mass abbreviation in metric system

If you have a prescription for 5,000 mg of medicine, and upon getting it filled, the dosage reads 5g of medicine, did the pharmacist make a mistake? A lock ( LockA locked padlock Question ID 998, 999, 1000, 1001, 1005, 18877. $\displaystyle \frac{32.5\text{ km}}{1}\cdot \frac{1,000\text{ m}}{1\text{ km}}=\frac{32,500\text{ m}}{1}$. Arabic numerals describe the quantity. 20+ Metric System acronyms and abbreviations related to Si Base Units: A kilogram is 1,000 times larger than one gram (so 1 kilogram = 1,000 grams). There are 10 milliliters in a centiliter, 10 centiliters in a deciliter, and 10 deciliters in a liter. Here are two more examples of conversions between metric units. Cm is 10 times smaller than a dm; a dm is 10 times smaller than a m, etc. Fox) discuss “1.21 gigawatts” using the soft “g”. But consider all of the integer fractions we can get from a base of 60 divisions: If you're interested in the history of mathematics and more interesting things like this, you might want to check out the books of Princeton Prof. Victor J. Katz. Mathematics for the Liberal Arts Corequisite. For example, the prefix deka is used (American English spelling) but not deca (British English). For scale, a U.S. penny has a mass of about 2.5 grams (2.5 g). They are 1, 1/2, and multiples of 1/5 and 1/10. $1\text{ dg}\cdot10\cdot10=100\text{ mg}$. Metric Unit Abbreviations . $5,000\text{ mg}=\text{___ g}$, $\displaystyle \frac{5,000\text{ mg}}{1}\cdot \frac{1\text{ g}}{1,000\text{ mg}}=\text{ g}$, $\displaystyle \frac{5,000\cancel{\text{mg}}}{1}\cdot \frac{1\text{ g}}{1,000\ \cancel{\text{mg}}}=\text{ g}$, $\displaystyle \frac{5,000\cdot 1\text{ g}}{1\cdot 1,000}=\frac{5,000\text{ g}}{1,000}$, $\displaystyle \frac{5,000\text{ g}}{1,000}=5\text{ g}$. Meters is larger than centimeters, so you expect your answer to be less than 7,225. You can recreate the order of the metric units as shown below: $\displaystyle kg\quad hg\quad dag\quad g\quad d\underbrace{g\quad c}_{1}\underbrace{g\quad m}_{2}g$. An official website of the United States government. ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. 10, to find the number of milligrams in one decigram. One gram is 1,000 times larger than a milligram, so you can move the decimal point in 3,085 three places to the left. A medium-sized container of milk is about 1 liter. FAQ: How do I pronounce the prefix giga? Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Once you begin to understand the metric system, you can use a shortcut to convert among different metric units. © 2016, Jeff Cruzan. We use multiples and divisors of powers of ten, and the same prefixes and abbreviations to name multiples and divisions of the gram. A benefit of the SI (International System of Units) is that written technical information is effectively communicated, transcending the variations of language – including spelling and pronunciation. Gigawatt. The table below shows some of the unit equivalents and unit fractions for length in the metric system. Measurements + Density and Specific Gravity September 24, 2020 5. In the metric system of measurement, designations of multiples and subdivision of any unit may be arrived at by combining with the name of the unit the prefixes deka, hecto, and kilo meaning, respectively, 10, 100, and 1000, and deci, centi, and milli, meaning, respectively, one-tenth, one-hundredth, and one-thousandth. The factor label method works the same in the metric system; it relies on the use of unit fractions and the cancelling of intermediate units. Did you ever wonder why our clocks have 60 seconds per minute and 60 minutes per hour, why we use base 12 in our length measurements here in the U.S.?*. Here is a table of commonly-used multiples and divisions of liters. Since you are going from a smaller unit to a larger unit, divide. ter) – the British spell it "litre." By applying what you know about decimals to the metric system, converting among units is as simple as moving decimal points. 1 meter is about 3 inches longer than 1 yard. 1 kilogram is a little more than 2 pounds. The hard "g" pronunciation of giga is also frequently heard in common parlance. There are 100 milligrams (mg) in 1 decigram (dg). Larger and smaller multiples of that unit are made by adding SI prefixes. (You should notice that all of the unit fractions contain a factor of 10. Official websites use .gov A great example where popular culture portrays technical information is the classic movie scene from the film Back to the Future (1985) where characters Dr. Emmet Brown (Christopher Lloyd) and Marty McFly (Michael J. Multiply: $10\cdot10\cdot10$, to find the number of milliliters in a liter, 1,000. $\displaystyle k\underbrace{m\quad h}_{5}\underbrace{m\quad d}_{4}\underbrace{am\quad }_{3}\underbrace{m\quad d}_{2}\underbrace{m\quad c}_{1}m\quad mm$. Please feel free to send any questions or comments to jeff.cruzan@verizon.net. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The classic pronunciation for the scientific term giga is jig'a (soft “g”). Non-metric units with "per" (such as "miles per hour") usually do not take periods, either. Here are two examples of unit conversions using metric units (and some non-metric ones, too). In the metric system of measurement, designations of multiples and subdivision of any unit may be arrived at by combining with the name of the unit the prefixes deka, hecto, and kilo meaning, respectively, 10, 100, and 1000, and deci, centi, and milli, meaning, respectively, one-tenth, one-hundredth, and one-thousandth. Verbal pronunciation of SI terminology is purposefully not addressed most SI style guides, which focus on written communication. The size of metric units increases tenfold as you go up the metric scale. * SI base or derived units with special names may be used, Webmaster | Contact Us | Our Other Offices, Created January 13, 2010, Updated September 8, 2020, Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), New and Existing Resources for Continuing Education and Training, How to Reset Password Using the Contacts System (PDF), Quick Guide for OWM Contacts System (PDF), How to Request Publications using OWM Contacts System (PDF), How to Request Training & Transcript Using the Contacts System (PDF), The National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM), Commonly Used Metric System Units, Symbols, and Prefixes. The km units cancel, leaving the answer in m. Now that you have seen how to convert among metric measurements in multiple ways, let’s revisit the problem posed earlier. You used this method when you were converting measurement units within the U.S. customary system. Measures of mass or weight of types of tons are usually capitalized when abbreviated. $5\text{ g}=5,000\text{ mg}$, so the pharmacist did not make a mistake. Remember that the metric system is based on the notion that each unit is 10 times larger than the one that came before it.). $\displaystyle \frac{7,225\ \cancel{cm}}{1}\cdot \frac{1\text{ m}}{100\ \cancel{\text{cm}}}=\_\_\_m$, $\displaystyle \frac{7,225}{1}\cdot \frac{1\text{ m}}{100}=\frac{7,225}{100}\text{m}$, $\displaystyle \frac{7,225\text{ m}}{100}=72.25\text{ m}$, $7,225\text{ centimeters}=72.25\text{ meters}$. 1 centimeter is a little less than half an inch. In certain cases, particularly in scientific usage, it becomes convenient to provide for multiples larger than 1000 and for subdivisions smaller than one-thousandth. Now in our base 10 system, consider the even fractions of 10. $7,225\text{ cm}=\text{___ m}$. $\displaystyle \frac{1\ m}{1,000,000\ \mu m}$, $\displaystyle \frac{1,000,000\ \mu m}{1\ m}$, $\displaystyle \frac{1\ m}{1,000\ mm}$, $\displaystyle \frac{1,000\ mm}{1\ m}$, $\displaystyle \frac{1\ m}{100\ cm}$, $\displaystyle \frac{100\ cm}{1\ m}$, $\displaystyle \frac{1\ m}{10\ dm}$, $\displaystyle \frac{10\ dm}{1\ m}$, $\displaystyle \frac{1\ dam}{10\ m}$, $\displaystyle \frac{10\ m}{1\ dam}$, $\displaystyle \frac{1\ hm}{100\ m}$, $\displaystyle \frac{100\ m}{1\ hm}$, $\displaystyle \frac{1\ km}{1,000\ m}$, $\displaystyle \frac{1,000\ m}{1\ km}$, $\displaystyle \frac{1\ Mm}{1,000,000\ m}$, $\displaystyle \frac{1,000,000\ m}{1\ Mm}$, Define the metric prefixes and use them to perform basic conversions among metric units.