The Metric System

The Meter Is Born

3 Major Systems of Units

Derived Quantities

The Meter Is Born

Meter: 1/10,000,000 the distance from the North Pole to the Equator.

Based on the longitudinal meridian including Dunkirk and Barcelona.

Standard measurement of LENGTH.

Serves as the basis for the standard unit for VOLUME and MASS.

One cubic decimeter = ONE LITER (VOLUME) One cubic centimeter of water = ONE GRAM

(MASS)

The Liter is Derived from a 1/10 of a Meter.

The Liter is Derived from a 1/10 of a Meter.

One Cubic Decimeter

One Cubic Centimeter

The Liter is Derived from a 1/10 of a Meter.

One Cubic Decimeter IS a LITER.

And, is 1000 Cubic Centimeters

The Gram is Derived from 1/1000 of a Cubic Decimeter of Water

The Gram is Derived from 1/1000 of a Cubic Decimeter of Water

One cubic centimeter filled with water has the mass of one GRAM.

3 Major System of Units with 7 Basic Quantities

SI (System International)

MKS (meter, kilogram, second)

1. Time – sec

2. Mass – kilogram

3. Length – meter

4. Temp. – Kelvin

5. Current – ampere

6. Amount of Substance – mole

7. Luminous Intensity - candella

CGS (centimeter, gram, sec.)

1. Time – sec

2. Mass – gram

3. Length – centimeter

4. Temperature – Kelvin

5. Current - ampere

6. Amount of Substance – mole

7. Luminous Intensity – candella

Imperial or British

1. Time – sec

2. Mass – slug

3. Length - foot

4. Temp. – Fahrenheit

5. Current – ampere

6. Amount of Substance – mole

7. Luminous Intensity – candella

The __pound___ is Exactly 453.59237 grams by definition.The ___foot___ is Defined as exactly 0.3048 meters since 1959

Derived Quantities Any quantity that is made from a combination of the basic quantities

Example: Velocity = length (distance) traveled / change in time

Units MKS = m/s CGS = cm/s Imperial = ft/s

Others Velocity units _______, ________, ________

Kilo1000 BU

k

Hecto100 BU

h

Deka10 BU

da

Base Unit(m, g, L) deci

0.1 BU

d

centi0.01 BU

c

milli0.001 BU

m

To convert to a larger unit, movedecimal point to the left or divide.

To convert to a smaller unit, movedecimal point to the right or

multiply.

Bigger Smaller

Mneumonic Device KING HECTOR DECKED BULLIES DRINKING CHOCOLATE MILK

Metric Prefix Kilo Hecto Deka Base Unit Deci Centi Milli

Metric Abbreviation k h da

(Volume: Liter, L) (Distance: meter, m)

(Mass: gram, g) d c m

Power of Ten / Exponent 10 3 10 2 10 1 10 0 10 -1 10 -2 10 -3

Number Value 1000.0 100.0 10.0 1.0 0.1 0.01 0.001