Convert and compare metric units

Learning Objectives Identify the base units and common prefixes of the metric system (meter, liter, gram; kilo, centi, milli). Recall the relationship between different metric units (e.g., 1 km = 1000 m). Convert larger metric units to smaller metric units using multiplication. Convert smaller metric units to larger metric units using division. Compare two or more quantities expressed in different metric units by first converting them to a common unit. Solve real-world problems involving the conversion and comparison of metric units. Ever wonder how much water is in a 2-liter bottle compared to a 500-milliliter bottle? 💧 Or if a 3-kilometer race is longer than a 2500-meter race? In this lesson, you'll learn how to easily switch between different metric units of length...

TermDefinitionExample Metric SystemA system of measurement based on powers of 10, used worldwide for length, mass, and capacity.The metric system makes conversions easy because you just multiply or divide by 10, 100, 1000, etc. Base UnitsThe fundamental units of measurement in the metric system for a specific quantity.Meter (m) for length, gram (g) for mass, and liter (L) for capacity. PrefixesSmall words added to the beginning of a base unit to indicate a multiple or fraction of that unit."Kilo-" means 1000 (e.g., kilometer = 1000 meters), "centi-" means 1/100 (e.g., centimeter = 1/100 of a meter), "milli-" means 1/1000 (e.g., millimeter = 1/1000 of a meter). Conversion FactorThe number by which a quantity must be multiplied or divided to change it from one...

Converting Larger Units to Smaller Units To convert a larger unit to a smaller unit, multiply the given value by the appropriate power of 10 (10, 100, 1000, etc.). For example, $1 \text{ km} = 1000 \text{ m}$, so $5 \text{ km} = 5 \times 1000 \text{ m} = 5000 \text{ m}$. Use this rule when you are moving down the metric prefix ladder (e.g., from kilometers to meters, or liters to milliliters). The number of smaller units will always be greater than the number of larger units. Converting Smaller Units to Larger Units To convert a smaller unit to a larger unit, divide the given value by the appropriate power of 10 (10, 100, 1000, etc.). For example, $1 \text{ m} = 100 \text{ cm}$, so $300 \text{ cm} = 300 \div 100 \text{ m} = 3 \text{ m}$. Use this rule when you are moving up...