Transcript The Metric System

Meters, Grams and Liters
The Metric System
• The metric system is a measurement
system based on our decimal (base 10)
number system.
• Other countries and all scientists and
engineers use the metric system for
measurement.
Metric Prefixes
• Metric Units
• The metric system has prefix modifiers that are multiples of
10.
Prefix Symbol
Factor Number Factor Word
Kilo-
k
1000
Thousand
HectoDecaUnit
DeciCentiMilli-
h
da or dk
m, l, or g
d
c
m
100
10
1
.1
.01
.001
Hundred
Ten
One
Tenth
Hundredth
thousandth
Place Values of Metric Prefixes
dm
dg
dL
cm
cg
cL
Thousandth
m
g
L
Hundredth
Tenth
dkm
dkg
dkL
One
hm
hg
hL
Ten
Hundred
Thousand
km
kg
kL
mm
mg
mL
Meters
• Meters measure
length or distance
• One millimeter is
about the thickness of
a dime.
Meters
• One centimeter is
about the width of a
large paper clip
•or your fingernail.
Meters
• A meter is about the width of a doorway
Meters
• A kilometer is about six city blocks or 10
football fields.
• 1.6 kilometers is about 1 mile
Gram
• Grams are used to
measure mass or the
weight of an object.
Grams
• A milligram weighs
about as much as a
grain of salt.
Grams
• 1 gram weighs about
as much as a small
paper clip.
• 1 kilogram weighs
about as much as 6
apples or 2 pounds.
Liters
• Liters measure liquids
or capacity.
Liter
• 1 milliliter is about the
amount of one drop
Liter
• 1 liter is half of a 2
liter bottle of Coke or
other soda
Liter
• A kiloliter would be
about 500 2-liter
bottles of pop
Which unit would you use to
measure the length of this bicycle?
km
m
cm
mm
Which unit would you use to
measure the mass of a penny?
km
g
cL
mg
Which unit would you use to
measure the water in an aquarium?
L
m
cL
mg
Which unit would you use to
measure the mass of a feather?
L
m
cL
mg
Which unit would you use to
measure the mass of a student
desk?
kg
g
cL
mg
Which unit would you use to
measure the mass of a whole
watermelon?
kg
g
cL
mg
Which unit would you use to
measure the mass of an egg?
kg
g
mm
mg
Which unit would you use to
measure a can of soup?
kL
L
mm
mL
Which unit would you use to
measure this glass of milk?
kL
L
cL
mL
Which unit would you use to
measure the distance across
Kansas?
km
m
cm
mL
Which unit would you use to
measure the height of a tree?
km
m
cm
mm
Which unit would you use to
measure the length of a bracelet?
km
m
cm
mm
Changing Metric Units
• To change from one unit to another in the
metric system you simply multiply or divide
by a power of 10.
To change from a larger unit to a
smaller unit, you need to multiply.
1 km x 1000 = 1000 m
1 m x 100 = 100 cm
1 cm x 10 = 10mm
Place Values of Metric Prefixes
Move the decimal point
to the right to multiply.
dm
dL
dg
cm
cL
cg
Thousandth
m
L
g
Hundredth
Tenth
dkm
dkL
dkg
One
hm
hL
hg
Ten
Hundred
Thousand
km
kL
kg
mm
mL
mg
Place Values of Metric Prefixes
dm
dg
dL
cm
cg
cL
Thousandth
m
g
L
Hundredth
Tenth
dkm
dkg
dkL
One
hm
hg
hL
Ten
Hundred
Thousand
km
kg
kL
mm
mg
mL
To change from smaller units
to larger units you divide by a
power of ten.
1000mm ÷ 10 = 100cm
100cm ÷ 10 = 10dm
10dm ÷ 10 = 1m
Place Values of Metric Prefixes
Move the decimal point
to the left to divide.
dm
dL
dg
cm
cL
cg
Thousandth
m
L
g
Hundredth
Tenth
dkm
dkL
dkg
One
hm
hL
hg
Ten
Hundred
Thousand
km
kL
kg
mm
mL
mg
Place Values of Metric Prefixes
km
kg
kL
hm
hg
hL
dkm
dkg
dkL
m
g
L
dm
dg
dL
cm
cg
cL
mm
mg
mL
3km
30hm
300dkm
3000m
30000dm
300000cm
3000000mm
4L
12cm
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