Mass — Victorian Year 3 Maths
Grams and kilograms, reading kitchen scales and pan balances, converting between units, then comparing and ordering masses. Two subtopics and 40 practice questions, aligned to VC2M3M02.
Mass in Victorian Year 3
Mass is how heavy something is. In this topic students measure in grams and kilograms, read the dial on a kitchen scale, use a pan balance and change between the two units. They then compare and order masses, including ones written in different units, and work out how much heavier one thing is than another.
The two subtopics below cover measuring mass in kilograms and grams, then comparing and ordering mass. Mass is one of the 18 topics in Victorian Year 3 Maths and belongs to the Measurement strand. Both subtopics come under Victorian Curriculum code VC2M3M02. These skills lead on to reading scales between the labelled marks and to solving problems with mass in Year 4.
Subtopics
Mass: common questions
What is the difference between grams and kilograms?
Grams are for light things such as a strawberry or a pencil; kilograms are for heavy things such as a bag of potatoes. One kilogram is 1000 grams, so 7 kg is 7000 g and 1 kg 400 g is 1400 g.
How do you read a kitchen scale?
First work out what each mark is worth. If the numbers go 0, 100, 200 and there is one mark between each pair, each mark is 50 g. A pointer one mark past the 600 then shows \(600 + 50 = 650\) g.
How does a pan balance work?
The heavier side goes down and the lighter side goes up; when the pans are level the masses are equal. If a toy balances with two 200 g masses and one 50 g mass, the toy has a mass of \(200 + 200 + 50 = 450\) g.
What mistakes do children make when comparing masses?
The most common one is comparing numbers in different units, such as thinking 900 g is more than 2 kg because 900 is bigger than 2. Change both to grams first: 2 kg is 2000 g. At home, weigh fruit or pantry items on a kitchen scale and put them in order from lightest to heaviest.
Which curriculum codes cover Mass in Victorian Year 3?
Both subtopics come under Victorian Curriculum code VC2M3M02, which covers measuring and comparing mass, length and capacity in metric units, read from scales with numbered marks.