1. The Metric System

2. Why Should I Use the Metric System?
Customary System
Multiplying or dividing by 8, 12, 16, 36, 5280, etc… takes longer!
Multiplying and Dividing by 10 is quick and easy!
Pint, Quart, Gallon, Pounds, Ounces, Tons, Inches, Feet, Yards, Miles
Meters, Liters, Grams
Decimals 
Fractions 
The United States is about the ONLY country in the world that is still using it!
Nearly every country in the world uses it!

3. Have You Ever Lost $125,000,000?
Mix up between Metric and Customary Units
Thrust Calculations are inaccurate
Yup.. 3 in to the left….
Just 3 cm to the left….
NASA Mars Polar Lander burns up on entry in December 2000.
MARS POLAR LANDER PAGE

4. METER, LITER, GRAM
METER = LENGTH
LITER = VOLUME
GRAM = MASS

5. Metric System…….NEW AND IMPROVED 
KILO-
1000
HECTO-
100
DEKA-
Meter
Liter
Gram
Move the Decimal to the RIGHT
Larger to Smaller 10
Base
DECI-
Smaller to Larger
Move the Decimal to the LEFT
1/10
CENTI-
1/100
MILLI-
1/1000

6. Let’s Try a Few……. 2) 1 L =_______mL 3) 1 km =_______m
1) 1 kg =____g
2) 1 L =_______mL
3) 1 km =_______m
4) 1 m =_______cm

7. Let’s Try a Few……. 2) 2200 mL =_______L 3) 8.9 km =_______m
1) 100 g =____kg
2) 2200 mL =_______L
3) 8.9 km =_______m
4) 5 kg =_______g

8. Think of a meter stick…. Divide it into 100ths and you have ________.
Take 1000 meter sticks in a row and you have ______.

9. Must know!
Kilo= 1000 x
There are 1000 meters in a kilometer or 1000 grams in a kilogram
Centi= 1/100. There are 100 cm in a meter
Milli= 1/1000. There are 1000 milligrams in a gram or 1000 mL in a liter.

10. Metric System Links Units of Measurement
History of Metric System in the US
Metric Prefixes
The EVIL, EVIL Customary System