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Identify equivalent metric units of
length
| The
metric system
is another system of measurement used to describe an object's length,
mass, or volume. |
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The base unit for measuring length
is the meter. |
|
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The metric system also uses prefixes to describe
amounts that are larger or smaller than the base units. The
most common prefixes are
kilo-, meaning 1,000;
centi-,
meaning 1/100, and milli-,
meaning 1/1,000. |
|
 |
millimeter, centimeter,
meter, and kilometer are units for measuring length. The
millimeter is the
smallest unit in this system, and the kilometer is the largest unit. |
|
Length |
Kilometer
|
km |
1,000 |
9 football
fields |
|
Meter |
m |
1 |
Half the
height of
a door |
|
Centimeter |
cm |
1/100 |
length of a
raisin |
|
Millimeter |
mm |
1/1,000 |
Width of a
period at the end of a sentence |
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If the item
being measured is: |
How do you
choose which unit to use?
Here are some hints!
|
|
smaller than the length of your pencil point |
Use a
millimeter
(mm.)
since 10 millimeters (mm) = 1 centimeter (cm) |
|
smaller
than your height, but longer than your foot |
Use a
centimeter
(cm.)
since 100 centimeters = 1 meter (m) |
|
longer than the length of your classroom, but shorter than a
walk around the block |
Use a meter (m.)
since
1
meter = 1,000 kilometers = 1 km (km) |
|
longer than the distance from your house to school (if you ride
a bus) |
Use a
kilometer
(km.)
|
|
 |
This dime measures
approximately 3 cm.
|
|
|
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Basic Conversion
Rule:
To convert from a LARGER unit to a SMALLER unit...MULTIPLY
To convert from
a SMALLER unit to a LARGER unit...DIVIDE
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Example #1:
0.25 m = ____ cm
0.25 x 100 = 25 cm
Remember:
1 meter =
100 centimeters
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Example #2: 5 mm = _____ m
50 ÷
1,000 = 0.05 m
Remember:
1 meter =
1000 millimeters |
Ready to Practice?
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