Monday
Monday: Metric units
Lizzy the Lizard tips back her sun hat and peers through her magnifying glass.
"This fallen log is 2 meters long," she says, writing in her notebook.
"But my chart only uses centimeters. What do I write?"
Bennie the Bear kneels beside her.
"A meter is 100 centimeters," he says. "Centimeters are smaller, so you need more of them."
Lizzy taps her pencil. "Two meters is 2 × 100. That is 200 centimeters!"
"Exactly," says Bennie. "To change to a smaller unit, we multiply."
Learn it: metric units grow by tens
1 kilometer = 1,000 meters.
1 meter = 100 centimeters.
1 centimeter = 10 millimeters.
To change to a smaller unit, multiply. To change to a bigger unit, divide.
Example: 2 meters = 2 × 100 = 200 centimeters.
Example: 5 centimeters = 5 ÷ 100 = 0.05 meters.
Dividing by 100 moves each digit two places to the right.
- Read the question.
- Tap your answer.
Learn it: mass and liquid volume
1 kilogram = 1,000 grams.
1 liter = 1,000 milliliters.
This jug holds 750 milliliters. That is 750 ÷ 1,000 = 0.75 liters.
- Read the question.
- Tap your answer.
- Change each length to meters in your head.
- Put them from shortest to longest.
| Sentence | True or false? |
|---|---|
| 3 meters = 300 centimeters | ? |
| 8 kilograms = 800 grams | ? |
| 25 millimeters = 2.5 centimeters | ? |
| 4 liters = 4,000 milliliters | ? |
Look for a number with mL, which means milliliters.
Is it more or less than 1 liter?
Change it to liters by dividing by 1,000.
Great converting! Tomorrow Lizzy measures with inches, feet and pounds.