Summary
Basic Mathematics
The Metric Prefixes and Metric Unit Fractions
The metric system uses prefixes which represent powers of 10 for its units of mass, capacity
and length.
Prefix
Abbreviation
Power of 10
kilo
k
1000
hecto
h
100
deka
da
10
unit
1
deci
d
centi
c
milli
m
1
––
10
1
–––
100
1
––––
1000
The metric unit of mass is the gram, g. We often convert the mass units of the metric system
to the weight units of the U.S. Customary System, like ounces or pounds. Technically however, mass is a measure of how much matter something is made of and weight is a force produced by gravityʼs attraction to mass. For purposes of making conversions, we assume that
we are at sea level, where the force of gravity causes a mass of 1 kilogram to weigh about
2.2 pounds.
The metric unit of length is the meter, m. A meter is a little longer than a yard.
The metric unit of capacity is the liter, L. A liter is a little more than a quart.
As with U.S. Customary Units, unit fractions can be used to convert among metric units.
Example:
Answer:
Answer:
Convert 20 L to deciliters:
20 L 10 dL
10 dL
–––– · ––––– = 200 dL The unit fraction is –––––.
1
1L
1L
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Summary
Basic Mathematics
The Metric Prefixes and Metric Unit Fractions (continued)
Example:
Answer:
Answer:
Convert 5,000 hm to kilometers:
5,000 hm 1 km
1 km
–––––––– · ––––– = 500 km The unit fraction is –––––.
1
10 hm
10 hm
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Unlawful duplication is a violation of copyright laws.
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