Metric System Conversions

Standard Units of measure

How did we get them? The kilogram is equal to the mass of the international prototype of the kilogram: a piece of platinum-iridium alloy kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France The meter is the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of 1/ of a second. The ampere is that constant current which, if maintained in two straight parallel conductors of infinite length, of negligible circular cross-section, and placed 1 meter apart in vacuum, would produce between these conductors a force equal to 2 x newton per meter of length.

Why is it easy again? Base units of ten Moving up and down the scale Prefixes attached to SI units.

Why the prefixes? The mass of the earth is 5,984,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000grams I would much rather just say, the mass of the earth is 5984 yottagrams.

KILO 1000 Units HECTO 100 Units DEKA 10 Units DECI 0.1 Unit CENTI 0.01 Unit MILLI Unit Meters Liters Grams Ladder Method How do you use the “ladder” method? 1 st – Determine your starting point. 2 nd – Count the “jumps” to your ending point. 3 rd – Move the decimal the same number of jumps in the same direction. 4 km = _________ m How many jumps does it take? Starting Point Ending Point 4. 1 __. 2 3 = 4000 m

Mental Break-Conversion Jokes Ratio of an igloo's circumference to its diameter = Eskimo Pi 1 millionth of a mouthwash = 1 microscope Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour = Knotfurlong Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement = 1 bananosecond 2,000 mockingbirds = 2 kilomockingbirds

SMECMU!!!! (Not quite easy enough for a caveman to do)

Steps 1-2 Step 1- Estimate your answer’s size. Use the SMECMU analogy! Step 2- Write down the number you wish to convert to another unit, with the old unit still on it.

Step 3-4 Step 3-Write down the conversion factor, with the old unit on the bottom, and the new unit on the top. Step 4- Cancel out the old number with the bottom number as much as you can. The old unit should cancel out completely. Multiply by the new unit’s number, and get your answer in the new unit!

Example - Step 1 Convert 100 cm to meters Is it going to get bigger or smaller? Smaller!

Step 2 Step 2- Write down the number you wish to convert to another unit, with the old unit still on it. 100cm

Step 3 Step 3-Write down the conversion factor, with the old unit on the bottom, and the new unit on the top. How many centimeters are in a meter? 100cm1m 100cm

Step 4 Step 4- Cancel out the old number with the bottom number as much as you can. The old unit should cancel out completely. Multiply by the new unit’s number, and get your answer in the new unit!

Quick Facts Top beach volleyball players can jump about 75 centimeters off the sand -- about the height of a Great Dane at its shoulders. Female gymnasts execute precise movements on a balance beam that is only 10 centimeters wide -- about the width of a paperback novel.

No Naked Numbers!