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Understanding Metric System Measurement: Importance, Base Units, and Examples

Explore the significance of a consistent metric system in measurement, focusing on base units like meter, gram, second, and liter. Learn how prefixes such as pico, nano, micro, milli, centi, deci, kilo, mega, and giga help quantify mass and length, from the width of a human hair to the mass of an elephant. Discover practical examples illustrating these units, and the importance of selecting appropriate measurements for objects of varying sizes. Enhance your understanding of the metric system and become adept at converting between units.

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Understanding Metric System Measurement: Importance, Base Units, and Examples

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  1. Metric System

  2. Thinking about measurement… • Why is it important to have a constant system? • Base units: • Meter • Gram • Second • Liter

  3. Pico (p) • Examples: • 1pg = mass of DNA in a cell • 1pm = length of a hydrogen atom

  4. Nano (n) • Examples: • 1ng= mass of one cell • 1nm= width of DNA

  5. Micro (μ) • Examples: • 1µg = mass of one human egg • 1µ = width of human hair

  6. Milli (m) • Examples: • 1mg = mass of a mosquito • 1mm = width of pen point

  7. Centi (c) • Examples: • 1cg = mass of half of a fly • 1cm = width of a Cheerio

  8. Deci (d) • Examples: • 1dg = mass of a cottonball • 1dm= width of a softball

  9. Base (No Prefix) • Examples: • 1 g = mass of a paperclip • 1 m = width of a door

  10. Kilo (K) • Examples: • 1kg = mass of a sneaker • 1km = distance from NSA to Penn Station NJ

  11. Mega (M) • Examples: • 4Mg = mass of an elephant

  12. Giga (G) • Examples: • 1/2Gg= mass of a space shuttle • 1Gm= traveling from NY to CA and back 125,000,000 times

  13. Always ask yourself: Which is bigger? • We start with the base unit and either divide it into smaller pieces OR multiply it into bigger pieces. • Example: • 1 meter is about the width of a door • Helpful to have units of other sizes! • To measure large objects, we want a large unit! • To measure small objects, we want a small unit!

  14. Pneumonic Devices • One way to memorize an ordered list of something, like the list of prefixes, is to create a pneumonic device • Example: PEMDAS (Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally) • Try to make one for pico-giga! (I’ll reveal mine in 7 minutes)

  15. My attempt…

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