Use this lesson to learn how to convert measurements within and between systems, and how to convert derived units (for example, meters per second to miles per hour).
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Engage every student in Grades 9–12 with Into Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2, our core math curriculum that supports learners in developing conceptual understanding and procedural fluency.
This blog, originally published in 2020, has been updated for 2025.
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