Name: __________________________________
Date: ___________________
Conversion Chart
Distance
100 cm = 1m
1000mm = 1m
1000m = 1 km
1 yard = 3 ft
1 mile = 1.61 km
3.3 ft = 1 m (meter)
1ft = 12 in
1 in = 2.54 cm
Mass/Weight/Volume
1 kg = 2.2 lbs
1 kg = 1000 g
1 lb = 16 oz
1 oz = 28.35 g
1L = 1.056 qt
1000 ml = 1 L
1 ml= .0338 fl oz
1 qt = 2 pints
Time
1 min = 60 seconds
1 hour = 60 minutes
1 day = 24 hours
1 year = 365.25 days
SI Prefixes
Prefix
Abbreviation
Scientific notation
Equal to this many
base units
tera
giga
mega
kilo
hecto
deka
Base unit
deci
centi
milli
micro
nano
pico
T
G
M
k
h
da
Whatever unit
d
c
m

n
p
1 x 1012
1 x 109
1 x 106
1 x 103
1 x 102
1 x 101
1
1 x 10-1
1 x 10-2
1 x 10-3
1 x 10-6
1 x 10-9
1 x 10-12
1,000,000,000,000
1,000,000,000
1,000,000
1,000
100
10
1
.1
.01
.001
.000001
.000000001
.000000000001
Base units could be meters (m), grams (g), liters (L)
A picogram is written as pg
A millimeter is written as mm
A gigaliter is written as GL
A megagram is written as Mg
To convert:
1) You can move the decimal (B=Base Unit)
T
G
M
k
h
da
B
d
c
m

Move the decimal to the left the correct number of places
Move decimal to the right the correct number of places
n
p
For example:
To go from meters (a base unit) to hectometers (hm).
1. You start at meters (the B).
2. Count the places to hecto (2)
3. Move the decimal to the left 2 places.
1 meter = .01 hectometers
To go from kilograms (kg) to centigrams (cg):
1. You start at kilo (k)
2. Count the places to centi (c) That is 5 places.
3. Moce the decimal to the right 5 places.
3 kilograms (kg) = 300,000 centigrams
Also to convert…
2) You can do factor labeling.
When changing from smaller to larger units, the number of units will __?__
When changing from larger to smaller units, the number of units will __?__
Apply what you learned to complete these metric conversions:
7meters(m) = _____ kilometers(km)
2.3 L = ______ milliliters(mL)
1750 g = _____ kg
85 Liters(L) = ______ kiloliters(kL)
3.2 kilograms(kg) = ______ grams(g)
250 centimeters(cm) = ______ m
What is the best metric unit to measure how much something weighs?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Convert 145 km into Gm (gigameters)
Convert 156215 hours into years
Convert 35 qt into mL
Convert your weight in pounds to ounces (oz)
Convert your age into milliseconds
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.
1) 2000 mg = _______ g 6) 5 L = _______ mL 11) 16 cm = _______ mm
2) 104 km = _______ m 7) 198 g = _______ kg 12) 2500 m = _______ km
3) 480 cm = _____ m 8) 75 mL = _____ L 13) 65 g = _____ mg
4) 5.6 kg = _____ g 9) 50 cm = _____ m 14) 6.3 cm = _____ mm
5) 8 mm = _____ cm 10) 5.6 m = _____ cm 15) 120 mg = _____ g
Compare using <, >, or =.
16) 63 cm ___ 6 m 17) 5 g____ 508 mg 18) 1,500 mL_____ 1.5L
19) 536 cm _____ 53.6 dm 20) 43 mg ____ 5 g 21) 3.6 m ____36 cm
Answer these using unit conversions.
22) Convert 32.3 cm to inches.
23) Convert 465 liters to cubic feet.
24) A murder victim weighs 150 pounds. How much does he weigh in grams?
25) You are given 3 yards of tape to make evidence labels. How many labels 20 cm
in length can you make?
Practice with Scientific Notation and Powers of Ten
26) Convert the following numbers into scientific notation.
a) 100
b) 10,000
c) 10,000,000
d) 0.001
e) 0.000001
f) 0.1
g) 1
27) Arrange the following numbers, written as powers of 10, from the smallest to the
largest:
100, 10-14, 102, 10-3, 10-7, 104, 10-9, 105 , -10
28) Convert the following to scientific notation:
a) 4,256
b) 6,234,000
c) 0.0026
d) 0.00005689
e) 24,5000
f) 0.00000000012
g) 3.405
h) 7,000,000,000
Write the following numbers in standard notation.
29) 6.5 x 10–5
30) 3.22 x 109
31) 8.314 x103
32) 4.08 x 10-12
20) Identify the type of notation, standard or scientific, that would make the most sense
for each situation below. Explain.
a. The length of a football field measured in inches…
b.The mass of an apple in pounds…
c. The mass of an ocean liner in pounds…
d.The length of a fingerprint in centimeters…
e. The diameter of a hair shaft in centimeters…
f. The amount of blood found pooled beside a victim’s head in gallons…
g.The number of fibers found as trace evidence under the victims fingernails.
Practice Unit Conversion Problems
21) 104 mm into cm
22) 962 cm into km
23) Convert 54 mL to cubic centimeters.
24) Calculate the number of seconds in 3.6 years.
25) Measure your height in inches; then convert it to centimeters.
26) A tire impression left in the mud at a crime scene was 8.7 inches wide. Convert
this to centimeters.
27) A murder suspect was found 200 miles from the crime scene 150 minutes after the
time of death. Assuming he actually committed the murder, how fast (in miles
per hour) would he have had to drive in his getaway car? Given this information,
is he a realistic suspect?
28) How many 325 mg tablets can be produced from 2.50 kg of ibuprofen?
29) A crime suspect fled the scene when police officers entered the building. The
police are planning to set up a search, but need to know a realistic search radius.
How far could he run in 10 minutes if he can run 5 miles per hour?
30) One baked potato provides an average of 31.0 mg of vitamin C. If 5.0 lb. of
potatoes has 15 potatoes, how many milligrams of vitamin C are provided per
pound of potatoes?
31) Forensic scientists must be careful to avoid communicable diseases such as
HIV/AIDS. In body fluids such as blood or saliva, the HIV virus can survive over
15 days at room temperature and longer if refrigerated. How many hours can the
HIV virus survive in liquid at room temperature?
32) The tread on a suspect’s car tire is worn to 1/16th of an inch. Convert this to
millimeters.