Metric System
How do I know when to multiply and when to divide when converting to metric or from?
Sample- 450km=______mi
OK, good question. You know whatever units you start with will have to be divided by something across the fraction bar.
450km ( xxx/yyy) so km will be the units of yyy.
450km* 1000m/1km will work. Now I am in meters, and I need to get to miles. Hmmm. I know there is 1609m per mi, so
450km*1000m/1km * here I put m in the denominator so it divides out...
450km*1000m/km * 1mi/1609m and that does it.
Thank you, I'm going to practice and see how I do.
When converting between units of the Metric System, such as kilometers (km) and miles (mi), it's important to understand the relationships between the units and use the correct conversion factor. The conversion factor allows you to multiply or divide by a certain value to convert from one unit to another.
To convert kilometers to miles, you need to use a conversion factor that relates the two units. The conversion factor between kilometers and miles is approximately 0.62137 miles per kilometer.
To convert kilometers to miles:
1. Write down the value you want to convert, in this case, 450 km.
2. Multiply the value by the conversion factor:
450 km × 0.62137 mi/km = 279.615 miles (rounded to three decimal places)
So, 450 kilometers is approximately equal to 279.615 miles.
To summarize,
- To convert from kilometers to miles, you multiply by the conversion factor (km × conversion factor = miles).
- To convert from miles to kilometers, you divide by the conversion factor (miles ÷ conversion factor = km).
Remember, it's important to use the correct conversion factor for the specific conversion you are doing.