To convert from a smaller unit to a larger unit you divide or multiply or add by 10

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1 m = 100 cm

What would you do to convert 500 cm to meters?

you would multiply

To convert from a smaller unit to a larger unit, you generally divide by 10. This is because units of measurement typically follow the metric system, which is based on powers of 10.

For example, to convert from centimeters (cm) to meters (m), you divide by 100 because there are 100 centimeters in one meter. Similarly, to convert from millimeters (mm) to centimeters (cm), you divide by 10 because there are 10 millimeters in one centimeter.

So, if you have a measurement in a smaller unit and want to convert it to a larger unit, you divide by a factor of 10.