1. Introduction to the Metric System
Grade 5
Perry Hill School

2. Metric System Is a decimal system based on 10
Used in most of the world
Used by scientists and hospitals

3. Metric Length
The basic unit used to measure distance is the meter. "The meter is the length of the path traveled by light in vacuum during a time interval of 1/ of a second.“

4. The more common measures of distance are:
Centimeter (cm) – about the diameter of a dime; corresponds to English inches.
Millimeter (mm) – about the thickness of a dime; corresponds to English fractional inches.
Meter (m) – about 1 yard; corresponds to English feet or yards.
Kilometer (km) – a little more than ½ mile; corresponds to English miles.

5. Which metric unit (km, m, cm, mm) should be used to measure each item?
Thickness of sheet metal
Length of an automobile race
Length and width of a table top
Thickness of plywood
Length and width of a house lot

6. Fill in each blank with the most reasonable unit (km, m, cm, mm).
The diameter of a wheel on a 10-speed bicycle is 56 ______.
The width of a door in our house is 91 ___.
Antonio’s waist size is 95 ______.
Jan drives 16 _____ to school.
The distance from home plate to the center field wall is 125 _____.

7. Mass and Weight
The words mass and weight are often used interchangeably, but technically they are different. The mass of an object is the quantity of material making up the object. The weight of an object is the measure of the pull of earth’s gravity on the object. For instance, the weight of an object decreases as it gets further away from earth, but its mass does not change.

8. The basic unit for measuring mass in the metric system is the gram
The basic unit for measuring mass in the metric system is the gram. The gram is a small unit that is defined to be the mass of the amount of water contained in a cube that measures 1 cm on each side A paper clip weighs about 1 gram.

9. A US cent weighs exactly 2.5 g, while the nickel weighs exactly 5 g.

10. Fill in the blank with the most reasonable unit (kg, g, mg, or metric ton).
Elevators in the college have a load limit of 2200 ______
My new truck can haul a load of 3 _____
I take 1 _____ of vitamin C each day
A jar of peanut butter contains 1200 _____
One common size aspirin tablet is 325 __

11. The metric unit used to measure extremely small amounts such as dry medicine is the milligram. A grain of salt has a mass of about 1 mg. Most aspirin tablets contain about 100 mg of pure aspirin.

12. The kilogram is used to measure the weight of heavier objects that are measured in pounds in the English system. A pair of shoes weighs about a kilogram.

13. The metric ton is equal to 1000 kg and is used to measure the weight of extremely large objects that are measured in tons in the English system. An English ton is 2000 pounds; a metric ton is about 2200 pounds.

14. 1 liter of water weighs 1 kilogram, so 1 cubic meter — 1000 liters — of water weighs 1000 kilograms or 1 metric ton.

15. Volume and Area The basic unit for measuring liquid volume or capacity is the liter (L). It is equal to the volume of a cube 10 cm (1 dm) on each side, therefore

16. Which metric unit (kg, g, mg, or metric ton) should you use to weigh the following:
A vitamin capsule
A 4-wheel drive tractor
Your mass
A bag of potatoes
An apple

17. A liter is slightly more than a quart,

18. Milk, soft drinks, and gasoline are sold by the liter
Milk, soft drinks, and gasoline are sold by the liter. Liquid medicine and eye drops are sold by the milliliter.

19. Which metric unit would be used to measure the following:
Cough syrup
Size of a farm
Piston displacement in an engine
Paint needed to paint a house
Page size in a book
Gasoline in your car

20. Fill in the blank with the most reasonable unit
I drink 250 ___ of orange juice each day
Bob planted 75 ___ of wheat this year
We heat 520 ___ of living space in our house
Our community’s water tower holds 650 _____ of water
We should drink 2 ____ of water each day

21. Learning Check
Identify the measurement in metric units. A. John’s height is 1) 1.5 yards 2) 6 feet 3) 2 meters B. The volume of saline in the IV bottle is 1) 1 liters 2) 1 quart 3) 2 pints C. The mass of a lemon is 1) 12 ounces 2) 145 grams 3) 0.6 pounds

22. Units in the Metric System
length meter m
volume liter L
mass gram g
temperature Celsius °C

23. Learning Check
Identify the measurement in metric units. A. John’s height is 1) 1.5 yards 2) 6 feet 3) 2 meters B. The volume of saline in the IV bottle is 1) 1 liters 2) 1 quart 3) 2 pints C. The mass of a lemon is 1) 12 ounces 2) 145 grams 3) 0.6 pounds

24. Solution
A. John’s height is 3) 2 meters B. The volume of saline in the IV bottle is 1) 1 liter C. The mass of a lemon is 2) 145 grams

25. The following table can be used to convert one metric unit to another.
kilo
hecto
deka
basicunit
deci
centi
milli
dam m dm cm mm km hm
0.458
Since we have meters, start in
The meters column.
458 m = ______ km
Go to the km column by moving
3 places to the left
Take the original decimal point and do the same thing.

26. Change the following: 450 cm = _______m 3.2 km = _______ m
1.4 m = ________ mm
2.4 m = ________ cm
48 cm = ________ mm
12.3 dm = ________ dam