EARTH SCIENCE LAB

Metric System and Scientific Notation

Metric System
Metric Units
The basic units of measure in the Metric System are:
Length
Meter (m)
Capacity (liquid measure) Liter (l)
Weight
Gram (g)
Pressure
Bar (b)
Temperature
Celsius (C), Kelvin (K)
Force
Newton
Multiples of the basic units are designated by the following prefix: (the "c" is
pronounced like a "k")
deka- 10 Example: dekagram 10 grams
hecto- 100 Example: hectoliter 100 liters
kilo- 1000 Example: kilometer 1000 meters
Fractions of the basic units are designated by the following prefix: (the "c" is
pronounced like an "s")
deci- 0.1 Example: decimeter 0.1 meters
centi- 0.01 Example: centigram 0.01 grams
milli- 0.001 Example: millibar 0.001 bars

Metric System - English System Conversions

Changing metric units is as simple as multiplying or dividing by 10 or 1000. The
diagram below shows you how to convert one unit into another by a series of
multiplication or division. Changing English units isn't as simple, but can still be
accomplished by a series of multiplications of divisions.

km - kilometer, m - meter, dm - decimeter, cm - centimeter, mm - millimeter

Metric-English System Standard Conversions

The United States is one of the few countries left in the world that still insists on using
an archaic and outdated measurement system. The English System of weights and
measures is not based on a consistent system. For example, lengths are based on 12
or 36, 12 inches in a foot and 36 inches in a yard. Pounds are further subdivided
based on 16: 16 ounces in a pound. It makes for a messy and inconsistent system of
measure that results in a lot of confusion.
The Metric System is a base 10 system. This is much more intuitive for humans (we
are born with 10 fingers and toes!) and the math system that we use is based on 10
as well. Units and subunits within the Metric System are multiples of 10.
Unfortunately, within the United States it has become necessary to learn two systems.
The English System and the Metric System. We do use the Metric System in this
country to a greater and greater extend as the years pass.

Conversion of Metric units to English and English to Metric requires the use of a
conversion factor or equation. In this course we will primarily be concerned with
measurements of length, so this exercise will only deal with those conversions.
Complete the following English-English and Metric-Metric standard conversions:
Enter all values without commas - example 5,678 would be entered as 5678.
Enter decimals less than 1 with a zero before the decimal point - example 0.25
or 0.0033.
Enter repeating decimals with an "r" designation - example 0.15733333333333
would be entered as 0.1573r.
English System Standard Conversions
1. 1 inch =

feet

2. 1 inch =

yards

3. 1 inch =

miles (report to 8 decimal places)

4. 1 foot =

inches

5. 1 foot =

yards

6. 1 foot =

miles (report to 8 decimal places)

7. 1 yard =

inches

8. 1 yard =

feet

9. 1 yard =

miles (report to 8 decimal places)

0. 1 mile =

inches

11. 1 mile =

feet

12. 1 mile =

yards

Metric System Standard Conversions

13. 1 mm =

cm

14. 1 mm =

15. 1 mm =

km

16. 1 cm =

mm

17. 1 cm =

18. 1 cm =

km

19. 1 m =

mm

20. 1 m =

cm

21. 1 m =

km

22. 1 km =

mm

23. 1 km =

cm

24. 1 km =

English System Conversions

Convert the following English to English values.
Enter all values without commas - example 5,678 would be entered as 5678.
Enter decimals less than 1 with a zero before the decimal point - example 0.25
or 0.0033.
1. 7 ft =

in

2. 3,450 in =
3. 45 yd =

ft
ft

4. 10,912 yd =

mi

5. 18,300 ft =

yd

6. 75.3 mi =

yd

7. 63.9 ft =
8. 4 yd =
9. 63 mi =
10. 19 mi =
11. 7 mi =

in
ft
yd
in
in

12. 1,938 mi =

ft

13. 5809 yd =

ft

14. 48 ft =
15. 0.09 in =

yd
ft

16. 82.368 in =

mi

17. 4,443 ft =

yd

18. 0.318 ft =

yd

19. 84.48 ft =

mi

20. 3,172 yd =
21. 0.78 yd =

in
ft

22. 4.4352 in =
23. 0.75 mi =

mi
ft

24. 1,531.2 ft =
25. 91 mi =

mi
yd

26. 0.34 yd =

ft

27. 0.44 ft =

in

28. 443.52 in =
29. 54 in =

mi
ft

30. 7389 in =

yd

Metric System Conversions

Convert the following metric to metric values.
Enter all values without commas - example 5,678 would be entered as 5678.
Enter decimals less than 1 with a zero before the decimal point - example 0.25
or 0.0033.
1. 7 cm =

mm

2. 3,450 mm =
3. 45 m =

cm
cm

4. 10,946 m =

km

5. 18,300 cm =

6. 75.3 km =

7. 63.9 cm =

mm

8. 4 m =
9. 63 km =
10. 19 km =
11. 7 km =

cm
m
mm
mm

12. 1,938 km =
13. 5809 m =
14. 48 cm =
15. 0.09 mm =
16. 83 mm =
17. 4,443 cm =
18. 0.32 cm =

cm
cm
m
cm
km
m
m

19. 88 cm =

km

20. 3,172 m =

mm

21. 0.79 m =
22. 5 mm =

cm
km

23. 0.75 km =

cm

24. 1,544 cm =
25. 91 km =

km
m

26. 0.34 m =

cm

27. 0.44 cm =

mm

28. 452 mm =

km

29. 54 mm =

cm

30. 7389 mm =

English to Metric System Conversions

To convert English to Metric we need a conversion factor.
1 inch = 2.54 centimeters
With this one conversion factor it is possible to convert all units of length from one
system to the other. Memorize this conversion factor. It is simply a matter of
multiplying the appropriate value by 2.54.
To convert inches to centimeters, multiply the inches by 2.54.
Example 1: To convert 5 inches to centimeters, multiply 5 by 2.54.
Example 2: To convert 5 feet to meters requires two additional steps. First convert 5
feet to inches (5 x 12 = 60). Then multiply 60 by 2.54. This results in an answer of
152.4 centimeters. Then convert centimeters to meters. The result is 5 feet is equal to
1.524 meters.
Convert the following English to Metric values.
Enter all values without commas - example 5,678 would be entered as 5678.
Enter decimals less than 1 with a zero before the decimal point - example 0.25
or 0.0033.
1. 9 in =

mm

2. 850 ft =

cm

3. 76 yd =

cm

4. 252 mi =
5. 36 in =

km (report to 2 decimal places)

m

6. 393 yd =

7. 65 mi =

mm

8. 844 ft =

cm

9. 59 ft =
10. 90 mi =

m
mm

11. 652 yd =

mm

12. 710 in =

cm

13. 4 in =
14. 612 ft =

cm
m

15. 100 yd =

cm

16. 363 yd =

km (report to 2 decimal places)

17. 48 in =

18. 432 mi =
19. 96 ft =

m
km

20. 333 in =

mm

21. 12 yd =

cm

22. 489 mi =
23. 5 ft =

km (report to 3 decimal places)

cm

24. 199 in =

km

25. 23 mi =

26. 271 in =

cm

27. 43 ft =
28. 200 mi =
29. 40 in =
30. 411 in =

mm
km
cm
m

Metric to English System Conversions

To convert Metric to English we can use the same conversion factor as used for
English to Metric conversions.

1 inch = 2.54 centimeters

With this one conversion factor it is possible to convert all units of length from one
system to the other. Memorize this conversion factor. It is simply a matter
of dividing the appropriate value by 2.54.
To convert centimeters to inches, divide the centimeters by 2.54.
Example 1: To convert 12 cm to centimeters, divide 12 by 2.54.
Example 2: To convert 7 meters to yards requires some additional steps. First convert
7 meters to centimeters (7 x 100 = 700). Then divide 700 by 2.54. This results in an
answer of 275.5905512 inches. Then convert inches to yard (divide by 36). The result
is 7 meters is equal to 7.65529 yards.
Convert the following Metric to English values.
Enter all values without commas - example 5,678 would be entered as 5678.
Enter decimals less than 1 with a zero before the decimal point - example 0.25
or 0.0033.
Report all answers in this section to 2 decimal places, unless otherwise
directed.
1. 8.6 km =

mi

2. 840 cm =

yd

3. 87 mm =

ft

4. 301 m =

ft

5. 19 km =

yd

6. 2.8 cm =

in

7. 49 mm =

in

8. 420 m =

ft

9. 0.44 km =

yd

10. 2302 mm =
11. 36 m =

yd
in

12. 99 km =

ft

13. 2.4 m =

in

14. 3.401 mm =

yd (report to 4 decimal places)

15. 0.2 cm =

in

16. 27 cm =

ft

17. 85 m =
18. 0.62 km =

ft
mi

19. 40 m =

yd

20. 770 m =

mi

21. 59 cm =

yd

22. 16 mm =

ft

23. 0.9211 m =
24. 84 km =

ft
yd

25. 161 cm =
26. 75 m =

in
yd

27. 30 km =

mi

28. 2 mm =

in

29. 57010 m =
30. 0.5498592 km =

mi
ft

Scientific Notation
The mass of the Earth is 5,979,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilograms. The
molecular diameter of ammonia is 0.0000000297 centimeters. Very large and very
small numbers are prone to errors when writing these numbers or typing them. To
prevent these types of errors, these numbers can be written in a form called scientific
notation. This allows numbers to be written as the product of a power of 10 and a
number greater than or equal to 1, but less than 10. The mass of the Earth in scientific
notation is 5.979 x 1027 kg and the molecular diameter of ammonia is 2.97 x 10-8 cm.
The simplest method for conversion of standard notation to scientific notation is move
the decimal. For very large numbers, move the decimal to the left, until it is after the
first numeral. Count the number of places the decimal has moved. This then becomes
the exponent on the 10.
EXAMPLE
Write 4,567,000 using scientific notation.
4,567,000 becomes 4.567000
The decimal place has been moved 6 places to the left.
4,567,000 = 4.567 x 106
For very small numbers, move the decimal to the right, until it is after the first non-zero
numeral. Count the number of places the decimal has moved. This becomes a
negative exponent on the 10.
EXAMPLE
Write 0.00000005436 using scientific notation.
0.00000005436 becomes 00000005.436

The decimal place has been moved 8 places to the right.

0.00000005436 = 5.436 x 10-8
To convert scientific notation to standard notation, reverse the procedure given above.
For very large numbers (positive exponent on the 10), move the decimal to the right
the same number of places as given by the exponent. For very small numbers
(negative exponent on the 10), move the decimal to the left the same number of
places as given by the exponent.
EXAMPLE
Write 7.943 x 106 using standard notation.
7.943 x 106 = 7,943,000
EXAMPLE
Write 4.302 x10-7 using standard notation.
4.302 x10-7 = 0.0000004302
NOTE: Fractions which are less than 1 but greater than -1 should always be written
with a zero before the decimal. This is to avoid confusion in cases where the decimal
is not clearly marked or looks like a small 1 instead of a decimal.
EXAMPLE
.453 should be written as 0.453
EXAMPLE
-.234 should be written as -0.234

Entering Scientific Notation into a Calculator

Entering scientific notation into a calculator is accomplished in various manners,
depending on the type of calculator you are using. A common method uses the EE or
EXP key. Check your calculator manual for detailed directions if the EE or EXP key is
not present or ask the instructor for help.
EXAMPLE
To enter the number 7.42 x 1022, begin by entering 7.42. Then press the EE key. Then
enter 22. You may then proceed with normal calculations.
EXAMPLE
To enter the number 3.64 x 10-13, begin by entering 3.64. Then press the EE key, then
press the (+/-) key. Then enter 13. NOTE: The (+/-) key is not the same as the (-)
function key. The (+/-) key changes the value from positive to negative, while the (-)
function key performs subtraction.

Calculator Scientific Notation Display

Scientific calculators will be capable of displaying large and small numbers in scientific
notation. There are several common ways in which the calculator will display these
numbers. Some will be able to display the notation as discussed above, such as 10.5

x 1015. The other two common methods are shown below. The first uses a small letter
E in place of the "x 10".
EXAMPLE
10.5 x 1015 will be displayed as
10.5 E 15
The 15 is the exponent of the 10.
EXAMPLE
3.463 x10-24 will be displayed as
3.463 E -24
The -24 is the exponent of the 10.
The other common method of displaying scientific notation is to place a space
between the number and the exponent.
EXAMPLES
10.5 x 1015 will be displayed as
10.5 15
The 15 is the exponent of the 10.
EXAMPLE
3.463 x10-24 will be displayed as
3.463 -24
The -24 is the exponent of the 10.

Standard to Scientific Notation

Write the following standard notation number using scientific notation. Enter the
number and the exponent of 10 in the appropriate boxes.

1. 1,000,000 =

x 10

2. 1,000,000,000 =

x 10

3. 1,000,000,000,000 =

x 10

4. 1,000,000,000,000,000 =

5. 0.001 =

6. 0.000001 =

x 10

x 10

x 10

7. 0.000000001 =

x 10

8. 0.000000000001 =

x 10

9. 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000765 =

10. 17,650,000,000,000 =

x 10

11. 864,760,000,000,000,000,000,000 =

12. 0.0000000000000000643 =

x 10

x 10

13. 1,872,900,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 =

14. 0.000007633 =

15. 8,980,000 =

x 10

x 10

16. 0.000000000852 =

x 10

17. 109,876,000,000,000,000 =

x 10

18. 0.0000000000000000000000000523 =

19. 423,000,000,000,000 =

20. 0.0087 =

21. 3,900,000,000 =

x 10

x 10

x 10

x 10

x 10

22. 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000641 =
23. 9,999,000,000,000,000,000 =

x 10

x 10

x 10

24. 0.0000006543 =

x 10

25. 83,970,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
=

x 10

26. 687,890 =

x 10

27. 0.9 =

x 10

28. 5,768,000,000,000 =

x 10

29. 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000009
82 =

x 10

30. 75,870,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 =

x 10

Scientific to Standard Notation

Write the following scientific notation number using standard notation.
1. 3.48 x 1027 =
2. 1.85 x 10-39 =
3. 4.732 x 1035 =
4. 3.9 x 10-16 =
5. 9.6157 x 1019 =
6. 7.58 x 102 =
7. 4.81 x 1023 =
8. 3.833 x 10-9 =
9. 4.8 x 1050 =
10. 9.31 x 1010 =
11. 4.872 x 10-5 =
12. 5.61 x 100 =
13. 1.31 x 1012 =

14. 8.067 x 10-4 =

15. 7.0221 x 10-10 =
16. 4.82 x 1015 =
17. 9.588 x 1012 =
18. 7.053 x 10-18 =
19. 7.775 x 1020 =
20. 3.01 x 101 =
21. 1.59 x 10-3 =
22. 5.758213 x 103 =
23. 6.155 x 1021 =
24. 7.421 x 10-2 =
25. 7.325 x 102 =
26. 2.45 x 1025 =
27. 5.25 x 10-25 =
28. 9.673 x 10-11 =
29. 6.74 x 107 =
30. 4.61 x 1010 =

Scientific Notation Calculations

Complete the following calculations. Write the answer using standard notation.
1. (7.1 x 1020)(2.54 x 102) =
2. ( 8.01 x 1030) (9.0 x 1018)=
3. (2.62 x 1021) ((1.31 x 109)(2.0 x 1015)) =
4. (3.6 x 1036)(7.2 x 101)(5.9 x 10-6) =
5. (3.755 x 107) + (9.78 x 104)(4.69 x 102) =
6. (3.93 x 1015) (9.6 x 109) =
7. (1.08 x 104) (4.5 x 108) =
8. (9.66 x 1016) - (5.45 x 109)(9.23 x 106) =
9. (4.5 x 108)(7.8 x 105)(8.2 x 10-8)(6.3 x 105)
=
10. (9.7 x 109)(2.8 x 104) ((1.4 x 105)(1.6 x 108))

=
11. (1.92 x 1012)(4.5 x 106) - (9.2 x 1018) =
12. (1.99 x 105) + (1.114 x 105) =
13. (9.2 x 105) (1.15 x 107) =
14. (1.812 x 1040)(6.555 x 109) =
15. (8 x 104)4 =

Scientific Notation Calculations

Complete the following calculations. Write the answer using scientific notation. Enter
the number (round to 2 decimals) and the exponent of 10 in the appropriate boxes.

1. (6.482 x 104)(1.42 x 108) =

x 10

2. (4.85 x 1012)/(3.4 x 10-3) =

x 10

3. (2.76 x 1016)(8.6 x 10-17) =

x 10

4. (6.26 x 101)(5.678 x 100) =

x 10

5. (3 x 104)(6.3 x 105) =

x 10

6. (7 x 10-3)(6.1 x 10-8) =

x 10

7. (4.4 x 105)/(9.6 x 1012) =

x 10

8. (7.3 x 104)/(2.8 x 10-7) =

x 10

9. (3.5 x 1027) + (4.73 x 1027) =

10. (7.58 x 102) - (3.833 x 103) =
11. (4.8 x 103)3 =

x 10

x 10

x 10

12. (8.067 x 10-4)-7 =

x 10

13. sin(7.325 x 106) =

x 10

14. log(2.45 x 1025) =

x 10

15. 1/((1.81 x 1040)(1.59 x 10-3)) =

x 10

Reset All Answ ers

Last Updated: 09/15/2011 16:51:07

2011 Richard Harwood | harwoodr@bhc.edu | 309-796-5271 | Home
Notice: The material contained within these web pages only applies to those courses and sections taught by Richard
Harwood.
Unless otherwise noted, all images and graphics contained within are the property of Richard Harwood and may only
be reproduced with permission from the author.