Metric Prefixes
Metric prefixes are just shorthand for powers of ten. Memorize the exponent that goes with each prefix and unit conversion stops being scary — it becomes multiplication.
Key Facts to Memorize
giga (G)
10⁹ — a billion base units.
mega (M)
10⁶ — a million base units.
kilo (k)
10³ — 1 km = 1000 m.
hecto (h)
10²
deka (da)
10¹
deci (d)
10⁻¹ — 10 dm in a meter.
centi (c)
10⁻² — 100 cm in a meter.
milli (m)
10⁻³ — 1000 mL in a liter.
micro (µ)
10⁻⁶
nano (n)
10⁻⁹ — the scale of wavelengths of light.
pico (p)
10⁻¹² — the scale of atomic radii.
Al says…
Say the ladder out loud every morning for a week: kilo, hecto, deka, base, deci, centi, milli. Moving right multiplies by ten; moving left divides by ten.
Practice This Topic
External Tools
- Blooket review game
Coming soon — Mrs. Cauthron will post the game link here.
- PhET unit-conversion practice
Interactive sims — try the measurement activities.