Converting Units in the Metric System

Lesson 8-6:

Making Conversions

• You can convert from one metric unit to another by multiplying or dividing by a power of 10 (10, 100, 1,000, etc).

• Large units to small units, you multiply. Move decimal to the right.

• Small units to large units, you divide. Move the decimal to the left.

Use the ladder method

• Open and do activites

• http://www.beverlyschools.org/memorial/di/Math/metricsystem/metricsystem.pdf

Example

4.2 m = _______ cmMeters are larger than centimetersL S

Converting from large units to smaller units requires multiplication. Multiply 4.2 by 100, since we are going 2 steps on the ladder or that there are 100 centimeters in a meter.

To multiply by 100, move the decimal point two spaces to the right.

420

Example 2

36 g = ______kg

We are going from a smaller unit to a larger unit, so we divide. Divide by 1,000 since we are moving 3 steps up the ladder. Also, there are 1,000 grams in a kilogram.

To divide by 1,000, move the decimal point three spaces to the left.

0.036

Practice TimeP 447 # 1-7