Metric Conversion

In this section, we learn how to perform a Metric Conversion. This is also known as converting between units in the metric system. This is particularly challenging in the U.S., since we have less exposure to these units. We will begin by learning about the units of measure in the metric system. The units: length (meter), weight (gram), and volume (liter). Although we can use a unit fraction to convert between metric units, it’s often slower than using a prefix chart. We demonstrate how to build a prefix chart and cover the common mnemonic device: King (k - kilo) Henry (h - hecto) died (d - deka) unexpectedly (u - unit) drinking (d - deci) chocolate (c - centi) milk (m - milli). This allows us to easily remember the prefix chart. To convert between metric units, we match the movement of the decimal point in our number with the movement along the prefix chart.