Converting

Converting between metric units

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Choosing The Measuring Units

Converting between metric units is always about multiplying or dividing by 10, 100 or 1000. There is a link to it on the "Start" page of this module.

Example 1: cm to mm

A piece of wood is 6 cm long, How many is that?

Each has 10mm. So 6 cm will have 10 x 6 = 60 mm.

Example 2: kg to g

A box weighs 1.25 kg. How many grammes is that?

A kg has 1 000 g. So multiply by 1 000

1.25 x 1 000 = 1 250 grammes.

1 000 mm = 100 cm = 1 m

1 000 ml = 1 litre

1 000 grammes = 1 kg

Example 3: ml to litres

A plastic container holds 2 500 ml of liquid. What is it n litres?

You have to go from small units (ml) to large ones (litres). The nimber of litres will be less than the number of ml. So it must be a divide sum.

There are 1 000 ml in 1 litre, so divide by 1 000

2 500 / 1 000 = 2.5 litres.

Example 4: cm to m

Jackie is 178 cm tall. What is in m?

You are going from a smaller unit (cm) to a larger one (meters). The number of meters will be less than the number of cm. So it must be a divide sum.

There are 100 cm in 1 m, so divide by 100

178 / 100 = 1.78 m.

Abbreviation Full Follow

Length mm Millimetre

cm Centimetre

m Metre

km Kilometre

Weight g Grams

kg Kilograms

Capacity ml Mililitre

l Litre

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