Using Metric Measurements

Using Metric Measurements

Grams

​Grams are used to measure mass - how much matter an object has.

​​Meters

Liters

Celsius (ºC)

​Bigger unit - kilogram (kg)

Smaller unit - milligram (mg)

Mass is measured using a scale or a triple beam balance.

Meters are used to measure length or distance.

​Bigger unit - kilometer (km)

Smaller units - centimeter (cm) and millimeter (mm)

Length is measured using a meter stick or a metric ruler.

Liters are used to measure volume - how much space something takes up.

​Smaller unit - milliliter (mL)

Volume is measured using a beaker or a graduated cylinder. Beakers are less accurate!

The Celsius scale is used to measure temperature.

Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius and freezes at 0 degrees Celsius.

Match

Match the metric unit with the physical property that it measures.

• grams

• liters

• meters

• degrees Celsius

mass

volume

length or distance

temperature

• mass

• volume

• length or distance

• temperature

Multiple Choice

Which unit would be best for measuring the amount of liquid in a coffee cup?

• milliliters

• milligrams

• millimeters

• decaliters

Multiple Choice

Which unit would be best for measuring the mass of a hyena?

• kiloliters

• kilograms

• kilometers

• grams

Multiple Choice

Which unit would be best for measuring the distance a pendulum swings on a clock?

• centiliters

• centigrams

• centimeters

• inches

Metric Conversions

If you are going from a LARGE unit to a SMALL unit (ex. converting from kilograms to grams), multiply by the number of "hops" on the number line.

If you are going from a SMALL unit to a LARGE unit (ex. converting from milliliters to liters), divide by the number of "hops" on the number line.

Each "hop" is a power of ten (ex. centimeters are 10 times bigger than millimeters)

Reorder

Sort the metric prefixes in order from BIGGEST to SMALLEST.

biggest unit of measurement is 1, smallest unit of measurement is 5

• kilo-

• milli-

• centi-

• deci-

• hecto-

1

2

3

4

5

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Multiple Choice

Which is the smallest unit of measurement?

• kilograms

• grams

• centigrams

• milligrams

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