Metric System

Metric System

Have you heard this one?King Henry Died Unexpectedly Drinking Chocolate Milk.

This sentence is a mnemonic for the core metric system prefixes:k h d u d c mOr, kilo hecta deca unit (g, m, L) deci centi milli

But there are SO MANY more prefixes (check out the next slide).

Metric ConversionsEach prefix has a numeric meaning.Each space on the metric scale represents a multiplier of 10.SO:1 km is 1000 times larger than 1 meter (kilo = 1000 or 103)1 cm is 100 times smaller than 1 meter (centi = 1/100 or 10-2)The base of the scale is 100 and is referred to as the unit. There are several units that could go here:GramsMetersLitersBytesFareds

Metric PracticeHow many grams are in 2.4 kg?Move decimal to the right 3 times:k h d u d c m 2.4 . SO: 2.4 kg is 2400 (or 2.4 x 103) gramsHow many liters are in 2340 mL?Move decimal three places to the left:k h d u d c m 2 3 4 0 . SO: 2340 mL is 2.340 (or 2340 x 10-3) liters