Name:
SN
____ _____________________
Name __________________
Unit 1:2
Period: _____________________
Metric System
Period ____
For everyday measuring in the United States, we use the British system of pounds,
gallons, and feet, but science (and the rest of the world) uses the easier metric system.
All measurements in the metric system are based upon the basic units of meters, liters, and grams.
Basic Units
Liters
measure
volume.
Meters measure length.
Prefixes
Grams
measure
mass.
Hard to remember
The ease of the metric system comes in its
use of prefixes. The British system uses
completely different units when changing
between small and large measurements.
The metric system simply uses prefixes.
British lengths:
12 inches = 1 foot
3 feet = 1 yard
5,280 ft = 1 mile
Easy to remember
Small
Large
Metric lengths:
10 millimeters = 1 centimeter
100 centimeters = 1 meter
1,000 meters = 1 kilometer
How to Convert using Math
Most Common Metric Prefixes
(M) Mega = 1,000,000
(k) Kilo = 1000
(c) Centi = 1/100th
(m) Milli = 1/1000th
(µ) Micro = 1/1,000,000th
So, 1 Megaliter (ML) = 1,000,000 liters
So, 1 Kilogram (kg) = 1000 grams
So, 100 Centimeter (cm) = 1 meter
So, 1000 Milliliter (ml) = 1 liter
So, 1,000,000 Micrometer (µm)= 1 meter
to
75 Mm  1,000,000 m 

 = 75, 000, 000m
1  1 Mm
 from
To convert from Mm, the units must cancel,
so Mm must be on the bottom in the ratio.
Because the metric system is based on multiples of ten, you can convert between metric
units by simply moving the decimal the correct number of places.
A Decimal System
million
Prefix Diagram:
Conversion Ratio = to 1
Base unit
thousand
hundredth thousandth
Mega- __ __ Kilo- __ __ m, L, __ Centi- Milli- __ __ Microor g
Mega– to Kilo- (Ex. 1)
To convert in the metric system,
just move the decimal.
1
1000.0
1000000.0
100000000.0
1000000000.0
1000000000000.0
megameter (Mm) =
kilometers (km) =
meters (m) =
centimeters (cm) =
millimeters (mm) =
micrometers (µm)
How Big Are They?
Micro– to Centi- (Ex. 2)
Ex. 1—Convert 34 Mm to km. Solution: Since Kilo is 3 places to the
right of Mega (see above), move the decimal 3 places to the right.
So, 34 Mm = 34,000 km.
Ex. 2—Convert 125.9 µg to cg. Solution: Since Centi- is 4 places to the
right of Micro (µ) (see above), move the decimal 4 places to the left.
So, 125.9 µg = 0.01259 cg.
It’s important to have a real-life idea of the size of these units so we are not just
talking numbers. A good scientist knows if a number makes sense.
Volume
1 liter = just bigger than a quart
1 mL = volume of a small marble
Mass
1 kg = 2.2 pounds
1 gram = 1 dollar bill
1 gram
1 quart
LENGTH
1 mm = width of a fingernail
1 cm = width of your pinky
1 meter = 3.3 ft (just bigger than a yard)
1 kilometer = 0.6 miles
1 liter
Actual size
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Name: _____________________
SN ____
Name _________________________
Period: _____________________
Period ____
Unit 1:2
Date ______________________
1. Liter _____
A. Used by science for all measurements
6. Centi- _____ A. Means “one hundredth” (1/100).
2. Metric
System _____
B. Basic metric unit of volume.
7. Mega- _____
8. Milli- _____
C. Basic metric unit of length.
3. Gram _____
4. British
D. System of pounds, feet, and gallons.
System _____
E. Basic metric unit of mass.
5. Meter _____
11. Liter _____
12. Gram _____
13. Centimeter _____
14. Kilometer _____
15. Meter _____
16. Kilogram _____
17. Millimeter _____
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
Just bigger than a yard: 3.3 feet.
Mass of a dollar bill
0.6 miles
Just bigger than a quart
2.2 pounds
Width of a fingernail.
Width of your pinky.
Circle the bigger unit
B. Means “one million” (x 1,000,000).
C. Means “one millionth.” (1/1,000,000).
9. Micro- _____ D. Means “one thousandth” (1/1,000).
10.Kilo- _____
E. Means “one thousand” (x 1,000).
Meters, Liters, or Grams?
18. To measure how much water is in a pool? _____
19. To measure the mass of an ice cream cone? _____
20. To measure the width of a table? _____
21. To measure the distance a car traveled? _____
22. To measure how much acid to pour into a beaker? _____
23. To measure how much powder to mix into water? _____
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
How many cents in a dollar?
How many years in a century?
How many years in a millennium?
How many centimeters in a meter?
How many millimeters in a meter?
How many microliter in a liter?
How many meters in a kilometer?
How many grams in a megagram?
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
A centimeter or a megameter?
A liter or a microliter?
A megagram or a kilogram?
A megameter or a micrometer?
A milliliter or a microliter?
A milligram or a centigram?
38.
39.
40.
41.
How does the decimal move?
Ex: From kilometers to meters? Ans: Right 3 places
42. From kilometers to meters? ________________________
From meters to centimeters? _________________________
43. From microliters to megaliters? _____________________
From centigrams to kilograms? _______________________ 44. From kilograms to centigrams? _____________________
From micrometers to millimeters? _____________________ 45. From liters to megaliters? __________________________
The small marks on the ruler are millimeters.
53. Convert 435 centimeters to meters.
54. Convert 12 grams to milligrams.
46. How many millimeters is the gray object? _____
47. How many centimeters is the object? _____
48. How many meters is the object? ______
55. Convert 3 megameters to meters.
56. Convert 0.25 centiliters to milliliters.
57. Convert 15 µm (micrometers) to centimeters.
49. How wide is the cylinder in cm? _____
58. Convert 4,500 meters to kilometers.
50. How wide is the cylinder in meters? _____
51. How long is the rectangle is millimeters? _____
52. How long is the rectangle in meters? _____
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