Metric Units of Mass, and Capacity

The Metric System The metric system of measurement is a decimal system that uses prefixes to relate the sizes of units to standard units. The standard unit of mass is the gram. The standard unit of capacity is the liter.

Metric Prefixes kilo1,000 hecto100 deka10 deci0.1 centi0.01 milli0.001

Mass – the amount of matter that an object has. The standard unit is a gram. A gram is about the mass (or, basically, the weight) of a paper clip. 1,000 grams make a kilogram. You would use kilograms to measure heavier things, like desks and people. A kilogram is roughly equivalent to the weight of a one liter bottle of water. A newborn baby weighs about 3 kg. A milligram is very small. It takes 1,000 mg to make a gram. An eyelash weighs about 1 mg.

Mass - weight In the metric system, all units are defined in terms of a basic unit. The basic unit of mass in the metric system is the gram. 5

Everyday items you could use to associate with mass in the metric system. milligram - a grain of salt gram - large paper clip kilogram - math textbook 6

Mass - grams 1 gram = 1000 milligrams 1 kilogram = 1000 grams 7

Capacity – the amount of liquid an object holds. The standard unit is a liter. A bottle of juice holds about a liter of liquid. 1,000 liters make a kiloliter. If you filled 2-3 bathtubs with water, you would have about a kL of water. A milliliter is very small. It takes 1,000 mL to make a liter. A couple of drops of water would be equivalent to 1 mL. You would use milliliters to measure how much liquid was in a glass, or a juice box, or a can of soda.

Capacity - volume In the metric system, all units are defined in terms of a basic unit. The basic unit of capacity in the metric system is the liter. 9

Everyday items you could use to associate with capacity in the metric system. milliliter - 10 drops of food coloring liter - a small pitcher of water kiloliter – hot tub or spa 10

Capacity - liters 1 liter = 1000 milliliters 1 kiloliter = 1000 liters 11

Measures Test your knowledge of Litres and millilitres Start

Question 1 1 litre = 100 millilitres 1000 millilitres 10 millilitres

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How many millilitres are in ½ litre? 50 mls 100 mls 500 mls

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How many millilitres are there in one quarter (¼ ) of a litre? 50 mls 250 mls 500 mls

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How many millilitres are there in ¾ of a litre? 750 mls 75 mls 50 mls

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Question 5 ½ (half) litre is the same as: 5.0 litres 0.5 litres 0.1 litres

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Question 6 ¼ (one quarter) of a litre is the same as: 1.4 litres 0.5 litres 0.25 litres

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Question 7 ¾ (three quarters) of a litre is the same as: 0.75 litres 7.5 litres 3.4 litres

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Question litres is the same as: 150 mls 1500 mls 1550 mls

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Question litres is the same as: 1250 mls 125 mls 250 mls

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Question 10 5 litres is the same as 50 mls 500 mls 5000 mls

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Finished!!