Metric Mania A Stand Alone Lesson on Metric Prefixes

What unit would you use to measure the height of this skyscraper? Choose one: Millimeter (mm) Centimeter (cm) Meter (m) Kilometer (km)

Remember: Millimeters are tiny, and you measure small things with them. I’m only 5 millimeters long! 5 mm

Remember: Centimeters are small, and you measure small things with them. 5 cm I’m only 5 centimeters, but I’m getting bigger!

Excellent! The height of most structures are measured in meters! 449 m

MSU Traverse City Getting close! But most structures are measured with units that are smaller than a kilometer. 240 km

BUT WAIT!!! What if you wanted to know how many centimeters tall a skyscraper was… How would you convert from km to cm??? 449 m

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.

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 right2 steps to the left You are here

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.

Great Job! You moved two spots to the right and arrived at the centimeter step. This is a centimeter

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? But guess what…? You have already figured that out!

If I asked you to convert from 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 mm? Choose one… km km km

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.

km is Correct! You moved the decimal six spaces to the left. You move the decimal in the same direction and number of spaces you would move on the staircase to get from one unit to the next km

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 km? Choose one… cm cm cm

cm is incorrect. You only moved the decimal to the right four spaces. This would give you and answer of decimeters. Remember, you want to go to centimeters. Try again.

cm is incorrect. You only moved the decimal to the right one space. This would give you and answer of hectometers. Remember, you want to go to centimeters. Try again.

cm is CORRECT! You moved the decimal to the right five spaces. This would give you an answer of centimeters.

Great Work!!! You now know how to use the metric staircase to convert from one metric unit to another metric unit! But isn’t it more practical to know how to convert from metric units to units that we use everyday…? Like pounds, gallons or feet???

These are the units that we are familiar with in the U.S.A. Pounds for weight Gallons for volume Feet for length

But do you know how to convert from the Metric System to the U.S. Customary System that we are used to? For instance, how many feet are in one meter? I suppose you could find a meter stick and look on the back of it to count how many feet there are… but this can be tedious. Centimeters on a meter stick Compared to … Inches on the back of a meter stick.

But, if you did look you would find that there are 3.28 feet for every one meter! So if something was 5 meters, how many feet long would it be? Choose one: 16.4 ft6.5 ft8.28 ft1.5 ft

Great! Since there are 3.28 feet in 1 meter, you figured out that if you had 5 meters you would have to multiply 3.28 feet by 5. You found out there are 16.4 feet in 5 meters.

Incorrect! You multiplied 3.28 feet by 2 to get this number. Remember you have 5 meters.

Incorrect! You added 5 to Try multiplying how many meters you have by 3.28 feet since there are 3.28 feet in every meter.

Incorrect! You divided 5 by Try multiplying how many meters you have by 3.28 feet since there are 3.28 feet in every meter.

You just used a Conversion Factor to solve a problem! You have a conversion factor whenever you show an amount of one unit equaling a amount of a different unit. What conversion factor did you use to solve the last problem? Choose one: 1 m = 7.89 ft1m =.54 ft1m = 3.28 ft

Incorrect! 1 m does not equal 7.89 feet. This would make for quite a long meter. Go back and try again.

Incorrect! 1 m does not equal.54 feet. This would make for quite a small meter. Go back and try again.

Excellent Work! You remembered that there are 3.28 feet in every 1 meter. This conversion factor can be written many different ways: 3.28 ft = 1 m 1 m = 3.28 ft 3.28 ft 1 m 3.28 ft This fraction is pronounced “3.28 feet per one meter”. This fraction is pronounced “1 meter per 3.28 feet”.

As you have figured out, conversion factors can be used to “convert” from one unit to another! Here is a list of some common Conversion Factors: 1 gram =.0022 pounds1 liter =.26 gallons 1 kg = 2.2 pounds1 gallon = 3.78 liters 1 pound = 454 grams1 liter = 2.11 pints 1 ton (metric) = 2,204.6 pounds1 cm =.39 inches 1 inch = 2.54 cm1 m = 3.28 feet 1 km =.62 miles1 mile = 1.6 km

To solve a problem the conversion factor is written as a fraction. Earlier you figured out how many feet were in 5 meters using the conversion factor: 1 meter = 3.28 feet. You might not have known this, but if you were to set up the problem it would look like this: 5 meters x 3.28 feet = 16.4 feet 1 meters Notice how using the fraction to set up the problem drops the unit you don’t want and gives you the unit you want to convert to!

Try this… How many total eggs do you have if you have 4 dozen eggs? Remember, select the equation that drops the unit you do not want? Choose one: 4 dozen x 25 dozen = 4 dozen x 25 eggs = 4 dozen x 12 eggs = 4 dozen x 1 dozen = 1 eggs 1 dozen 12 eggs Review how to do this again.

Incorrect! 4 dozen x 25 dozen = 1 egg This equation would not work for two reasons: 1.The conversion factor is incorrect. (There is not 1 egg in 25 dozen) 2.The units cannot cancel each other out.

Incorrect! 4 dozen x 25 eggs = 1 dozen This equation would not work. 1.The conversion factor is incorrect. (There is not 25 eggs in 1 dozen.)

Excellent Work! 4 dozen x 12 eggs = 1 dozen This equation works because: 1.The conversion factor is correct. (There are 12 eggs in 1 dozen) 2.The units can cancel each other out and you are left with eggs as you final unit. 48 eggs

Incorrect! 4 dozen x 1 dozen = 12 eggs This equation would not work because: 1.The units cannot cancel each other out.

You’ve done it again!!! You are now ready to conquer some complicated, confusing, conversion factor problems! Your task now is to use The Conversion Factor slide to:The Conversion Factor slide 1.Design 10 conversion factor problems in MS Word. Such as; How many gallons are in 7 liters? Have fun and be creative. 2.Print your newly created “Conversion Factors Worksheet” and work through the problems. Click here to access the Conversion Factors slide

As you have figured out, conversion factors can be used to “convert” from one unit to another! Here is a list of some common Conversion Factors: 1 gram =.0022 pounds1 liter =.26 gallons 1 kg = 2.2 pounds1 gallon = 3.78 liters 1 pound = 454 grams1 liter = 2.11 pints 1 ton (metric) = 2,204.6 pounds1 cm =.39 inches 1 inch = 2.54 cm1 m = 3.28 feet 1 km =.62 miles1 mile = 1.6 km If you need to review you can click on one of the options below. Review Metric  MetricReview Metric  U.S. Customary