Unit Conversion in Decimals


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

Unit Conversion in Decimals

Unit conversion in decimals:

The important points are:

  • Write the conversion as a fraction (that equals one)
  • Multiply it out (leaving all units in the answer)
  • Cancel any units that are both top and bottom
  • Example: Convert 3 km to m (3 kilometers to meters).

    Solution: There are 1000 m in 1 km, so the conversion is easy, but let's follow a system.

    The system is:

  • Write the conversion as a fraction
  • Multiply
  • Cancel any units that are both top and bottom
  • You can write the conversion as a fraction that equals 1:

    1000 m/1 km  =  1

    And it is safe to multiply by 1 (does not affect the answer) so we can do this:

    3 km x 1000m/1 km = 3000 km ·m /1 km

    3000 km·m/1 km = 3000 m

    So, 3 km equals 3000 m.

     
     


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