Measuring Using The Metric System

The English System

The system of measurement the United States uses.

Uses inches, feet, yards, and miles to measure length

Uses ounces and pounds to measure mass

Uses ounces and gallons to measure volume

The Metric System

Uses units based on multiples of ten Gets its name from the basic unit of length, the

meter. Historically, the meter was defined by the

French Academy of Sciences as the length between two marks on a platinum-iridium bar, which was designed to represent one ten-millionth of the distance from the Equator to the North Pole through Paris.

In 1983, the meter was redefined as the distance traveled by light in free space in 1⁄299,792,458 of a second.

Base Units of the Metric System

Length: Meter (m)Volume: Liter (l)Mass: Gram (g)

Metric Prefixes

The metric system uses prefixes that

represent a relationship to the base

unit

The prefixes are:

milli (m) = 1/1000 of the base unit

centi (c) = 1/100 of the base unit

deci (d) = 1/10 of the base unit

BASE UNIT = 1

deka (da) = 10 times the base unit

hecto (h) = 100 times the base unit

kilo (k) = 1000 times the base unit

Metric Conversions

You can use the metric prefixes to change from one length, mass, or volume to another in the metric system

For example, if you measure the length of the table to be 3.2 meters, you can convert it to centimeters and express it as 320 centimeters.

You can use the acronym King Henry Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk to help you make these conversions.

Volume Volume is the amount of space a

substance occupies Volume is measured using a

graduated cylinder The units used to measure the

volume of a liquid are milliliters (ml)

The units used to measure the volume of a solid are cubic centimeters (cm3)

The formula used to calculate the volume of a solid is Length x Width x Height

Remember that 1 ml = 1 cm3

Find the volume of the object below:

Length = 12 cm Width = 3 cm Height = 3 cm Volume = length x

width x height Volume = 12 cm x 3 cm

x 3 cm Volume = 108 cm3

Metric System

English

System