Metric measurement

The metric measurement is a system of measuring using the liter, the gram, and the meter as basic units.

The gram is used to measure mass or weight.

Notice that as shown in the figure below that the weight of a dollar bill is about 1 gram.

A person weighing 170 pounds in customary measurement, weighs 77110 grams or 77.11 kilograms in the metric system.

The liter is used to measure capacity.

For instance, 1 liter of coke measures about 33.81 ounces in customary measurement.

Notice also that as shown in the figure above, 1 liter is equal to 4 cups in the custom measurement system.

The meter is used to measure length.

For instance, a person whose height is 1 meter is equivalent 3.2808 feet or about 39.5 inches in customary measurement.

Notice also that 1 meter is the average width of a door.

Expanding the metric system with prefixes

In the metric system, other units are named by using prefixes such as kilo, hecto, deka, deci, centi, and milli etc...

1 kilo = one thousand and the symbol we use is k

For example, 1 kilometer = 1000 meters

6 kilometers = 6000 meters

0.5 kilometer = 500 meters

1 hecto = one hundred and the symbol we use is h

1 hectogram = 100 grams

5 hectograms = 500 grams

10 hectograms = 1000 grams

1 deka = ten and the symbol we use is da

1 dekameter = 10 meters

0.5 dekameter = 5 meters

2 dekameters = 20 meters

1 deci = one-tenth and the unit is d

1 deciliter = 0.1 liter

10 deciliters = 1 liter

20 deciliters = 2 liters

1 centi = one-hundredth and the unit is c

1 centimeter = 0.01 meter

10 centimeters = 0.1 meter

70 centimeters = 0.7 meter

1 milli = one-thousandth and the unit is m

1 millimeter = 0.001 meter

1000 millimeters = 1 meter

3000 millimeters = 3 meters

In the United States, both the metric system and the customary measurement are used.

However, people are more familiar with the customary measurement in the USA.

In the United States, both the metric system and the customary measurement are used. However, people are more familiar with the customary measurement in the USA. Check this map to see which countries are not officially using the metric system.

Test your knowledge of metric measurement with the quiz below: