1. Answer these questions about the English system:
Why metrics?
Answer these questions about the English system:
How many fluid ounces are there in one gallon?
How many cups are in a quart?
How many inches are in a mile?
How many teaspoons are there in one tablespoon?

2. Metric System Base 10 easy to use
Prefixes and base units are all you need to know

3. The Prefixes Kilo (k) 1000 x the base Hecto (h) 100 x the base
Deca (da) 10 x the base
No prefix = just the base!
Deci (d) 0.1 x the base 1/10
Centi (c) 0.01 x base 1/100
Milli (m) x the base 1/1000
You MUST know these!

4. The Base units Distance = meter (m) Volume = liter (L)
Mass (weight) = gram (g)
Temperature = Kelvin (K) but we use oC
There are other but for this class these will work

5. How to make sense of the metric system
The first letter is the prefix
The second letter is the base unit
If there is only one letter you are in your base unit.

6. km Prefix (k) Base unit (m) m tells us we are measuring distance
“meters”
K means Kilo
“1000”
km means 1000 meters
5km can be read 5 “thousand” “meters”
                                    (k)             (m)

7. You already use a base 10 system every day…
(Americans just don’t use the prefixes right)
Would you rather have 25 dollars or 25 centidollars?
Would you rather have a kilodollar or a dollar?

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

9. Examples Convert the following: 2.0 m to cm 15 cm to m 1.5 km to m
4500 m to km

10. 2.0 m to cm (move two places right) 15 cm to m (move two places left)
1.5 km to m (move three places right)
1500m
4500 m to km (move three places left)
4.5km