Converting Metric Units

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Converting Metric Units
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Metric Unit Conversion Table

• The metric system is a base-ten system. Metric
  prefixes are associated with decimal place
  values.

T H O U S A N D S H U N D R E D S T E N S O N E S T E N T H S H U N D R E D T H S T H O U S A N D T H S
kilo- hecto- deka- meter gram liter deci- centi- milli-
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To convert units

• To convert between metric units n decimal places
  apart, multiply or divide as follows.
• Multiply by 10n
• larger unit smaller unit
• Divide by 10n

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Example 1 Converting Metric Units of Length

• The height of a chain-link fence is 137
  centimeters. How many meters tall is the fence?
• Solution
• You are converting from a smaller unit
  (centimeters) to a larger unit (meters), so
  divide by a power of ten.

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Example 1 Continued

meter deci- milli-
.
From centimeters to meters, the decimal point is
moved 2 places to the left, so divide by 102, or
100.
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Example 1 Continued

• 137 / 100 1.37
• 137 centimeters 1.37 meters
• Answer The fence is 1.37 meters tall.

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Example 2 Converting Units of Mass and Capacity

• Copy and Complete the statement.
• 4,620g _____kg
• Solution
• To convert from grams to kilograms, divide by
  1,000.
• 4620 / 1,000 4.62,
• so 4,620g 4.62kg.

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Example 2 Continued

• Copy and complete the statement.
• 27 L ____mL
• Solution
• To convert from liters to milliliters, multiply
  by 1,000.
• 27 x 1,000 27,000, so
• 27 L 27,000 mL

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Your turn now.

• Copy and complete the statement.
• 5600 m ______km
• 68 m _______mm
• 275 cm _______m
• 382 mm _______cm
• 500 g _______kg
• 1.75 kL _______L

5.6
68,000
2.75
38.2
0.5
1,750
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Example 3 Comparing Metric Measures

• Copy and complete the statement using lt,gt, or .
• a. 650cm ____ 6m

To compare two measurements that have different
units, convert the measures so that both have the
same units!!
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Example 3 Continued

• 650cm _____ 6m
• 650cm _____600cm
• 650cm _____600cm
• Answer
• 650cm ____ 6m

Strategy Convert meters to centimeters. 6 x 100
600, so 6m 600cm. Compare
gt
gt
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Example 3 Continued

• 1.6kg ____ 1,525g
• 1,600g ____ 1,525g
• 1,600g ____ 1,525g
• Answer
• 1.6kg ____ 1,525g

Strategy Convert kilograms to grams. 1.6 x 1,000
1,600, So 1.6kg 1,600g. Compare.
gt
gt
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Your turn now.

• Copy and complete the statement using lt, gt, or .
• 6.8kg ____ 6,725L
• 2.1g ____ 2,100mg
• 7.3mm ____ 73cm

gt

lt
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Example 4 Using Metric Units of Length

• Garden Beds Hank is planting a garden in his
  yard that is 8.5 meters long. Suppose the garden
  in divided into smaller beds that each measure
  212.5 centimeters in length. How many small
  garden beds would there be?

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Example 4 Continued

• Solution
• Convert 8.5 meters to centimeters by multiplying
  by 100.
• 8.5 x 100 850, so 8.5m 850cm.
• To find the number of gardens, divide the total
  length of the garden by the length of each
  section.
• 850cm / 212.5cm 4
• Answer The garden would be divided into 4
  smaller beds.