Metric Conversions
Ladder Method
T. Trimpe 2008 http://sciencespot.net/
SI measurement
• Le Système international
d'unités
• The only countries that have
not officially adopted SI are
Liberia (in western Africa)
and Myanmar (a.k.a. Burma,
in SE Asia), but now these
are reportedly using metric
regularly
• Among countries with nonmetric usage, the U.S. is the
only country significantly
holding out. The U.S. officially
adopted SI in 1866.
Information from U.S. Metric
Association
CORNERS FOCUS QUESTIONS
Write down your favorite metric
measurement. Meter
Liter
Gram
1. What 3 things in the room would you
use this metric measurement for?
2. What measuring tool would be used to
gather this information?
3. What is an example of a real life
situation where you have seen this
measurement being used?
Standards of Measurement
When we measure, we use a measuring
tool to compare some dimension of an
object to a standard.
For example, at one time the
standard for length was the king’s
foot. What are some problems
with this standard?
Stating a Measurement
In every measurement there is a
Number followed by a
 Unit from a measuring device
The number should also be as precise as the
measurement!
UNITS OF MEASUREMENT
Use SI units — based on the metric
system
Length
Meter, m
Mass
Kilogram, kg
Volume
Liter, L
Time
Seconds, s
Temperature
Celsius degrees, ˚C
kelvins, K
Some Tools for Measurement
Which tool(s)
would you use to
measure:
A. temperature
B. volume
C. time
D. weight
Learning Check
Match
L) length
M) mass
V) volume
M A.
____
A bag of tomatoes is 4.6 kg.
L B.
____
A person is 2.0 m tall.
M C.
____
A medication contains 0.50 g Aspirin.
V D.
____
A bottle contains 1.5 L of water.
Learning Check
What are some U.S. units that are used
to measure each of the following?
A. length
B. volume
C. weight
D. temperature
Metric Prefixes
• Kilo- means 1000 of that unit
– 1 kilometer (km) = 1000 meters (m)
• Centi- means 1/100 of that unit
– 1 meter (m) = 100 centimeters (cm)
– 1 dollar = 100 cents
• Milli- means 1/1000 of that unit
– 1 Liter (L) = 1000 milliliters (mL)
Metric Prefixes
Ladder Method
1
2
KILO
1000
Units
3
HECTO
100
Units
DEKA
10
Units
DECI
0.1
Unit
Meters
Liters
Grams
How do you use the “ladder” method?
1st – Determine your starting point.
2nd – Count the “jumps” to your ending point.
3rd – Move the decimal the same number of
jumps in the same direction.
CENTI
0.01
Unit
MILLI
0.001
Unit
4 km = _________ m
Starting Point
Ending Point
How many jumps does it take?
4. __. __. __. = 4000 m
1
2
3
Metric Prefixes
Conversion Practice
Try these conversions using the ladder method.
1000 mg = _______ g
1 L = _______ mL
160 cm = _______ mm
14 km = _______ m
109 g = _______ kg
250 m = _______ km
Compare using <, >, or =.
56 cm
6m
7g
698 mg
Metric Conversion Challenge
Write the correct abbreviation for each metric unit.
1) Kilogram
4) Milliliter
7) Kilometer
2) Meter
5) Millimeter
8) Centimeter
3) Gram
6) Liter
9) Milligram
Try these conversions, using the ladder method.
10) 2000 mg = _______ g
15) 5 L = _______ mL
20) 16 cm = _______ mm
11) 104 km = _______ m
16) 198 g = _______ kg
21) 2500 m = _______ km
12) 480 cm = _____ m
17) 75 mL = _____ L
22) 65 g = _____ mg
13) 5.6 kg = _____ g
18) 50 cm = _____ m
23) 6.3 cm = _____ mm
14) 8 mm = _____ cm
19) 5.6 m = _____ cm
24) 120 mg = _____ g
Learning Check
1. 1000 m = 1 ___
a) mm b) km c) dm
2.
0.001 g = 1 ___
a) mg
b) kg c) dg
3.
0.1 L = 1
a) mL
b) cL c) dL
4.
0.01 m = 1 ___
___
a) mm b) cm c) dm
Units of Length
• ? kilometer (km) = 500 meters (m)
• 2.5 meter (m) = ? centimeters (cm)
• 1 centimeter (cm) = ? millimeter (mm)
• 1 nanometer (nm) = 1.0 x 10-9 meter
O—H distance =
9.4 x 10-11 m
9.4 x 10-9 cm
0.094 nm
Learning Check
Select the unit you would use to measure
1. Your height
a) millimeters
b) meters
c) kilometers
2. Your mass
a) milligrams
b) grams
c) kilograms
3. The distance between two cities
a) millimeters
b) meters
c) kilometers
4. The width of an artery
a) millimeters
b) meters
c) kilometers
Compare using <, >, or =.
25) 63 cm
26) 536 cm
6m
53.6 dm
27) 5 g
28) 43 mg
508 mg
5g
29) 1,500 mL
30) 3.6 m
1.5 L
36 cm