The Metric System of Measurement

*Information

• The metric system of measurement is based on the number “ten” (10).

• We, the United States, use the English system which is not based on much of anything except history which is not very practical.

*Metric System Units

• Meter – measures length

• Liter – measures volume (the amount of space an object occupies)

• Gram – measures mass (amount of matter in an object)

–weight (amount of gravitational pull exerted on an object)

*Metric System Chart

Kilo- Hecto Deka- Meter

Liter

Gram

Deci- Centi- Milli-

k h da m, l, g d c m

*Prefixes

• The prefixes in the metric chart are placed in front of the root words gram, meter or liter.

• For example: kiloliter; kilogram; hectogram; milligram

*How to Convert

• When changing or converting prefixes, or one unit to another, you only need to move the decimal point.

• Example of moving the decimal point to the right:

• 1 kilometer (km) = ____ hectometer (hm)

• Solution: move decimal point one place to the right because in the metric chart hecto is one to the right of kilo.

• Answer: 10 hm

*

• Example of moving the decimal point to the left:

• 1 millimeter (mm) = ___ centimeter (cm)

• Solution: move the decimal point one place to the left because in the metric chart centi is one place to the left of milli

• Answer: 0.1 cm

*Other Examples

• A. 1 mm = ____ m

• Solution: move the decimal point three places to the left because in the metric chart, meter is three places to the left of milli.

• Answer: 0.001 m

*

• B. 1 km = ______ dm

• Solution: move the decimal point four places to the right because in the metric chart, deci is four places to the right of kilo.

• Answer: 10,000.0 dm

*Practice Metric Conversions

1. 1 km = _____ dm 7. 1 mm = ___dam

2. 2 km = _____ cm 8. 3mm = ___hm

3. 1 km = _____ mm 9. 1 mg = ___cg

4. 1 kg = _____ dag 10. 10ml = ___dl

5. 10 kl = _____ hl 11. 7 m = ___hm

6. 0.2 hg = ____ g 12. 5 hg = ___kg