Converting measurement units
Convert between different units of measure (e.g. kilometre to metre, hour to minute, minute to second, year to month, week to day)
What a learner can do afterwards
- Convert 3 km to 3000 m
- State 2 hours = 120 minutes
- Convert 5 weeks to 35 days
The lesson
Sometimes the same measurement is written using two different units. A distance of 3 kilometres is exactly the same as 3000 metres, just counted in smaller pieces. To convert, you need to know how many small units make one big unit.
One kilometre equals 1000 metres. To turn 3 km into metres, multiply by 1000: 3 x 1000 = 3000 m.
Moving to a smaller unit? Multiply. Moving to a bigger unit? Divide. Five weeks is 5 x 7 = 35 days, since each week has 7 days.
To convert between units, multiply when the new unit is smaller and divide when the new unit is bigger.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.