CONVERSION UNIT

• Converting from one unit to another

  1. Identify conversion factors

  2. Set up conversion fractions

  3. Perform calculations
• Units associated with


  Distance<|>Mass or weight<|>Volume and capacity<|>Time
• Conversion factors for distance

  • 12 inches in a foot
  • 3 feet in a yard
  • 1 inch = 2.54 cm
  • 1 km = 1000 m
  • 1 m = 100 cm
  • 1 mile = 1.609 km
  • 1 mile = 5280 feet
• Conversion factors for mass/weight

  • 1 kg = 1000 g
  • 1 kg = 2.2 lbs
  • 1 lb = 16 oz
  • 1 ton = 2000 lbs
  • 1 metric ton = 1000 kg
• Conversion factors for volume/capacity

  • 1 L = 1000 mL
  • 1 mL = 1 cm^3
  • 1 m^3 = 1000 L
  • 1 gallon = 3.785 L
  • 1 gallon = 4 quarts
  • 1 quart = 2 pints
• Conversion factors for time

  • 1 hour = 60 minutes
  • 1 minute = 60 seconds
  • 1 day = 24 hours
  • 1 year = ~365 days
  • 1 leap year = 366 days
  • 1 century = 100 years
  • 1 millennium = 1000 years
• Metric system prefixes

  • Tera (10^12)
  • Giga (10^9)
  • Mega (10^6)
  • Kilo (10^3)
  • Hecto (10^2)
  • Deca (10^1)
  • Base unit
  • Deci (10^-1)
  • Centi (10^-2)
  • Milli (10^-3)
  • Micro (10^-6)
  • Nano (10^-9)
  • Pico (10^-12)
• Metric system conversion factor format


  1 [prefix] [base unit] = 1 x 10^[exponent] [base unit]
• One-step unit conversion

  1. Identify conversion factor

  2. Set up conversion fraction

  3. Perform calculation
• One-step unit conversions

  • 4 feet to inches
  • 350 grams to kilograms
  • 0.45 liters to milliliters
• Two-step unit conversion


  1. Identify necessary conversion factors

  2. Set up two conversion fractions

  3. Perform calculations
• Two-step unit conversion


  • 180 inches to yards
• When converting units, the units must cancel out to get the desired unit in the final answer
• Multiplying by a power of 10 prefix is done by moving the decimal point, dividing by a power of 10 prefix is done by moving the decimal point in the opposite direction
• Multiplying 12.6 by 5.5

  12.6 x 5.5 = 69.3 miles
• Converting from inches to yards

  1. Convert inches to feet using 12 inches/foot

  2. Convert feet to yards using 3 feet/yard
• There are 12 inches in 1 foot
• There are 3 feet in 1 yard
• Converting 180 inches to yards

  1. 180 inches / 12 inches/foot = 15 feet

  2. 15 feet / 3 feet/yard = 5 yards
• Converting 9000 feet to kilometers

  1. Convert feet to miles using 5280 feet/mile

  2. Convert miles to kilometers using 1.609 km/mile
• There are 5280 feet in 1 mile
• There are 1.609 kilometers in 1 mile
• Converting 7500 milliliters to gallons


  1. Convert milliliters to liters using 1000 milliliters/liter

  2. Convert liters to gallons using 3.785 liters/gallon
• There are 1000 milliliters in 1 liter
• There are 3.785 liters in 1 gallon
• Converting 7 pounds and 12 ounces to kilograms

  1. Convert 7 pounds to kilograms using 1 kg = 2.2 lbs

  2. Convert 12 ounces to pounds using 16 oz/lb, then convert to kg using 1 kg = 2.2 lbs
• There are 16 ounces in 1 pound
• There are 2.2 pounds in 1 kilogram
• Converting 12 boxes of 28 cupcakes each to cups of flour

  1. Calculate total cupcakes in 12 boxes using 28 cupcakes/box

  2. Convert cupcakes to cups of flour using 5 cups/3 cupcakes
• One box can hold 28 cupcakes
• 5 cups of flour are required to make 3 cupcakes
• Converting 38.6 millimeters to meters

  1 millimeter = 1 x 10^-3 meters
• Converting 4950 picometers to nanometers

  1. Convert picometers to meters using 1 picometer = 1 x 10^-12 meters

  2. Convert meters to nanometers using 1 nanometer = 1 x 10^-9 meters
• Pico is 10^-12
• Nano is 10^-9