Showing posts with label how to do unit conversions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how to do unit conversions. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 26

Unit Conversion


Unit conversion is converting from one unit to another of the same quantity. Unit conversion is used when we have to compare or convert any quantity in any particular form. Unit conversion can be done for length, volume, time, temperature, area, energy etc. It is done using conversion factors.
For example: -
I kilogram = 1000 grams
1 foot = 12 inches
1 meter = 100 centimeters
1 minute = 60 seconds
1 day = 24 hours
What is the Metric Unit for Length?
The metric unit of length is meter.
Unit conversion length
1 meter = 1000 millimeter
1 meter = 100 centimeter
1 meter = 10 decimeter
1 meter = 0.001 kilometers
How to do unit conversions?
Unit conversions can be done by using the following steps: -
Write the given value.
For example: - Convert 582 cm to m.
Find conversion factor for the given and the desired units
In the above example the conversion factor is 100 cm = 1m.
Write it as a fraction with the given units as a denominator or in the opposite direction.
582 cm (1 m)/(100 cm)
Cancel the ‘like’ units that is cm in the numerator can be cancelled by cm in the denominator.
582 cm (1 m)/(100 cm )=582  (1 m)/100

Multiply odd units, we will be left with 582 times 1 m in numerator which gives 582 m and 100 in denominator which gives 582 m/100 = 5.82 m
5.82 m
For example: -
If we have to convert 12 millimeter to kilometer, then the steps would be: -
Convert 12 mm to km
Conversion factors are: -
1000 mm = 1 m
1000 m = 1 km
1.2 mm(1m/1000mm)((1 km)/(1000 m))
=0.0000012 km
This is how unit conversion is done when we have any quantity in a unit and we need to convert it in different unit.