Unit 1: Matter & Measurement
Section 3: The Metric System
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
• The metric system has prefix modifiers that are multiples
of 10.
Prefix Symbol Factor Number Factor Word
Kilo- k 1000 Thousand
Hecto- h 100 Hundred
Deca- da or dk 10 Ten
Base m, L, or g 1 One
Deci- d .1 Tenth
Centi- c .01 Hundredth
Milli- m .001 thousandth
Place Values of Metric Prefixes
Thousand
Hundred
Ten
One
Tenth
Hundredth
Thousandth
km hm dam m dm cm mm
kg hg dag g dg cg mg
kL hL daL L dL cL mL
Meters
• Meters measure
length or distance
• One millimeter (mm)
is about the thickness
of a dime.
Meters
• One centimeter (cm)
is about the width of a
large paper clip
•or your fingernail.
Meters
• 1 meter (m) is about the width of a
doorway
Meters
• 1 kilometer (km) is about six city blocks
or 10 football fields.
• 1.6 kilometers is about 1 mile
Grams
• Grams are used to
measure
- mass (the amount of
matter in an object)
- weight (the pull of
gravity on an object)
Grams
• 1 milligram (mg)
weighs about as
much as a grain of
salt.
• 1 gram (g) weighs
about as much as a
small paper clip.
Grams
• 1 kilogram (kg)
weighs about as
much as 6 apples or 2
pounds.
Liters
• Liters measure volume (the amount of space
something occupies).
• 1 milliliter (mL) is approximately 20 drops from
a medicine dropper or 1 sugar cube
Liter
• 1 liter (L) is half of a
2 liter bottle of soda
• 1 kiloliter (kL) would
be about 500 2-liter
bottles of soda
Which unit would you use to
measure the length of this bicycle?
Meter (m)
Which unit would you use to
measure the mass of a penny?
Gram (g)
Which unit would you use to
measure the water in an aquarium?
Liter (L)
Which unit would you use to
measure the mass of a feather?
Milligram (mg)
Which unit would you use to
measure the mass of a student
desk?
Kilogram (kg)
Which unit would you use to
measure the mass of a whole
watermelon?
Kilogram (kg)
Which unit would you use to
measure the mass of an egg?
Gram (g)
Which unit would you use to
measure the volume of a can of
soup?
Mililiters (mL)
Which unit would you use to
measure the height of a tree?
Meter (m)
Which unit would you use to
measure the length of a bracelet?
Centimeter (cm)
Metric Unit Conversions
• To change from one unit to another in the
metric system you simply multiply or divide
by a power of 10.
Metric Unit Conversions
To change from a larger unit to a
smaller unit, you need to multiply, or
move the decimal to the right.
1 km x 1000 = 1000 m
1 m x 100 = 100 cm
1 cm x 10 = 10 mm
Metric Unit Conversions
g
m
L
103 102 101 10-1 10-2 10-3
kilo hecto deka Base deci centi milli
unit
1 2 3
18 L
18 liters = 18 000 milliliters
Example #1: Convert 18 liters to milliliters
Metric Unit Conversions
To change from smaller units to larger
units you divide by a power of ten, or
move the decimal to the left.
1000 mm ÷ 10 = 100 cm
100 cm ÷ 10 = 10 dm
10 dm ÷ 10 = 1 m
Metric Conversions
g
m
L
103 102 101 10-1 10-2 10-3
kilo hecto deka Base deci centi milli
unit
3 2 1
450 mg = 0.450 g 450 mg
Example #2: Convert 450 milligrams to grams
Metric Conversions
g
m
L
103 102 101 10-1 10-2 10-3
kilo hecto deka Base deci centi milli
unit
1 2 3 4 5 6
20 kg
20 kg = 20 000 000 mg
Example #3: Convert 20 kilograms to milligrams
