Conversions

Conversions Between Metric Units

Prefixes

Kilo- 1000

Hecto- 100

Deka- 10

No prefix means one

Deci- 1/10

Centi- 1/100

Milli- 1/1000

Using liters as an example, there is 10 liters in 1 dekaliter and 10 dekaliters in 1 hectoliter. In turn this means there are 100 liters in 1 hectoliter.

Going the other way, there are 10 deciliters in 1 liter and 10 centiliters in 1 deciliter. So this means there are 100 centiliters in 1 liter.

Converting Within the Metric System

Converting 65.1 millimeters to dekameters.

• First convert to meters because that is the common unit. 65.1 millimeters x 1 meter/ 1000 millimeters
• So you want the millimeters in the denominator so that the two cancel out like this: 65.1 millimeters x 1 meter/ 1000 millimeters.
• Now since you have to multiply by 1/1000, that is the same as dividing by 1000. So it becomes 65.1/1000.
• 65.1 divided by 10 means you move the decimal to the left one space equalling 6.51, now 65.1 divided by 100 means moving the decimal to the left two spaces equalling .651, but we want one more so 65.1 divided by 1000 means moving the decimal over three spaces to equal 0.0651.
• So 65.1 millimeters = 0.0651 meters
• 0.0651 meters x 1 dekameter/ 10 meters ---> 0.0651 meters x 1 dekameter/ 10 meters.
• 0.0651/ 10 = 0.00651 deka meters
• So 65.1 millimeters = 0.00651 dekameters

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