Metric in Sports: Summer Games Fast Facts.xml NESTR_schema.xsd (Version 2)

Metric in Sports: Summer Games Fast Facts

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Description: Athletic competition is a part of daily life for many students. International sport contests bring together athletes in the spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. Explore these educational resources to learn how the International System of Units (SI) measurements are used within summer athletic events. Measurement is integral to athletics. Metric system measurements are applied in track and field sports, including playing field, track and court dimensions, formations and distance between teammates or opponents, as well as the weight and length of sports apparatus. Competitions often occur at high school, collegiate, and international levels.
Teaching tips:
  • 0 to 5 minutes teaching time
  • Explore metric system measurements in the context of health and competitive sports.
  • Use SI measurement in sport to reinforce how measurements are used to ensure fairness in athletic competition. Officials, athletes and spectators depend on accurate event times, exact pressure readings for sports balls, and precise competition distances to establish new performance records. Collegic and international sports provide an outstanding opportunity to observe metric measurements in action.
  • Take a multidisciplinary approach when teaching the SI. Measurements should not be isolated within the math and science curriculum. Addressing the topic of measurement across multiple disciplines emulates real-world applications and provides students with additional opportunities to learn in context and understand the impact measurements have on society.
  • Apply metric measurements during the next school field day activities.
Resource owner information:
  • Elizabeth Benham
  • [email protected]
  • NIST
  • 68 - Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML)
  • 680 - Physical Measurement Laboratory Office
Resource dates:
  • Created on April 18, 2024
  • Last updated on July 11, 2024
  • Reviewed on July 11, 2024
Resource types:
  • Educational Resource: Article
  • Educational Resource: Image
Resource formats:
  • Webpage
  • Image
School subjects:
  • STEM: Mathematics
  • STEM: Physical Science (General)
  • STEM: Physics
  • STEM: Biology and Life Sciences
  • Other: Physical Education
Keywords:
  • mass
  • gram
  • kilogram
  • meter
  • physical education
  • game
  • interdiscipline
Topics:
  • Other: SI Units
  • Research at NIST: Metrology
Instructional levels:
  • Intermediate (3-5)
  • Middle (6-8)
  • High School (9-12)
Target audiences:
  • Students
  • Parents
  • Educators
  • Outreach Ambassadors
  • General Public
Language:
  • English