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METRIC MEASUREMENT
Scientists use measurements to communicate in the same language. Measurement is the comparison of an object to a known standard. The International System of Units (SI) or metric system is the accepted measurement system used by scientists around the world. Common SI or Metric units are the meter, the liter, the gram, and degrees Celsius. Common SI units are listed in the tables below:
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Property - Measurement |
Basic Unit |
Symbol |
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Length |
meter |
m |
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Liquid Volume |
liter |
L |
|
Dry Volume |
cubic meters |
m3 |
|
Mass |
gram |
g |
|
Temperature |
degrees Celsius |
0C |
Common SI (metric) Prefixes
|
Prefix |
Symbol |
Meaning |
Example |
|
kilo- |
k |
1,000 |
kilometer (km) |
|
hecto- |
h |
100 |
hectometer (hm) |
|
deka- |
da |
10 |
dekameter (dam) |
|
deci- |
d |
0.1 (1/10) |
decimeter(dm) |
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centi- |
c |
0.01 (1/100) |
centimeter(cm) |
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milli- |
m |
0.001 (1/1000) |
millimeter (mm) |
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