Page 1 of 5
Converting Metric Units
BEFORE
Now
WHY?
You used metric units of
length, mass, and capacity.
You’ll convert between metric
units.
So you can find the mass of a
panda bear, as in Ex. 46.
In the Real World
ten
ths
hu
nd
red
tho ths
us
an
dt
hs
The metric system is a base-ten system. Metric prefixes are associated
with decimal place values.
on
es
Review Words
meter, p. 80
gram, p. 81
liter, p. 82
Running In the 4 800 meter relay race, four teammates each run
800 meters. The total length of the race is 3200 meters. How many
kilometers long is the race?
tho
us
an
ds
hu
nd
red
s
ten
s
Word Watch
•
kilo- hecto- deka- meter deci- centi- milligram
liter
To convert between metric units n decimal places apart, multiply
or divide as follows.
n
Multiply by 10 .
larger unit
smaller unit
n
Divide by 10 .
EXAMPLE
1
Converting Metric Units of Length
To find the length in kilometers of the relay race described above,
convert 3200 meters to kilometers.
Solution
You are converting from a smaller unit (meters) to a larger unit
(kilometers), so divide by a power of 10.
From meters to kilometers, the
decimal point is moved 3 places
to the left, so divide by 103, or 1000.
kilo-
hecto-
deka-
meter
3200 1000 3.2
3200 meters 3.2 kilometers
ANSWER The 4 800 meter relay race is 3.2 kilometers long.
Lesson 2.7
Converting Metric Units
85
Page 2 of 5
EXAMPLE
2
Converting Units of Mass and Capacity
Copy and complete the statement.
a. 15 g _?_ mg
b. 590 mL _?_ L
Solution
a. To convert from grams to milligrams, multiply by 1000.
15 1000 15,000, so 15 g 15,000 mg.
b. To convert from milliliters to liters, divide by 1000.
590 1000 0.59, so 590 mL 0.59 L.
Your turn now
with
1. 6800 m _?_ km
2. 54 m _?_ mm
3. 830 cm _?_ m
4. 115 mm _?_ cm
5. 9.25 kL _?_ L
6. 100 g _?_ kg
EXAMPLE
Solving
To compare two
measurements that have
different units, convert one
of the measures so that
both have the same units.
Copy and complete the statement.
3
Comparing Metric Measurements
Copy and complete the statement using <, >, or .
a. 320 cm _?_ 4 m
b. 0.2 kg _?_ 184 g
Solution
a. 320 cm _?_ 4 m
Strategy: Convert meters to centimeters.
320 cm _?_ 400 cm
4 100 400, so 4 m 400 cm.
320 cm < 400 cm
Compare.
ANSWER 320 cm < 4 m
b. 0.2 kg _?_ 184 g
Strategy: Convert kilograms to grams.
200 g _?_ 184 g
0.2 1000 200, so 0.2 kg 200 g.
200 g > 184 g
Compare.
ANSWER 0.2 kg > 184 g
Your turn now
Copy and complete the statement using <, >, or .
7. 1.4 kL _?_ 1400 L
86
Chapter 2
Decimal Operations
8. 1.5 g _?_ 150 mg
9. 5.8 cm _?_ 580 mm
Page 3 of 5
EXAMPLE
4
Using Metric Units of Length
Longest Submarine Sandwich In 1979, Chef Franz Eichenauer made a
submarine sandwich that was 322.5 meters long. Suppose the sandwich
was cut into pieces that each measured 25.8 centimeters. How many
pieces would there be?
Solution
1 Convert 322.5 meters to centimeters by multiplying by 100.
322.5 100 32,250, so 322.5 m 32,250 cm.
2 To find the number of pieces, divide the total length of the
sandwich by the length of each piece.
32,250 cm 25.8 cm 1250
ANSWER The submarine sandwich would be divided into 1250 pieces.
INTERNET
Exercises
eWorkbook Plus
CLASSZONE.COM
More Practice, p. 706
Getting Ready to Practice
Vocabulary Copy and complete the statement with millimeter(s),
centimeter(s), or kilometer(s).
1. 1 meter 1000 _?_
2. 1 meter 100 _?_
3. 1 meter 0.001 _?_
Copy and complete the statement.
4. 1.25 km _?_ m
5. 890 mL _?_ L
6. 4.7 kL _?_ L
7. 3.75 kg _?_ g
8. 1540 mg _?_ g
9. 28 cm _?_ m
10. Paper Clips A large paper clip is 5 centimeters long. About how many
large paper clips do you need to make a chain of paper clips linked end
to end that is 10 meters long?
11. Guided Problem Solving It is recommended that each day you drink
eight glasses of water that are each 8 fluid ounces. One fluid ounce is
about 30 milliliters. How many liters of water should you drink a day?
1 How many fluid ounces of water should you drink each day?
2 How many milliliters of water should you drink each day?
3 Convert the result of Step 2 to liters.
Lesson 2.7
Converting Metric Units
87
Page 4 of 5
Practice and Problem Solving
Tell whether you multiply or divide by a power of 10 to convert the
units.
with
Example
1
2
3
4
Homework
Exercises
17–25, 36–41
17–25, 36–41
26–34
35, 45–46
12. liters to milliliters
13. centimeters to meters
14. milligrams to grams
15. kilometers to millimeters
16. Find the Error Describe and
correct the error in converting
50 milligrams to grams.
50 1000 50,000
So, 50 mg 50,000 g.
Online Resources
Copy and complete the statement.
CLASSZONE.COM
17. 0.75 L _?_ mL
18. 3528 m _?_ km
19. 45,250 g _?_ kg
20. 7.2 g _?_ mg
21. 49 m _?_ cm
22. 6.42 kL _?_ L
23. 1.763 km _?_ m
24. 8.95 L _?_ mL
25. 840,000 mg _?_ g
• More Examples
• eTutorial Plus
Copy and complete the statement using <, >, or .
26. 160 mg _?_ 16 g
27. 740 L _?_ 0.74 kL
28. 2 km _?_ 2000 m
29. 4.1 g _?_ 410 mg
30. 6.5 m _?_ 65 cm
31. 8.9 mL _?_ 0.89 L
32. 2300 g _?_ 2 kg
33. 6.9 m _?_ 70 cm
34. 9.6 L _?_ 9600 mL
35. Leaky Faucet A leaky faucet drips 227 milliliters of water in one hour.
How many liters of water does the leaky faucet drip in one day?
Copy and complete the statement.
36. 1.08 cm _?_ mm
37. 2.42 kL _?_ mL
38. 0.13 km _?_ cm
39. 1300 mg _?_ kg
40. 93.2 mm _?_ km
41. 0.9 kg _?_ mg
Find the sum or difference. Write your answer using the smaller
unit of measurement.
42. 3 cm 11 mm
43. 4 L 35 mL
44. 6000 g 3.5 kg
45. Lights Fifty mini-lights are equally spaced on a string of lights
7.5 meters long. There is a light at one end, and 15 centimeters
between the last light and the plug at the other end. How many
centimeters are between each light?
46. Panda Bears A baby panda has a mass of about 100 grams at birth.
During the early stages of life, a panda gains about 57 grams each day.
About how many kilograms is a 30-day-old panda?
88
Chapter 2
Decimal Operations
Page 5 of 5
Order the measurements from least to greatest.
47. 60 g, 69 mg, 9.5 mg, 0.04 kg, 45 g
48. 15 L, 1.5 mL, 1500 mL, 1.5 kL, 0.15 kL
49. 24 m, 42 km, 420 mm, 240 cm, 2.4 mm, 4.2 m, 0.24 km
50. Challenge A square has a side length of 10 millimeters. What is its area
in square centimeters? Explain.
Mixed Review
Find the sum. (Lesson 2.2)
51. 2.1 3.02 7.59
52. 11.02 43.89 4
53. 0.034 0.34 3.4
54. What is the appropriate metric unit for the mass of a dog? (Lesson 2.6)
Basic Skills Copy and complete.
55. 8 h _?_ min
56. 3 d _?_ h
57. 32 min _?_ sec
58. 120 min _?_ h
59. 35 d _?_ wk
60. 360 sec _?_ min
Test-Taking Practice
INTERNET
State Test Practice
CLASSZONE.COM
61. Extended Response Show two different ways to find the area, in
square centimeters, of a rectangle with a length of 4.5 meters and a
width of 2.25 meters.
The Case of the Missing Shoes
Melanie discovers her favorite
pair of shoes missing. In their
place is a mysterious note,
written in her younger brother’s
handwriting. Melanie thinks
that the directions will lead her
in circles. Can you find a shorter
route for Melanie to follow to
find her shoes?
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Your sh kyard. Follow t re gone
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2. Wes 2 m
th
3. Sou 6000 mm
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4. Ea
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5. Sou 5000 mm
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6. Wes 0.001 km
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7. Nor
Lesson 2.7
Converting Metric Units
89