1. Do Now - 9/28/09 Solve: How many ____ are in ______ m in 1km mm in 1m
kg in 1g
Where does the decimal point go?
Before or after the number?

2. METRIC CONVERSION You can do Metric Conversion if:
You can Count Up to Six and Know Your Left From Your Right

3. What are Metric Conversions?
Sometimes we need to change from one measurement to another.
This is usually done because the unit that is used is either too big or too small for that type of measurement.

4. Sometimes the number is too big for the unit being measured.
525,568 millimeters
Sometimes the number is too big for the unit being measured.

5. Sometimes the number is too small for the unit being measuredkm
Sometimes the number is too small for the unit being measured

6. How Do We Fix This Problem?
We can correct these problems by doing a process called Metric Conversion. When you do a Metric Conversion, you are changing from one unit of measurement to another.

7. The Staircase Method
We will be using a method called The Stair-step Method of Metric Conversion.
It requires two things; one, that you be able to count to 6, and two, that you know your left from your right.

8. Staircase Method (copy this)
Kilo-
Hecto-
Deka-
base units
Deci-
Centi-
Milli-
Grams, liters,meters

9. How Do I Use This?
Start: The first letter of the prefix in the unit of measurement tells you which step to start on.
Stop: The first letter in the second unit of measurement tells you which step to stop on.

10. How Do I Use This (cont.)?
+ Find which step to start on, and count the number of steps it takes to get to the step that you need to stop on.
+ If you went to the right(downstairs) the decimal in the first measurement moves that many places to the right. If you went to the left (upstairs) then the decimal moves to the left. Fill any empty places with zeros.

11. The Stair-step Kilo- Hecto- Deka- Grams, liters,meters base units
Deci-
Centi-
Milli-
Grams, liters,meters

12. mm = ? m
Millimeters are a very small amount of distance. You would not want to measure a large distance in a very small unit.
To make the conversion, we start on the milli- step and go three steps to the left to get to the meter step. Therefore, the decimal in mm moves three places to the left, becoming m.

13. km = ? m
Kilometers are a fairly large unit of distance. You would not want to measure a small distance in a large unit, so we need to convert it to a smaller unit, the meter.
We would start on the Kilo- step and move three steps to the right this time, ending on the meter (base unit) step. Therefore, km becomes 6.54 m.

14. Be able to count up to six and know your left from your right.
Hey! This Is Easy!
You bet it’s easy! Like we said on the first slide…..
Be able to count up to six and know your left from your right.
Now, get your stair-step sheet and your practice problems and do some more conversions!

15. What is the value for each prefix?

16. Exit Slip (When you are finished get out HW)
Convert:
20kg to grams
10m to km
34cl to ml
Write down one question from your HW that you had trouble with