Metric Units of Measurement

 Unit Converter

In science, the Metric System is used because it makes unit conversions simple. Converting between units in metric only requires moving the decimal to the left or right since units differ by powers of ten.

 

Base Units (there are others, but these are the most commonly used)

Measurement

Unit

Symbol

length

meter

m

mass

gram

g

volume

liter

L

time

second

s

temperature

Celsius

C

 

Common Prefixes (Each prefix is a power of ten smaller/larger than the one above/below)

Prefix

Abbreviation

Factor (size)

giga-

G

1,000,000,000 x or 109

100,000,000 x or 108

10,000,000 x or 107

mega-

M

1,000,000 x or 106

100,000 x or 105

10,000 x or 104

kilo-

k

1,000 x or 103

hecta-

h

100 x or 102

deca-

D

10 x or 101

Base unit (no prefix)

meters, grams, Liters, seconds

1 x or 100

deci-

d

0.1 x or 10-1

centi-

c

0.01 x or 10-2

milli-

m

0.001 x or 10-3

0.0001 x or 10-4

0.00001 x or 10-5

micro-

µ

0.000001 x or 10-6

0.0000001 x or 10-7

0.00000001 x or 10-8

nano-

n

0.000000001 x or 10-9

 

Examples: Metric Unit Conversion

 

When moving up the table (from smaller to bigger units), move the decimal LEFT

Examples:

1.0 g = 0.001 kg

2.5 g = 0.25 Dg

55.0 hg = 5.5 kg

 

When moving down the table (from bigger to smaller units), move the decimal RIGHT

Examples:

1.0 m = 100.0 cm

4.5 hm = 4500.0 dm

0.001 Dm = 10.0 mm

Further Investigation:

Download the nifty metric conversion program "MacVerter" for Macintosh and let the program do the work! Very useful for "getting a feel" for unfamiliar units.