EXAMPLE 1 Converting Metric Units of Length Running In the 4 800 meter relay race, four teammates each run 800 meters. The total length of the race is 3200 meters. How many kilometers long is the race?

The 4 800 meter relay race is 3.2 kilometers long. EXAMPLE 1 Converting Metric Units of Length To find the length in kilometers of the relay race, convert 3200 meters to kilometers. SOLUTION You are converting from a smaller unit (meters) to a larger unit (kilometers), so divide by a power of 10. From meters to kilometers, the decimal point is moved 3 places to the left, so divide by 103, or 1000. 3200 1000 = 3.2 3200 meters = 3.2 kilometers ANSWER The 4 800 meter relay race is 3.2 kilometers long.

Copy and complete the statement. EXAMPLE 2 Converting Units of Mass and Capacity Copy and complete the statement. a. 15 g = ? mg b. 590 mL = ? L SOLUTION a. To convert from grams to milligrams, multiply by 1000. 15 1000 = 15,000, so 15 g = 15,000 mg. b. To convert from milliliters to liters, divide by 1000. 590 1000 = 0.59, so 590 mL = 0.59 L.

Copy and complete the statement. GUIDED PRACTICE for Examples 1 and 2 Copy and complete the statement. 1. 6800 m = ? km ANSWER 6.8 2. 54 m = ? mm ANSWER 54,000 3. 830 cm = ? m ANSWER 8.3

Copy and complete the statement. GUIDED PRACTICE for Examples 1 and 2 Copy and complete the statement. 4. 115 mm = ? cm ANSWER 11.5 5. 9.25 kL = ? L ANSWER 9250 6. 100 g = ? kg ANSWER 0.1