![]() ![]() Of course, you can always refer back to the tables above. Memorizing the different prefixes and their meanings makes it a lot easier to do these conversions, so try to memorize as many as you can. If the power is negative, move to the left, adding decimal places.Ĭonverting between the different SI system prefixes is an essential science skill that requires practice. If the power is positive, move to the right, adding zeros to the number. As a light refresher, remember that the power on the ten refers to the number of decimal places that the decimal point has to move. If you are a bit rusty with your scientific notation skills, be sure to brush up on them before you try the practice problems below. Clearly, it can be challenging to keep track of all those zeros, so scientists like to simplify things as much as possible. For instance, if we were to write all the digits, 1 micrometer would be equal to 0.000001 meters. This makes it easier to write the numbers without many zeros or decimal places. The combinations are endless.Īlso note that the SI system uses a lot of scientific notation. For example, speed can be measured in meters per second, or in kilometers per nanosecond. The different base units can also be combined to form what are called derived units. Instead, you would use kilometers, or even megameters. For example, you wouldn’t measure the distance from LA to New York in meters, the base unit. These base units can be combined with any of the prefixes to create units that are most appropriate for what is being measured. These reference tables show the different bases and prefixes used to designate metric units with the SI system. This system comprises seven base quantities and 16 prefixes that designate amount. The Système international d’unités (SI system) is a standard that simplifies international scientific communication. Without them, a number is just a number without any meaning. ![]() Units are extremely important in the study of science. ![]()
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