King Henry
What is the order of the units in the metric system?
Goal:
Goal:
Remember, in the customary unit you could have a pound or a ton, an inch or a foot, or a gallon or a cup. The metric system of units makes it much easier than that! In fact, every unit can be referred to in groups of ten—either multiples or fractions. A kilogram is actually 1,000 grams, because the prefix “kilo” means 1,000. It’s the only base unit that has a prefix. The factor of the prefix kilo- is 1,000. That means that it is actually 1,000 of the base unit.
Metric Prefixes |
||
|---|---|---|
| Text | Symbol | Factor |
| Kilo- | k | 1000 |
| Hecto- | h | 100 |
| Deca- | da | 10 |
| BASE UNIT | BASE | BASE |
| Deci- | d | 0.1 |
| Centi- | c | 0.01 |
| Milli- | m | 0.001 |
Remembering the order of the prefixes in the metric system will help you convert between them. The prefixes of the meter follow this order:
One way to remember information that follows a particular order, like these units of measurement, is to make up a silly saying, or a mnemonic, using the first letter of each piece of information. Like this…
The first letters of the units of metric units of measurement are: K, H, D, M, D, C, M. You could use the phrase:
King
Henry
Danced
Mondays
Drinking
Chocolate
Milk
Can you think of a mnemonic of your own using K, H, D, M, D, C, M that can help you remember the order of the metric units of measurement?
| Your Responses | Sample Answers |
|---|---|
| Very creative! Keep using your KHDMDCM saying to help you learn these measurement units. Of course, this particular mnemonic only works for the meter. You would have to change the middle M to another letter if you use other units, like grams or seconds. | |