Units are an essential aspect of measurement. To describe your height to someone, you couldn’t just say 150. The person wouldn’t know what you are talking about - 150 what?

The metric system is a specific system of measurement that much of the world uses that helps us communicate measurements in a universally comprehensible manner.

The metric system is a base ten system, meaning that units of a specific type get bigger or smaller by a power of 10. Check out the section on scientific notation here and the sub-module on exponents here to familiarize yourself with powers of 10.

Consider, for example, the meter. The meter is the base unit of length in the metric system. All other units of length are described with respect to the meter.

We need other units of measurement because measuring all units in meters would not be feasible. Imagine trying to find the correct sized screw or bolt with a meter stick!

Thankfully, the base ten structure of the metric system makes converting between units easy. In this sub-module, we’ll learn how to convert units without having to remember in what situations you divide and when you multiply by the conversion factor.

Before we get started, consider the following two charts. The first chart will help us learn the prefixes of the metric system so that we can convert between units within the metric system.

Some units are not part of the metric system (such as lb, ft, miles) but are included because of their continued use in many industries. This chart will help us convert between these commonly used units and the units of the metric system.

Let’s get started on some unit conversions!