Metric conversions — a quick refresh
Length, mass and capacity convert by powers of 10 — multiply down, divide up.
The metric system is built on powers of 10, which makes converting straightforward. The facts you build on this year:
- Length: , , .
- Mass: , .
- Capacity: .
So , and .
This year the conversions get trickier in two ways: area and volume units use different conversion numbers, and you handle the accuracy of measurements much more carefully. Both build on this same multiply-or-divide thinking.
- Length, mass and capacity convert by powers of 10.
- Smaller unit → bigger number → multiply.
- Bigger unit → smaller number → divide.
- Area and volume units use different conversion numbers.