Scientific Measurement and Numerical Skills: Free Course

About this course

Study Scientific Measurement and Numerical Skills in this free English video course from Khan Academy. The classroom preserves all 9 published source recordings, totaling approximately 1h 31m, with their original lesson titles and sequence. The selected curriculum focuses on physical quantities, models and evidence-based calculations. Use the videos to follow an explanation, examine an example and develop a study output you can check independently. The course title describes this recorded subject or learning track; your study can extend beyond watching through the practical activities below.

Course at a glance

What you’ll learn

• Follow the explanation and worked reasoning in “Metric system part 1”, then describe the main idea in your own words.
• Follow the explanation and worked reasoning in “Metric system part 2”, then describe the main idea in your own words.
• Follow the explanation and worked reasoning in “Precision in measurement”, then describe the main idea in your own words.
• Follow the explanation and worked reasoning in “Adding and subtracting significant figures”, then describe the main idea in your own words.
• Connect examples across Scientific Measurement and Numerical Skills by identifying the terms, assumptions and methods they use.
• Create a small independent practice output and check it against the relevant teaching explanation.

Skills you’ll gain

• Scientific measurement
• Units
• Numerical notation
• Calculation checks

Course Overview

The source curriculum is presented as a complete recorded video edition of Scientific Measurement and Numerical Skills. Representative lessons include “Metric system part 1”, “Precision in measurement” and “Unit conversations part 2”. These recordings give concrete examples to revisit while building physical quantities, models and evidence-based calculations. Their place in the lesson list is preserved, so you can return to a particular explanation without losing its source position. Introductions, demonstrations, examples, reviews and compilations remain included whenever they appear in the original playlist. Reading a lesson title is useful for locating a topic; working through its reasoning and checking a practice attempt is what makes the recording valuable for learning.

How to study the course

• Videos 1–2: this part of the source list includes “Metric system part 1” through “Metric system part 2”. Identify quantities and units. Keep a brief working note, revisit an unclear explanation and test one example before moving to another part of the material.
• Videos 3–4: this part of the source list includes “Scientific notation” through “Precision in measurement”. State the assumptions of a physical model. Keep a brief working note, revisit an unclear explanation and test one example before moving to another part of the material.
• Videos 5–6: this part of the source list includes “Significant figures” through “Adding and subtracting significant figures”. Connect an equation with the situation represented. Keep a brief working note, revisit an unclear explanation and test one example before moving to another part of the material.
• Videos 7–9: this part of the source list includes “Multiplying and dividing significant figures” through “Unit conversations part 2”. Check the interpretation of a result. Keep a brief working note, revisit an unclear explanation and test one example before moving to another part of the material.

Who is this for?

This course suits students and interested readers studying the physics named in the title. It also provides a recorded reference for revisiting a topic after an earlier lesson or study attempt. Choose examples appropriate to your background and allow time to work through the method instead of judging understanding only by how familiar the terminology sounds.

Before you start

Basic arithmetic and algebra are useful. Keep track of units and distinguish the assumptions of a model from an observation.

Put the lessons into practice

Choose a physical situation demonstrated in the recordings. Draw a simple representation, identify the relevant quantities and state the assumptions. Reproduce the calculation or explanation and connect the result with the situation. Change one condition and predict how the result should change before recalculating. Check units and compare with an easy limiting case when appropriate. Finish with a short explanation of how the model helps answer the question and which details it leaves outside the study example.

This optional study activity is provided by WikiFree for independent practice. Keep your working notes and use the relevant classroom recording to check a step, definition or interpretation. It is not an instructor-marked assignment.

Certificate / Assessment

Watching the public videos and using WikiFree completion tracking does not award a certificate, academic credit, an examination voucher or instructor assessment. Use your practice output to review what you can explain and repeat independently. The recorded lessons provide study material; completion tracking records your progress through that material.

Frequently asked questions

Provider: Khan Academy. Videos play from the Khan Academy channel on YouTube.