Your Turn
If you are learning the meaning of the prefixes, it would be a good idea to write them on an index card or in your notebook.
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | d | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
To order the measures, look at the exponents in their magnitudes. Of the measures in the table, positive 3 is the largest power, so kilogram is the largest measure. Positive 2 is the next largest power, so hectogram is the next largest measure. Last comes decagram.
Ordered from largest to smallest: kilogram, hectogram, decagram
The lesson suggested a mnemonic for remembering the order of the prefixes: King Henry Died from Drinking Chocolate Milk (“from” does not have a prefix).
Think of a yardstick, which is roughly the length of a meter. A short hallway could be 2.5 meters long.
A kilometer is not a reasonable length for a hallway. Even one kilometer would be one thousand meters long. A 2.5-kilometer hallway would be 2,500 meters long.
The ruler you used in elementary school probably had 12 inches on one side and 30 centimeters on the other side. A 2.5-centimeter hallway would be shorter than your 12-inch ruler. This is not a reasonable length.
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | d | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | d | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | d | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Hint: You can make conversion factors out of any quantities that are equivalent, such as 1 dose being equivalent to 5 mL of amoxicillin.
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | d | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Multiply the caffeine in each drink times the number of drinks you consume. Then add the results.
Twice the caffeine in coffee + three times the caffeine in soda = your daily intake
FDA recommended maximum = 0.5 grams
Your daily intake of 0.352 grams is less than the recommended maximum of 0.5 grams.
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | d | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Since 3,810 meters is 3.81 km, Kyrie’s skydive was a greater altitude than his friend’s jump at 3.2 km.
A meter is roughly the length of a yardstick. An area of 1,800 square meters would be larger than many homes. Now decide between the other measurements.
Suppose it was a square table. Find the measure of one side.
This would be less than the width of your hand.
The 42.4 cm table would work.
The 1,800 square centimeter table is the best choice.
A typical sheet of paper is 8.5 inches by 11 inches. They cut up four sheets of this paper to make their mosaic. Eleven inches is a little bit less than the length of a ruler, which is around 30 cm. So, you know the upper limit in 30 by 30 times 4, which is way overestimating since 8 is far less than 11.
Since their calculation is 2,412.80 square centimeters, their calculation does make sense.
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Convert the measures to meters.
Use the area formula to determine the area of the fabric.
Step 1: Determine the area of the garden.
Step 2: Determine the area of the sidewalk.
Step 3: Subtract the area of the sidewalk from the garden to find how much topsoil you need.
You need to purchase 34 square meters of topsoil.
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Step 1: Convert 2,500 cm to meters.
Step 2. Find the surface area of the pool.
The surface area of the pool is 1,250 square meters.
Step 1: Convert the dimensions of the living room to meters.
Step 2. Find the area of the living room.
Step 3: Add the result to the provided area of the bedroom.
You need to buy 70 square meters of carpet.
Step 1: Convert the dimensions of the box to meters.
Step 2: Find the volume of one box.
Step 3: Divide the flour milled by the volume of a box to find the number of boxes produced each day.
The factory can produce 100,000 boxes per day.
Step 1: Find the volume of a box.
Step 2: Convert the volume of a box into liters.
Step 3: Convert the factory production into boxes.
They produce 6,000 boxes per day.
Step 1: Find the volume of the tank.
Step 2: Convert the volume into liters.
Step 3: You only want half a tank of water, so divide the volume by two.
You need 18.75 liters of water.
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Step 1: Convert the grams to kilograms.
Step 2: Use the chart to identify the dosage.
The child fits within the 16 to 21 kg range.
The correct dosage is 7.5 mL.
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Step 1: Convert the grams to kilograms.
Step 2: Multiply by 10 to find the amount of flour needed.
Five kilograms of flour are needed to make 10 batches of croissants.
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Step 1: Convert 225 grams to kilograms to find the weight of one potato in kilograms.
Step 2: Use equivalences to create conversion factors. Writing the units helps you understand.
Step 1: Convert Toronto’s Fahrenheit temperature to Celsius.
Approximately
Step 2: Subtract the two temperatures.
Madrid has the higher temperature by approximately .
A fall in the temperature means it is lower. Subtract 6° from 4°C.
The temperature at 6 AM was −2°C.
An increase in the temperature means it is higher. Add 59° to 4°C.
The temperature of the cooked hot dog was 63°C.
Step 1: Convert the Fahrenheit temperature to Celsius.
Step 2: Find the temperature difference between and .
Step 3: Use the fact that the temperature decreases every 6 minutes.
It will take 180 minutes for the temperature to decrease the required amount.
Note: You could also have expressed your answer as three hours.
Check Your Understanding
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | d | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Since hecto- has a magnitude of 2 and centi- has a magnitude of −2, you know that 12 hectoliters have a greater volume than 12 centiliters.
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | d | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | d | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
It can be easier sometimes to make conversion factors to base units instead of trying to figure out how many factors of 10 to use.
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | d | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
It can be easier sometimes to make conversion factors to base units instead of trying to figure out how many factors of 10 to use.
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | d | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | d | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Convert them both to meters.
They are equal in size.
A kilometer is a little farther than half a mile. Square kilometers are not practical for measuring walls.
Square centimeters are around the size of your fingerprint. This is too small for measuring your wall. Square millimeters are even smaller.
A meter is roughly the length of a yardstick. 12 square meters is a good measure for your wall.
Square centimeters are around the size of your fingerprint. This is too small for measuring your park. Square millimeters are even smaller.
A meter is roughly the length of a yardstick. 1,200 square meters would be good for a city park.
A kilometer is a little farther than half a mile. 1,200 square kilometers is too large for a city park.
Square centimeters are around the size of your fingerprint. This is too small for measuring your table. Square millimeters are even smaller.
A meter is roughly the length of a yardstick. 2.5 square meters would be good for a table.
A kilometer is a little farther than half a mile. 2.5 square kilometers is far too large for a table.
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Note: You often have more than one conversion from which to choose. You might have chosen to convert one cubic decimeter conversion to one liter, and then convert liters to milliliters.
Step 1: Convert 20 meters to centimeters.
Step 2: Find the volume of a box.
Step 3: Convert the volume of a box into liters.
Step 1: Convert all the units to centimeters.
Step 2: Find the volume of a box.
Step 3: Convert the volume of a box into milliliters.
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Step 1: Convert the grams to kilograms.
Step 2: Multiply by 3.
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Step 1: Convert the grams to milligrams.
Step 2: Multiply by 7.
Prefix | kilo- | hecto- | deca- | base | deci- | centi- | milli- |
Abbreviation | k | h | da | d | c | m | |
Magnitude | 103 | 102 | 101 | 1 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 |
Step 1: Convert the milligrams to grams.
Step 2: Multiply by 6.