Stucture: Names of metric units and blanks to list examples of what is measured with these units.
Intuition: How large is a liter? A meter? A kilogram?
Interesting facts about the metric system.
Activities: Measure some things.
Conversions: Convert your measurement to different units.
Structure: Names of metric units used in computers and electronics and examples of what is measured with these units.
In at least five boxes, give an example of some object that is measured in these units. (The ones in bold are most important to know for everyday life. The others are provided to help you see the structure of this system.)
Length |
Mass (weight) |
capacity (volume) |
||
meter |
gram |
liter |
||
tera |
trillion (1,000,000,000,000) |
. |
. |
. |
giga |
billion (1,000,000,000) |
. |
. |
. |
mega |
million (1,000,000) |
. |
. |
. |
kilo |
thousand |
. |
Sometimes a kilogram is just called a kilo (pronounced keelo) |
. |
hecto |
hundred |
. |
. |
. |
deka |
ten |
. |
. |
. |
___ |
one |
. |
. |
. |
deci |
one-tenth |
. |
. |
. |
centi |
one-hundredth |
. |
. |
. |
milli |
one-thousandth |
. |
. |
. |
micro |
one-millionth |
Often a micrometer is called a micron. |
. |
. |
nano |
one-billionth |
. |
. |
. |
pico |
one-trillionth |
. |
. |
. |
femto |
one-quadrillionth |
. |
. |
. |
atto |
one-quintillionth |
. |
. |
. |
Return to
the topReturn to
the topReturn to
the topA "hand" is a measurement of length in the English system that is used to measure the height of horses. (Put your hand flat on a table or desk with the fingers and thumb together and measure from the outside of the little finger to the outside of the thumb. A "cubit" is a measurement of length in mentioned in the Bible. (Measure from the point of your elbow to the tip of your longest finger.)
1. Pick a desk. Have at least four people measure the length of the top of that same desk, in "hands". Write down the measurements here. How variable are these?
2. Use the table at the front of the room. Have at least four people measure the length of the table in cubits. Write down the measurements here. How variable are these?
3. Get a meter stick or a tape measure with metric length units marked on it. The numbered units are centimeters. Each centimeter is divided into ten parts, which are millimeters. Pick a book. Have at least four different people measure its height and write down the measurements here, in centimeters. How variable are these?
4. Measure the length of the table in the front of the room in some metric system units. Write your measurement here, making clear what the units are. (Call the units either m, cm, or mm)
Return to
the topNow practice conversions. Recall the method we learned for converting measurements from one unit to another. Write your measurement for the length of the table in the appropriate blank below and then convert it into each of the other units. (Use 1m = 3.2808 ft. All the other conversion factors that are needed are ones you should know.) Show your work on the right. Then check to see if the answer makes sense.
________ millimeters
________ centimeters
________ meters
________ kilometers
________ inches
________ feet
________ yards
________ miles
6. In the metric system, which units seem to be the most convenient way to report the length of a table? ______________ In the American system, which units seem to be the most convenient for reporting the length of a table? _____________
7. Why do you think measurements such as "hands" and "cubits" are not used as much as centimeters, meters, inches, and feet?
8. Why do you think that some people prefer the metric system to the English system when they are converting measurements from one type of units to another? (Like meters to kilometers compared to feet to miles.)
Return to
the topMetric Units used with computers and electronics
Last updated November 1998
time |
size of computer memory |
cycles / second |
||
second |
byte |
hertz |
||
tera |
trillion (1,000,000,000,000) |
. |
. |
. |
giga |
billion (1,000,000,000) |
. |
size of a hard drive |
. |
mega |
million (1,000,000) |
. |
size of a program, like Word 97 |
FM radio frequency. Also, speed of computer RAM |
kilo |
thousand |
. |
size of a file, like the file for this document |
AM radio frequency |
hecto |
hundred |
. |
. |
. |
deka |
ten |
. |
. |
. |
___ |
one |
. |
. |
human pulse |
deci |
one-tenth |
. |
. |
. |
centi |
one-hundredth |
. |
. |
. |
milli |
one-thousandth |
human reaction time |
. |
. |
micro |
one-millionth |
. |
. |
. |
nano |
one-billionth |
time for computer memory to read and write something |
. |
. |
pico |
one-trillionth |
. |
. |
. |
femto |
one-quadrillionth |
. |
. |
. |
atto |
one-quintillionth |
. |
. |
. |
Return to
the topLast updated November 17, 1998. Mary Parker