Name: ________________________________

Units of Measurement & The Metric System

Objectives:
SWBAT state the two systems of measurement, identify units of each system,
and compare the relative sizes of these units.
SWBAT identify the basic units of the metric system and the numeric value of
metric prefixes.

Standard: PH1.a Students know how to solve problems that involve constant speed
and average speed.

Key Points:
1. There are two main systems of measurement in the world today, the English or
United States Customary System (USCS) and the Metric System.
2. The English System is used primarily in the United States, while the Metric
System is the one most commonly used by scientists because it uses a
decimal system.
3. In the Metric System, basic units (meters, grams, liters, and seconds) are
related to smaller or larger units by factors of ten as indicated by metric
prefixes.

Relative Size

Unit Relative Size Examples

Two Main Systems of Measurement:

English System (United States Customary System):

Metric System
Metric System: Prefixes

Prefix Symbol Relationship to Basic Unit

Metric Conversions

To convert between units in the metric system:

1. Identify your given unit of measurement.
2. Identify the unit of measurement you are trying to find.
a. Is the unit you are trying to find to the left or right of the given unit?
b. How many steps away (on the chart below) is the unit you are trying to
find from the given unit?
3. Locate the decimal point in the given measurement.
4. Move the decimal in the direction and the number of steps indicated by Step 2
(a) and (b).

Move the decimal point to the RIGHT or multiply

KILO HECTO DEKA BASIC DECI CENTI MILLI

UNIT
1000 100 units 10 0.1 units 0.01 units 0.001
units units 1 unit units
 Move the decimal point to the LEFT or divide

Practice Problems:

1.) 6700 m = _________ km 2.) 17.45 g = ___________ mg

3.) 4 mL = __________ L 4.) 75 cm = __________ m