How to learn to use the Metric System

The metric system is the most widely used measurement system in the world today. Because of its design, it is easy to use and memorize, but if you are from the United States, Great Britain or some other country, you may not be familiar with it. The metric system is based on the powers of 10 to differentiate the size, which makes it less arbitrary than the imperial system. In addition, the metric system works through different measures such as weight and length.

Steps to follow:

one

Study the basic units. The length is measured in meters (m), the mass in grams (g) and the volume in liters (l).

two

Commit yourself to the memory metric prefixes. Different powers of 10 use different prefixes, for example, a kilogram equals 1, 000 grams, 100 centimeters equals 1 meter. Common prefixes include "kilo", "milli", "centi" and "mega".

3

Build a method, as a memory resource, to memorize the prefixes along the different metric units. There are units for all kinds of physical measurements, such as newtons of weight, Kelvin of temperature and amps and volts of electricity. Each one can have prefixes to quantify its magnitude.

4

Compare metric units with other units in the imperial system you already use. For example, the subway is approximately 2 inches longer than a yard and there are 1, 609 m per mile. The common running tracks have 400 m, which means there are four laps for a mile. Climbers and divers often use meters instead of feet to measure height or depth.