People often get confused about length, area, and volume, which are three different things. Remember that “square” or “2” means area, and “cubic” or “3” means volume. You can also write this example as 2 in. = ? cm.
People often get confused about length, area, and volume, which are three different things. Remember that “square” or “2” means area, and “cubic” or “3” means volume. You can also write this example as 2 in. = ? cm.
For example, if you need to convert 2 inches to centimeters, you need to know that 1 inch = 2. 54 centimeters.
For example, write 2. 54 cm/1 in. . You can read this as “2. 54 centimeters per inch”.
2 in. x 2. 54 cm/1 in. = ?
2 in. x 2. 54 cm/1 in. = (2 in x 2. 54 cm)/1 in. = (5. 08 in. x cm. )/ in.
(5. 08 in. x cm. )/in. = 5. 08 cm.
For example, if you multiplied 2 inch. x (1 in. / 2. 54 cm), your answer will have units of “in. x in. / cm,” which doesn’t make any sense. You realize the inches will cancel if you flip the fraction, so you try again with 2 inch x (2. 54 cm / 1 in. ).
If a bicycle is moving 10 miles per hour, how many feet does it travel in one minute? Write this as “10 miles / hour = ? feet / minute” or “10 miles / h = ? ft / min”.
For example, 1 mile = 5,280 feet.
10 miles / h) x 5280 ft / mile = 52800 miles x ft / h x miles
52800 miles x ft / h x miles = 52800 ft / h
In our example, we still need to convert hours to minutes. 1 hour = 60 minutes. Right now, we have 52800 ft / h. Since hours (h) is on the bottom, we want our new fraction to have hours on top: 1 hour / 60 minutes. 52800 ft / h x 1 h / 60 min = 880 ft x h / h x min
880 ft x h / h x min = 880 ft / min
Once you’re used to this method, you can write all the conversions on one line. [9] X Research source For example, we could solve our example problem like this: 10 miles/h x 5280 ft/mile x 1 h/60 min =10 miles/h x 5280 ft/mile x 1 h/60 min = 10 x 5280 ft x 1/60 min = 880 ft / min.
kilogram = 1000 grams hectogram = 100 grams dekagram = 10 grams gram = 1 gram decigram = 0. 1 grams (one tenth) centigram = 0. 01 grams (one hundredth) milligram = 0. 001 grams (one thousandth)
kilogram = 1000 grams hectogram = 100 grams dekagram = 10 grams gram = 1 gram decigram = 0. 1 grams (one tenth) centigram = 0. 01 grams (one hundredth) milligram = 0. 001 grams (one thousandth)
To convert from kilometers to meters: kilo means 1000, so 1 kilometer = 1000 meters. To convert from grams to milligrams: milli means . 001, so 1 milligram = . 001 gram.
Problem: convert 65. 24 kilograms to grams. 1 kilogram = 1000 grams. Count the number of zeroes: three. That means we multiply by 10 three times, or just move the decimal three spaces to the right. 65. 24 x 10 = 652. 4 (multiplied once) 652. 4 x 10 = 6524 (twice) 6524 x 10 = 65240 (three times) The answer is 65240 grams.
Problem: convert 793 milliliters to decaliters. 1 milliliter = 0. 001 liters. There are three zeroes, so we move the decimal point three to the left. (Remember, move left when dividing. ) 793 milliliters = 0. 793 liters 10 liters = 1 dekaliter, so 1 liter = 0. 1 dekaliters. There is one zero, so move the decimal point one to the left. 0. 793 liters = 0. 0793 dekaliters.
If you converted to a larger unit, your number should get smaller. (Just like 12 inches converts to 1 foot. ) If you converted to a smaller unit, your number should get larger. (Just like 1 foot converts to 12 inches. ) If your result doesn’t match this, check your work.
