Do Now
Monday, August 22, 2016
How do we convert between SI
units?
Write your answer using complete
sentences.
3.5 minutes
Do Now Check
By the end of the day
today, IWBAT…
• Differentiate between
Pure & Applied Science;
Constant variable and
Control Variables.
Why it matters in LIFE:
Learning the SI units
are crucial to
communicating with
scientists in other
countries!
Why it matters in THIS
CLASS: You will conduct
labs all year long that will
require mastery of these
concepts! Tested material.
Monday, 08/22/16
P.S.1; P.S. 2-11:
Distinguish between
scientific hypotheses and
scientific theories.
Essential Questions:
How do we convert
between SI units?
By the end of today,
IWBAT…
Explain the
Difference between
constant and control
Topic:
Scientific
Methods (II)
Metric Mania
A Stand Alone Lesson on Metric Prefixes
I’m only 5
millimeters long!
5 mm
Remember:
Millimeters are tiny, and you measure small things with them.
I’m only 5
centimeters, but
I’m getting
bigger!
5 cm
Remember:
Centimeters are small, and you measure small things with them.
What unit would you use to measure the height of this
skyscraper?
Choose one:
Millimeter (mm)
Centimeter (cm) Meter (m)
Kilometer (km)
449 m
Excellent!
The height of most structures are measured in meters!
Traverse City
240 km
MSU
Getting close!
But most structures are measured with units that are smaller than
a kilometer.
449 m
BUT WAIT!!!
What if you wanted to know how many centimeters tall a
skyscraper was… How would you convert from km to cm???
First, let me ask you a question…
Look at the end of this meter stick.
How many millimeters are in a centimeter?
Choose one…
1mm = 1cm
5 mm = 1cm
10 mm = 1cm
100 mm = 1cm
A millimeter is not equal to a centimeter.
Try looking at the meter stick again and see if you can count
how many millimeter hash-marks there are in a centimeter
Keep counting… 
There are more than 5 millimeter hash-marks in 1 centimeter.
CORRECT!!!
As you can see, there are 10 little millimeter hash-marks within
one centimeter.
So 10 mm = 1 cm !
Incorrect.
Go back to the meter stick and try counting how many
millimeter hash-marks there are in 1 centimeter.
A meter stick is exactly one meter in length.
How many centimeters do you think are on a meter stick?
Hint: How many cents are in one dollar?.?.?
Choose one:
10 cm = 1m
100 cm = 1m
1000 cm = 1m
10 cm = 1m is incorrect.
Remember that you learned a meter is about three feet in length.
If 10 cm = 1m then a meter would only be about 2 mice long!
5 cm
Incorrect…
Think about the HINT: There are one hundred cents in a dollar so
how many centimeters do you think are in a meter stick?
Correct!
There are 100 centimeters in 1 meter.
Just like there are 100 cents in 1 dollar.
But how can we easily convert from one metric unit to another
metric unit with out always having to count pennies or hash
marks?
Tell me…
If all the prefixes in the metric system were arranged on a
staircase, would it help you solve this dilemma?
meter
gram
liter
etc…
These are the abbreviations for the metric units of length.
You are here
meter
gram
liter
etc…
If you were on this staircase at a meter and you wanted to go to
centimeters, how many steps would you have to take?
Choose one:
2 steps to the right
2 steps to the left
This is a hectometer
Incorrect.
By stepping to the left you have made your way to a
hectometer.
You want to go to a centimeter. Go back and try again.
This is a centimeter
Great Job!
You moved two spots to the right and arrived at the centimeter
step.
Let’s try another…
If you want to move from a millimeter to a kilometer how many
steps would you have to take?
Choose one…
Two spots left
Two spots right
Six spots left
Six spots right
You have taken two steps to the left and only made it to a
decimeter. You need continue to step to the top of the staircase.
Go back and try again…
If you step to the right you will be going the wrong direction.
Remember, you want to go up to the kilometer.
Go back and try again…
Excellent Work!
You took six steps to the left and made it to a kilometer!
You have just learned how to use the metric staircase to convert
from one metric unit to another.
Click the next button to see what I mean.
With regards to converting from one metric unit to another it is
simply a case of moving the decimal…
The hard question is:
In which direction, and how many spaces?
2789064.948
But guess what…?
You have already figured that out!
If I asked you to convert from 2789064.948 mm  km, you
could use the metric staircase to see what direction and for how
many spaces you need to move the decimal.
So, how many km is 2789064.948 mm?
Choose one…
27.89064948 km
2.789064948 km
27890649.48 km
27.89064948 km is incorrect, you only moved five spaces to the
left.
To go from millimeters to kilometers you have to move six
spaces to the left.
2.789064948 km is Correct! You moved the decimal six spaces to
the left.
You move the decimal in the number the same direction and
number of spaces you would move on the staircase to get from
one unit to the next.
2.789064948 km
2789064.948 km is incorrect, you moved one space to the right.
To go from millimeters to kilometers you have to move six spaces
to the left. Try again.
Let’s try another…
How many centimeters are in 4.670000 km?
Choose one…
46700.00 cm
46.70000 cm
467000.0 cm
46700.00 cm is incorrect. You only moved the decimal to the
right four spaces.
This would give you and answer of 46700.00 decimeters.
Remember, you want to go to centimeters. Try again.
46.70000 cm is incorrect. You only moved the decimal to the right
one space.
This would give you and answer of 46.70000 hectometers.
Remember, you want to go to centimeters. Try again.
467000.0 cm is CORRECT! You moved the decimal to the right
five spaces.
This would give you and answer of 467000.0 centimeters.
Great Work!!!
You now know how to use the metric staircase to convert
from one metric unit to another metric unit!
You worked hard and learned well. Now go off into the world
and find some magnificent metric measurements to convert!