Transcript Slide 1

Metric System
Base 10 system of units.
Prefixes determine multiple of the base unit.
Base Units
Unit
Symbol
Length
meters
m
Time
seconds
s
Mass
kilograms
kg
Quantity
moles
mol
Prefixes
Unit
1/1,000
1/100
1/10
10
milli (m)
centi (c)
deci (d)
deka (da)
1
Second
Meter
Gram
Etc.
100
hecto (h)
1,000
kilo (k)
Alternate Representation
kilo (k), 1,000
hecto (h), 100
deka (da), 10
Unit, 1
deci (d), 1/10
centi (c), 1/100
milli (m), 1/1,000
Example
25kg
Convert 25kg to mg
kilo (k), 1,000
hecto (h), 100
deka (da), 10
Unit, 1
deci (d), 1/10
centi (c), 1/100
6 jumps are made so the multiplier
is
10x10x10x10x10x10 = 106
Therefore the decimal is moved six
places to the right
25,000,000mg
milli (m), 1/1,000
Remember:
When converting from smaller to
larger units, the number gets
smaller (decimal to the left)
When converting from larger to
smaller units, the number gets
bigger (decimal to the right)
Other Prefixes
Multiple
nano
micro
mega
10-9
(.000000001)
10-6
(.000001)
106
(1,000,000)
Symbol
n
 (mu)
M
Derived Units
Derived units are units that are combinations of
base units.
For instance, in physics the newton, N, is the
unit of force.
It is derived from the base units kg m/s2
So, 1N = 1kg m/s2
Derived Units
Volume is also a derived unit.
1 liter (L)
= 1dm3
1 milliliter (mL) = 1cm3
There are 1,000 mL in one liter
Volume