Metric System Notes

Mnemonic Device for Remembering Metric Prefixes: (skip the base
unit because that changes depending on what you are measuring, or be
sure to include "base unit" in your mnemonic device)
Used to measure:
Very big things very small things
kilo
Base
hecto deca deci centi milli
Metric System Specifics and Converting
Numbers in the Metric System
­ Prefixes based on multiples of 10
­ Any unit (kilogram for instance) can be converted
to another unit (gram)
­ Measurements can not be converted from one base unit
to another though
­ Convert between units by moving the decimal
to the left or right
Conversions Shortcut:
Move Decimal
Converting from a smaller prefix
to a larger one (cm to hm)
Converting from a larger prefix
to a smaller one (hm to cm)
Examples:
8939.0 mm = 8.939 m
Move decimal
to the left 3 times (L 3)
My Mnemonic Device for remembering
the ORDER of the Prefixes
King Henry Danced Backwards Down Clown Mountain
kilo hecto deca Base Unit
(m, g, l)
deci centi mili
Unit
Left
Move Decimal
Right
to hold the place
456.7 0 hm = 45,670.0 m
Move decimal to
the right 2 times (R 2)
2