Converting between metric units

Converting between metric units is always about multiplying or dividing by 10, 100 or 1 000. There is a Skillswise module all about multiplying and dividing decimal numbers by 10, 100 and 1 000. There is a link to it on the 'Start' page of this module.

Example 1: cm to mm
A piece of wood is 6 cm long. How many mm is that?

Each cm has 10 mm. So 6 cm will have 10 x 6 = 60 mm

Example 2: kg to g
A box weighs 1.25 kg. How many grammes is that?

A kg has 1 000 g. So multiply by 1 000
      1.25 x 1 000 = 1 250
The box weighs 1 250 grammes.

Example 3: ml to litres
A plastic container holds 2 500 ml of liquid. What is that in litres?

You have to go from small units (ml) to larger ones (litres). The number of litres will be less than the number of ml. So it must be a divide sum.
There are 1 000 ml in 1 litre, so divide by 1 000
      2 500 ÷ 1 000 = 2.5 litres

Example 4: cm to m
Jackie is 178 cm tall. What is that in m?

You are going from a smaller unit (cm) to a larger one (metres). The number of metres will be less than the number of cm. So it must be a divide sum.
There are 100 cm in 1 m, so divide by 100
      178 ÷ 100 = 1.78 m