Common units of measure
| Length/Distance | mm, cm, m, km |
|---|---|
| Area | mm2, cm2, m2, km2 |
| Volume | mm3, cm3, m3, km3 |
| Capacity | mL, L, kL, ML |
| Weight (mass) | mg, g, kg, metric tonne |
| Time | sec, mins, hrs, days, weeks, months, years |
Length
When comparing two lengths written in different units it is necessary to change one of them. To convert between different units of measure recall that it will be necessary to multiply or divide by powers of $10$10.
Use the following conversion chart to convert between units of measurement.
Standard conversions
If we need to convert a length from kilometres (km) to centimetres (cm), it could be completed in one big step. Alternatively using smaller steps can support the process and reduce errors.
Practice questions
Question 1
Convert $6.52$6.52 centimetres to millimetres. Write your answer as a decimal.
Question 2
Convert $25.97$25.97 millimetres to centimetres. Write your answer as a decimal.
$25.97$25.97 mm = $\editable{}$ cm
Question 3
Convert $6.22$6.22 km to cm.
$6.22$6.22 km = $\editable{}$ cm
Question 4
Convert $512200$512200 cm to km. Write your answer as a decimal.
$512200$512200 cm = $\editable{}$ km
Question 5
Convert $2.12$2.12 km to mm.
Question 6
A skyscraper is $961$961 metres tall.
What is the height of the building in kilometres? Give your answer in decimal form.
What is the height of the building in centimetres?
Area
Area is described as units squared so when converting units of measure for area, use the same system as for length except square the power of $10$10.
That is, if converting from m2 to cm2 look for the conversion number from m to cm, and square it.
In other words, converting an area in m2 to cm2 requires us to multiply the area by $100^2$1002.
Practice questions
Question 7
Select the option that shows $3$3 m2 converted into cm2.
$3000$3000 cm2
A$300000$300000 cm2
B$30000$30000 cm2
C$300$300 cm2
D
QUESTION 8
Convert $0.56$0.56km2 to m2.
QUESTION 9
Convert $790000000$790000000 cm2 to km2.
Volume
Volume is described as units cubed so when converting units of measure for volume, use the same system as for length except cube the power of $10$10.
That is, if converting from m3 to cm3 look for the conversion number from m to cm, and cube it.
In other words, converting a volume in m3 to cm3 requires us to multiply the area by $100^3$1003.
Capacity
Capacity is the amount of liquid that a container can hold. Capacity is usually measured using one of the following units:
- millilitres (mL)
- litres (L)
- kilolitres (kL)
- megalitres (ML)
Most of these will be familiar from previous experiences, such as the size of your milk container, measuring ingredients when cooking, measuring medicines or even in science experiments you may have done at school.
Converting Capacity
$1$1 L $=$= $1000$1000 mL
$1$1 kL $=$= $1000$1000 L $=$= $1000000$1000000 mL ($1000\times1000$1000×1000)
$1$1 ML $=$= $1000$1000 kL $=$= $1000000$1000000 L $=$= $1000000000$1000000000 mL
Notice that the prefixes of milli and kilo are used again. Remember that the prefix 'milli' means $\frac{1}{1000}$11000th of something. A millilitre is $\frac{1}{1000}$11000th of a litre, which means that there are $1000$1000 mL in $1$1 litre. Also the prefix 'kilo' means $1000$1000 lots of something, so a kilolitre is $1000$1000 litres.
Practice questions
Question 10
Convert $19420$19420 cm3 to litres.
$19420$19420 cm3= $\editable{}$ litres.
Question 11
Convert $4920$4920 millilitres to litres.
$4920$4920 millilitres = $\editable{}$ litres.