Name: _______________________________
Date: ________________________________
Due: ________________________________
Metric System Practice Problems
Complete the following problems by filling in the blanks with the appropriate numbers or circling the
correct answer. Be sure to include the correct units with your answers. Use the “Staircase of Metric
Conversions” handout to help you.
1.
Thomas decided to measure the mass of his No. 2 pencil before and after taking his semester
final exam in Biology. He found that the difference in mass was 0.02 grams. What is the
difference in milligrams? _____________________
2. Jackie was asked by her boss at McDonald’s to refill the ketchup dispenser. Each dispenser holds
exactly 4356 milliliters of ketchup. The refill containers of ketchup come to the restaurant in 1liter bottles. How many bottles will Jackie need to retrieve from the storeroom in order to fill up
one empty ketchup dispenser? _____________________
3. Baleen whales feed by drawing seawater into their mouths and using specialized structures to
filter out tiny crustaceans called krill. On average, an adult humpback whale draws 132.92 liters
of water into its mouth each time it feeds. How many centiliters is this equal to?
_____________________
4. Mrs. Cohan’s cat, Tiger, eats exactly 0.11 kilograms of cat food a day. How many grams of food
does this amount equal? _____________________
5. The world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, has run the 100-meter dash in 9.58 seconds. If he were to
run the same speed in a 100-yard dash, which of the following times would he most likely
achieve? (circle one) 9.45 sec 9.71 sec 9.92 sec
6. Which of the following units would be the most appropriate for measuring the mass of a quarter?
(circle one) kilograms hectograms grams
7. Which of the following units would be the most appropriate for measuring the volume of a hot air
balloon? (circle one) milliliters kiloliters centiliters
8. Which of the following units would be the most appropriate for measuring the distance between
ONW and OE? (circle one) meters kilometers millimeters
9. Which of the following units would be the most appropriate for measuring the mass of an adult
elephant? (circle one) grams milligrams kilograms
10. Which of the following units would be most appropriate for measuring the length of a
Volkswagen Beetle? (circle one) millimeters meters kilometers