Conversion tables - metric units

Learning Objectives Identify the common metric units for length, mass, and capacity. Explain the relationship between different metric units using prefixes like kilo-, centi-, and milli-. Use a metric conversion table to find equivalent measurements. Convert larger metric units to smaller metric units by multiplying by powers of 10. Convert smaller metric units to larger metric units by dividing by powers of 10. Solve real-world problems involving metric unit conversions. Have you ever wondered how many centimeters tall you are, or how many milliliters of juice are in a 2-liter bottle? 📏🥤 In this lesson, we'll explore the metric system and learn how to use conversion tables to change measurements from one unit to another. Understanding these conversions is super help...

TermDefinitionExample Metric SystemA system of measurement based on units of 10, used worldwide for length, mass, and capacity.The metric system uses meters for length, grams for mass, and liters for capacity. UnitA standard quantity used to measure something.Meter, centimeter, kilometer are all units of length. PrefixA word part added to the beginning of a base unit to change its value, often by a power of 10.In 'kilometer', 'kilo-' is the prefix, meaning 1000 times the base unit (meter). LengthThe measurement of how long something is from one end to the other.We measure the length of a room in meters or centimeters. MassThe amount of matter in an object, often measured by its weight.We measure the mass of an apple in grams or kilograms. CapacityThe maximum amount tha...

Converting Larger Units to Smaller Units To convert a larger metric unit to a smaller metric unit, you multiply by a power of 10. When moving down the metric scale (e.g., kilometers to meters, or liters to milliliters), the number of units will increase, so we multiply. For example, $1 \text{ km} = 1000 \text{ m}$, so to convert km to m, multiply by 1000. Converting Smaller Units to Larger Units To convert a smaller metric unit to a larger metric unit, you divide by a power of 10. When moving up the metric scale (e.g., centimeters to meters, or grams to kilograms), the number of units will decrease, so we divide. For example, $100 \text{ cm} = 1 \text{ m}$, so to convert cm to m, divide by 100. Metric Prefixes and Powers of 10 Each step in the metric system (e.g., kilo...