This video will show you a way to convert units within the metric system: grams to kilograms, centimeters to meters, centiliters to milliliters, etc. without having to figure out if you will need to multiply or divide by multiples of ten. Some people also call this the “step method” for conversion.
Transcript
0:00 – Hey, everyone! This video is about metric unit conversions. This is when you’re working with meters, liters, or grams and need to use different prefixes to convert from one unit to another.
0:07 – I have a couple of tips to help you remember how to do this.
0:18 – The first step is to remember this sentence: “King Henry Drinks Unusually Delicious Chocolate Milk.” This phrase helps us remember the order of metric prefixes. If you can recall this sentence, you’ll be able to remember the order of the prefixes, which go from the largest to the smallest unit.
0:50 – The second step is to write down the first letters of each word at the top of your paper, just like I have done here. I’ll show you how to use these letters in order to make conversions.
Understanding Metric Prefixes
1:06 – First, let me explain what each prefix stands for:
- K – Kilo
- H – Hecto
- D – Deca
- U – Unit (Gram, Liter, or Meter)
- D – Deci
- C – Centi
- M – Milli
1:33 – Let’s say we have 3 meters and need to convert it to centimeters.
1:40 – Using the prefix chart, start at the base unit (meters) and count two spaces to the right to reach centimeters. That means we move the decimal two places to the right:
2:04 – The decimal in 3.0 moves two places, filling in with zeros, so 3 meters = 300 centimeters.
2:24 – Now, let’s convert 9,280 millimeters to centimeters.
2:31 – Start at Millimeters (M) and move one space to the left to reach Centimeters (C). That means we move the decimal one place to the left:
2:53 – The new value is 928 centimeters.
3:01 – Now, let’s convert 65,090 milliliters to liters.
3:08 – Start at Milliliters (M) and move three spaces to the left to reach Liters (U). That means we move the decimal three places to the left:
3:34 – The new value is 65.09 liters.
3:46 – This time, the decimal is already visible. We have 8.91 liters and need to convert it to milliliters.
3:51 – Start at Liters (U) and move three spaces to the right to reach Milliliters (M). That means we move the decimal three places to the right:
4:12 – The new value is 8,910 milliliters.
4:17 – Let’s convert 154 grams to milligrams.
4:21 – Start at Grams (U) and move three spaces to the right to reach Milligrams (M). That means we move the decimal three places to the right:
5:04 – The new value is 154,000 milligrams.
5:08 – Now, let’s convert 86 milligrams to kilograms.
5:11 – Start at Milligrams (M) and move six spaces to the left to reach Kilograms (K). That means we move the decimal six places to the left:
5:58 – The new value is 0.000086 kilograms.
6:01 – If you can remember the sentence “King Henry Drinks Unusually Delicious Chocolate Milk,” you can write down the first letters at the top of your paper when taking a test or doing homework. This will help with metric system conversions.
6:17 – I hope this helps! Thanks so much for watching. Bye!
Extra Credit
Check out these other videos on my YouTube channel:
- 6th-grade Math Spiral Review – https://bit.ly/3kA1ijo
- Adding and Subtracting Integers Pack – https://bit.ly/2UApwPI
- Order of Operations Activity – http://bit.ly/GoogleBoom
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