If you have determined that all of the units that you're working with measure the same thing, you know you can figure out the calculations necessary to convert the measurements. To complete problems involving converting between units, you must follow a step-by-step procedure. Click through the slides below to see the process.
Step 1: Confirm that the units can be converted.Makes sure that the units you are converting from measure the same thing as the units you are converting to--for example, converting 8 meteres into centimeters. Can you convert between meters and centimeters?
Yes, you can make the conversion. Meters and centimeters are both measurements of length.
Step 2: Find the conversion factor.Next, figure out exactly what calculation you need to perform in order to convert the units. In this example, look at how many units you're converting to that will make up just one unit you're converting from. In this case, 100 centimeters make up 1 meter. That means that the conversion factor is 100.
Step 3: Convert the units.This is where the important part happens. In order to convert the units of length from meters to centimeters, multiply the number of meters you have by the conversion factor. What is 8 meters in centimeters?
Eight meters is 800 centimeters long. When you multiply the length in meters (8 meters) by the conversion factor (100 centimeters per meter), you get 800 centimeters.
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The math required to convert meters to centimeters is pretty easy and straightforward. Many other conversion factors are more complicated. For instance, there are approximately 3.28084 feet in one meter.
Question 1
What is the conversion factor for going from meters to feet?
3.28084 (approximately)
