The Metric System Page 2
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13Length
Mass
Volume
basic units
meter
gram
liter
other units you may see
kilometer
kilogram
dekaliter
centimeter
centigram
centiliter
millimeter
milligram
milliliter
In the metric system, the basic unit of length is the meter. A meter is slightly larger than
a yardstick, or just over three feet.
The basic metric unit of mass is the gram. A regular-sized paperclip has a mass of about
1 gram.
Among scientists, one gram is defined as the mass of water that would fill a 1-centimeter
cube. You may notice that the word “mass” is used here instead of “weight.” In the
sciences and technical fields, a distinction is made between weight and mass. Weight is
a measure of the pull of gravity on an object. For this reason, an object’s weight would
be different if it was weighed on Earth or on the moon because of the difference in the
gravitational forces. However, the object’s mass would remain the same in both places
because mass measures the amount of substance in an object. As long as you are
planning on only measuring objects on Earth, you can use mass/weight fairly
interchangeably—but it is worth noting that there is a difference!
Finally, the basic metric unit of volume is the liter. A liter is slightly larger than a quart.
The handle of a shovel is
A paperclip weighs about 1
A medium-sized container of
about 1 meter.
gram.
milk is about 1 liter.
Though it is rarely necessary to convert between the customary and metric systems,
sometimes it helps to have a mental image of how large or small some units are. The
table below shows the relationship between some common units in both systems.
Common Measurements in Customary and Metric Systems
Length
1 centimeter is a little less than half an inch.
1.6 kilometers is about 1 mile.
1 meter is about 3 inches longer than 1 yard.
Mass
1 kilogram is a little more than 2 pounds.
28 grams is about the same as 1 ounce.
Volume 1 liter is a little more than 1 quart.
4 liters is a little more than 1 gallon.
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