1. Metric System Refresher Sheet
Init 3/14/18 by Daniel R. Barnes, based on a very old worksheet of his.

2. NOTE: It would probably be best if,
before you go over this as a class,
the students have read section 3.2 in the textbook
AND you have delivered a lecture about the metric system.
Going over this worksheet orally is a very clunky, awkward first-exposure activity.

3. General math facts 1. revolution 2. the U.S.A. 3. ten; water; length
4. meter,
feet
5. north pole
6. mile
GIVE THE KIDS 5 MORE MIN!
7. metric
8. cubic
9. centimeter
10. sugar cube
11. one thousand
General math facts

4. General math facts GIVE THE KIDS 5 MORE MIN! 12. mass 13. liter,
kilogram
14. zero
15. centigrade,
freezing
General math facts
NOTE: I’m beginning to think that although the gram was based on 1 cc of water, the liter was defined as a dm3, rather than the mL being defined as a cc. This is a historical issue more than a scientific issue, though, so I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.

5. Symbols cm = centimeter kg = kilogram cc = cubic centimeter mg =
milligram
mm =
millimeter
g =
gram
Symbols

6. Symbols ml = milliliter mg = microgram dm3 = cubic decimeter L = liter
km =
kilometer
m =
meter
Symbols

7. Prefixes giga = one billion = 1,000,000,000 = 109 mega =
one million = 1,000,000 = 106
kilo =
one thousand = 1,000 = 103
deci =
one tenth = 0.1 = 10-1
centi =
one one-hundredth = 0.01 = 10-2
Prefixes

8. Prefixes milli = one one-thousandth = 0.001 = 10-3 micro =
one one-millionth = = 10-6
nano =
one one-billionth = = 10-9
pico =
one one-trillionth = = 10-12
Prefixes

9. “Conversion problems”
the slides for
“Conversion factors”
“Conversion problems”
and
“Extra for experts”
have not yet been built . . .

10. Conversion Factors
What number can you multiply times any number without altering the value of the second number? 1
EX: 1 x 13 = x 25 = x =
In order for a fraction to equal one, what has to be true about it?
The top must equal the bottom – even if they don’t look the same.
What arithmetic operation is implied by the horizontal bar in a fraction?
division

14. HEY! Extra for Experts (you better be good at algebra . . . )
Make a graph of Celsius vs Fahrenheit. Determine the y = mx + b formula for the line. To make the graph, you’ll need to know that water freezes at 32oF and boils at 212oF. The other information has been given already.
HEY!
TRY DOING IT ON YOUR OWN BEFORE YOU LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING SLIDES.
ALWAYS TRY TO DO PROBLEMS ON YOUR OWN FIRST BEFORE YOU PEEK AT THE ANSWERS, AND THEN ONLY PEEK AT ONE LITTLE THING AT A TIME UNTIL YOU CAN CONTINUE ON YOUR OWN.
DON’T CHEAT, OR YOU’RE JUST CHEATING YOURSELF.

15. Extra for Experts (you better be good at algebra . . . )
Make a graph of Celsius vs Fahrenheit. Determine the y = mx + b formula for the line. To make the graph, you’ll need to know that water freezes at 32oF and boils at 212oF. The other information has been given already.
“Celsius vs. Fahrenheit” implies that Celsius is on the y axis and Fahrenheit is on the x axis.
Freezing point of water = 0oC = 32oF
This gives us a point on the graph: (32, 0)
Boiling point of water = 100oC = 212oF
This gives us a second point: (212, 100)
m = Dy/Dx = (y2-y1)/(x2-x1) = (100 – 0)/(212 – 32) = 100/180 = 5/9 =

16. Extra for Experts (you better be good at algebra . . . )
Make a graph of Celsius vs Fahrenheit. Determine the y = mx + b formula for the line. To make the graph, you’ll need to know that water freezes at 32oF and boils at 212oF. The other information has been given already.
We now know that m = , but we don’t know b yet.
We do know two sets of values for x and y, so b is now the only unknown. If we substitute (5/9) for m and one of our (oF, oC) pairs for x and y, we can solve for b.
0 = 5/9(32) + b; b = -5/9(32) = x 32 =
y = 5/9x –
Now, we still need to plot it.

17. Extra for Experts (you better be good at algebra . . . )
Make a graph of Celsius vs Fahrenheit. Determine the y = mx + b formula for the line. To make the graph, you’ll need to know that water freezes at 32oF and boils at 212oF. The other information has been given already.
y = 5/9x –
The equation for the line tells us the y-intercept: it’s
That gives us the point (0, )
The freezing point gives us (32, 0)
The boiling point gives us (212, 100)
We only need two points to plot a line, but we’ve got three. Yay.
The biggest number in any of our points is 212, so if we make the graph go from -250 to +250 on both the x and y axes, that should be big enough to give us the picture.