Converting Units in the Metric System

1
Converting Units in the Metric System

• Lesson 9-2

2
Making Conversions

• You can convert from one metric unit to another
  by multiplying or dividing by a power of 10 (10,
  100, 1,000, etc).
• When changing from larger units to smaller units,
  you multiply.
• When changing from smaller units to larger units,
  you divide.

3
Example
420
4.2 m _______ cm
Meters are larger than centimeters
L
S
Converting from large units to smaller units
requires multiplication. Multiply 4.2 by 100,
since there are 100 centimeters in a meter.
To multiply by 100, move the decimal point two
spaces to the right.
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Example 2
.036
36 g ______kg
We are going from a smaller unit to a larger
unit, so we divide. Divide by 1,000 since there
are 1,000 grams in a kilogram.
To divide by 1,000, move the decimal point three
spaces to the left.
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Homework Time