Using the Metric System

1. Using the Metric System S.I. units are so easy to work with because they are based on multiples of 10!

2. How easy is this??? • There has to be a better way… Converting Standard Measurements

3. In The Metric System… • There is one basic unit for… • Length (meter) • Volume (liter) • Mass (gram) • Each smaller unit is easy to convert to the larger unit and vice versa! • This chart can be used for each of the basic units • The values do not change for liters… • Or Grams!

4. Using the Metric System is easy!!! • To simplify things, very large and very small objects are expressed as multiples of ten of the base unit • For example… A “5,000” meter long race can also be written as a “five thousand” meter, or as “5K” (5 kilometer) long race! • A grain of salt is “0.001” meters long, or “one one-thousandth of a meter, or “millimeter” in length • Metric prefixes can be used with any base unit • For example… • A kilometer is 1,000 meters • A kilogram is 1,000 grams • A kiloliter is 1,000 liters

5. Using the Metric System is easy!!! • Base the subunit you use on whichever is closest to the size of the object you are measuring • It wouldn't make sense to measure your weight in grams for the same reason that you wouldn't measure it in ounces - the unit is too small • You would express your weight in a unit that makes sense, in this case: kilograms, because 1 kilogram is equal to 1000 grams • (1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs) 1 kilogram 1000 grams They are the same!

6. How do I do it? • The metric system is based on multiplying or dividing your units by 10 • This moves your decimal point to the left or right • It does NOT change the numbers you use!  • The six important prefixes used in the Metric System are…