1. The International System of Measurement Also known as: The Metric System

2. Metric System simple to use based on units of ten easy to make conversions used by all scientists used in the medical field used in most countries

3. The Metric Rap

4. Let’s say the prefixes together….. kilo- hecto- deka- (unit of measure or meter-liter-gram) deci- centi- milli-

5. Units of measure Metric units Meter Measures distance or length Liter Measures volume (such as water) Gram Measures mass

6. Notes…. There are no commas in the metric system. There are no fractions in the metric system. When the liter symbol is hand written, it must be a capital letter so that is not confused with a one. When it is with another symbol, lower case can be used. Ex: L stands for liter, and ml or mL both mean milliliter. Metric temperature is Kelvin. Celsius is a more common form of SI temperature, because it is derived directly from the Kelvin scale. On the Celsius scale, water freezes at 0 o C and boils at 100 o C.

7. The Fairy Tale of King Henry King Henry was a jolly old English king who drank a lot of chocolate milk. Even though metrics had been used in England for a long time, King Henry had difficulty converting between the different metric units. He had really become frustrated and confused. He felt, as a king, that he should be able to do anything. He asked for help from all the smart people in his kingdom. They tried hard, but without a lot of luck, until one of the great mathematicians from his kingdom, Mrs. Newville, came forward. Mrs. Newville explained to King Henry that everything in metrics was done by either multiplying by 10 or dividing by 10 which is easy to do by just moving the decimal point. She explained how to convert between the units so well that King Henry was so excited; he made up a chart to help others. They understood just as well, so he got even more excited. Unfortunately, King Henry got so excited, he had a heart attack and died.

8. Your scale should look like this… Some like to make a triple scale using only symbols like this: kmkmhmhmdammdmdmcmcmm klhldalLdlclml kghgdaggdgcgmg Sentence to help you remember: King Henry Died Unexpectedly Drinking Chocolate Milk

9. Converting in Metrics… Identify the position of the decimal. If there is no decimal, it is at the end of the number. 1. Identify the location of prefix that you have (and notice if it is a meter, liter or gram) on the metric scale. Put your pencil there. 2. Identify the new position (where the new prefix is located—or what you want to find out). 3. Determine whether you need to move right or left. 4. Determine how many times you need to move to get there. 5. Move the decimal the same number times and in the same direction.

10. Metric Conversions Ladder Method

11. KILO 1000 Units HECTO 100 Units DEKA 10 Units DECI 0.1 Unit CENTI 0.01 Unit MILLI 0.001 Unit Meters Liters Grams Ladder Method How do you use the “ladder” method? 1 st – Determine your starting point. 2 nd – Count the “jumps” to your ending point. 3 rd – Move the decimal the same number of jumps in the same direction. 4 km = _________ m 1 2 3 How many jumps does it take? Starting Point Ending Point 4. 1 __. 2 3 = 4000 m

12. Try these conversions using the ladder method. 1000 mg = _______ g 1 L = _______ mL160 cm = _______ mm 14 km = _______ m109 g = _______ kg 250 m = _______ km Conversion Practice Compare using, or =. 56 cm 6 m 7 g 698 mg

13. Write the correct abbreviation for each metric unit. 1) Kilogram _____ 4) Milliliter _____ 7) Kilometer _____ 2) Meter _____ 5) Millimeter _____ 8) Centimeter _____ 3) Gram _____ 6) Liter _____ 9) Milligram _____ Metric Conversion Challenge

14. Now you know the International System of Measurement! aka: SI Isn’t the metric system easier than you thought? Keep practicing!!!