|
| The
metric system
is another system of measurement used to describe an object's length,
mass, or volume. |
| The base unit for measuring length
is the meter. |
| 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. |
| |
Name |
Abbreviation |
Number of Base Units |
Approximate
Comparison |
|
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 |
| MEASUREMENT |
TOOL |
| height/length |
ruler/tape
measure |
|
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 |
Example #1:
0.25 m = ____ cm
0.25 x 100 = 25 cm
Remember:
1 meter =
100 centimeters |
Example #2: 5 mm = _____ m
50 ÷ 1,000 = 0.05 m
Remember:
1 meter =
1000 millimeters |
|
 |
Remember:
The
prefixes allow you to
choose a convenient unit when something is too large or too small to
be easily measured in meters, grams, or liters. |
Let's Practice!
click
here
|
