Metric & Customary Conversion

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🔵Converting Metric Units

The Metric System

The metric system is based on powers of 10 — it's easy to convert!

Metric Length Conversions:

Unit	Abbreviation	Relation
Kilometer	km	1 km = 1000 m
Meter	m	1 m = 100 cm
Centimeter	cm	1 cm = 10 mm
Millimeter	mm	smallest unit

Metric Mass (Weight) Conversions:

Unit	Abbreviation	Relation
Kilogram	kg	1 kg = 1000 g
Gram	g	1 g = 1000 mg

Metric Capacity (Volume) Conversions:

Unit	Abbreviation	Relation
Liter	L	1 L = 1000 mL
Milliliter	mL	smallest

Conversion Rule:

Large → Small: Multiply (×)
Small → Large: Divide (÷)

METRIC CONVERSION STAIRCASE (Length):

                    km
                     ↑  ×1000
                     │  ÷1000
                    m
                     ↑  ×100
                     │  ÷100
                    cm
                     ↑  ×10
                     │  ÷10
                    mm


EXAMPLES ON THE STAIRCASE:

    0.25 km ──×1000──→ 250 m
    250 m   ──÷1000──→ 0.25 km
    
    3.5 m   ──×100──→ 350 cm
    350 cm  ──÷100──→ 3.5 m
    
    45 cm   ──×10──→ 450 mm
    450 mm  ──÷10──→ 45 cm


METRIC CONVERSION TABLE:

    To convert:           Multiply by:
    km → m                1000
    m → km                0.001
    m → cm                100
    cm → m                0.01
    cm → mm               10
    mm → cm               0.1
    kg → g                1000
    g → kg                0.001
    L → mL                1000
    mL → L                0.001

👀 See a worked example

Convert 0.25 km to meters

km → m: multiply by 1000
0.25 × 1000 = 250
Answer: 250 m

Convert 450 cm to meters

cm → m: divide by 100 (or multiply by 0.01)
450 ÷ 100 = 4.5
Answer: 4.5 m

Convert 2.5 kg to grams

kg → g: multiply by 1000
2.5 × 1000 = 2500
Answer: 2500 g

Convert 3000 mL to liters

mL → L: divide by 1000
3000 ÷ 1000 = 3
Answer: 3 L

🤖 Vidi's Key Points

Large unit → Small unit: MULTIPLY
Small unit → Large unit: DIVIDE
Metric is base 10 (move decimal point!)
King Henry Died Unexpectedly Drinking Chocolate Milk (Kilo, Hecto, Deka, Unit, Deci, Centi, Milli)

🟢Converting Time - Hours & Minutes

Time Conversions:

Relation	Conversion
1 hour = 60 minutes	×60 or ÷60
1 minute = 60 seconds	×60 or ÷60
1 day = 24 hours	×24 or ÷24

Converting Hours to Minutes:

Hours → Minutes: multiply by 60
Example: 2.5 hours = 2.5 × 60 = 150 minutes

Converting Minutes to Hours:

Minutes → Hours: divide by 60
Example: 180 minutes = 180 ÷ 60 = 3 hours

Decimals vs. Minutes:

0.5 hour = ½ hour = 30 minutes
0.25 hour = ¼ hour = 15 minutes
0.75 hour = ¾ hour = 45 minutes

HOUR TO MINUTES CONVERSION:

    1 hour = 60 minutes
    
    0.25 hour (¼) = 15 minutes
    0.5 hour (½)  = 30 minutes
    0.75 hour (¾) = 45 minutes
    1.0 hour      = 60 minutes
    1.5 hours     = 90 minutes
    2.0 hours     = 120 minutes
    2.5 hours     = 150 minutes


TIME CONVERSION CLOCK:

           12
        11    1
      10        2
     9          3
      8        4
        7    5
           6
    
    Each number = 5 minutes
    Full circle = 60 minutes = 1 hour


CONVERTING 2.5 HOURS TO MINUTES:

    2.5 hours = 2 hours + 0.5 hours
               = (2 × 60) + (0.5 × 60)
               = 120 + 30
               = 150 minutes


CONVERTING 165 MINUTES TO HOURS:

    165 minutes ÷ 60 = 2.75 hours
    2.75 hours = 2 hours + 0.75 hours
               = 2 hours + 45 minutes
               = 2 hours 45 minutes

👀 See a worked example

Convert 3.5 hours to minutes