Length Getting some perspective
An overview of units in the metric system In this slideshow, we will look at the basic units of length in the metric system with the goal of appreciating what the sizes of the units actually are in reality….
Length Relative size in the metric system
The unit of length in the metric system is the meter One meter is approximately the same distance as one yard (3 feet). The bottom row shows three standard 12 inch rulers (in blue, red and green) end to end. On top is a meter stick.
Length is measured in fractions of a meter A centimeter is 1/100 of a meter. A dime is just under two centimeters in diameter.
Some common units of measurement are very small… The micrometer ( m) is one- thousandth of a mm, is too small to see with the naked eye, and is about the size of a bacterium. The nanometer (nm) is one- thousandth of a m and is about the size of a virus particle. A millimeter is 1/1000 of a meter, or about the thickness of a dime!!
Common units of length UnitAbbreviationValue in meters 1 meterm1 m 1 centimetercm10 -2 m or 1/100 m 1 millimetermm10 -3 m or 1/1000 m 1 micrometer mm m or 1/1,000,000 m 1 nanometer1 nm10 -9 m or 1/1,000,000,000 m 1 picometer1 pm m or 1/1,000,000,000,000 m