A beginners guide to the Metric System

The metric system is a system of measurement used throughout the world.

In this video you will learn the basics of the metric system.

Transcript

Hello welcome to MooMooMath where we upload a new math video everyday.
Today I would like to talk about the metric system
The metric system is a system of measurement used throughout the world, and the scientific community.
It is based on tens, and can be easy to use.
Let’s begin with some basic units of measurement.
Lets start with seven frequently used units of the metric system.
Starting at the left and moving to the right, we have,
Kilo, Hecto, Deka, Base Unit, Deci, Centi, Milli
Starting at the base unit, and moving to the left, the deka would have a value of 10 , hecto a value of 100’s, and a kilo a 1000.
Next, if you start at the base and move to the right a deci is 1/10,centi is 1/100, and milli is 1/1000
Now let’s talk about the base units.
There are three main base units, and they give you a clue as to what is being measured. A meter is used for length, a liter for volume, and a gram for measuring mass.
All three of these base units are related.
A meter is 1/10 millionth the distance from the North Pole to the equator, on a meridian that passes through Paris.
If you take this distance and divide it into 10 million small units, you have a meter.
If you divide the meter into 10 equal parts you have 10 decimeters. If you divide a decimeter in tenths you have created a centimeters. If you divide the centimeter into 10 small parts you have a millimeter.
On the other hand, if you have 1000 meters you have 1 kilometer.

A liter is the volume of one cubic decimeter.
You can see how they are related.
A liter the volume of one decimeter.

Again you can subdivide the liter into a centiliter which is 1/10 of a liter.
A gram is equal to the mass of 1 cubic centimeter of water.
Finally let’s look at one more example of how the metric system works.

If you measure a distance of 5 kilometers this will be equal to 50 Hectometers, 500 dekameters, 5000 meters, 50,000 decimeters,500,000 centimeters, 5,000000 millimeters

One nice characteristic of the metric system is how easy it is to convert from one unit to another.
I have created another video on how to convert within the metric system.

Hope this helps, and MooMooMath uploads a new Math video everyday.

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[MooMooMath]

Thanks for the feedback. I used meter, liter, and gram as base units. I didn't mean they were the official SI units. I was trying to make the point the suffix in the metric unit provides clues to what you are measuring. Sorry for any confusion. Below are the official SI units. Also, a centiliter is not 1/10 of a liter but 1/100. Sorry for the error.
Length Meter m
Mass Kilogram kg
Temperature Kelvin K
Time Second s
Amount of Substance Mole mol
Electric Current Ampere I
Luminous Intensity Lumen Iv

[violet]

i feel left out so i'm learning the metric system

[isaactunnell]

I couldn’t understand a meme so know I’m learning about the metric system

[vztvcrl]

I feel like I should have learned this. The American Educational system idiotized me.

[olliebug]

The imperial system... why did you make me look like an idiot to the rest of the world?
I have to study the metric system now :/

I'm still confused-

[ema_groot]

Im so sick of having to always convert things to feet or inches get an idea of how big they are so I'm learning the REAL measurement system... thanks America for not teaching me this in school

[psgvget]

Here is a German who is learning the anglo american system just for fun, because its so different from our metric system and thats what makes it so interesting! We are learning the metric system in the kindergarten, its our only measurement system and we are confused with the anglo american system just as you americans get confused with our system :) Nevertheless, greetings from Germany!

[KrunchyJD]

You are over complicating it. Nobody uses decimetres, or hectometres. Just milli centi, and kilo... Nobody would say that the length of something is 5 hectometres..

[PaulaDuque-irgy]

3. I learned that liter is used for volume, gram is used for mass, and meter is used for length.
2. I would like to learn about other ways to divide 1 decimiter.
1.The importance of learning this is because this would help you for the rest of your life ex. you want to put a new carpet in your bed room you need to mesure the room.

[lorderik]

American here tuning in because I'm currently living in Japan and am completely lost

[carolinewallace]

Oh my gosh! Praise God! I am taking Chemistry and have not been able to figure out the blessed metric system. But I finally got it, thank you!

[TheCoveta]

We don't actually use hecto, deka and deci. They are outdated, especially in Norway.

[karebear]

S/V Delos brought me here. I want to learn it! It's crazy as an American to realize if you want to communicate and understand the math that what most of the world is doing I need to learn a WHOLE different system. I'm really going to try so I can understand better! 😊🥰😘

[solarwinds-]

Thank you for showing us. I knew the metric system was very simple, just didn't know how it worked. Now I do, took 5 minutes. Wish the US had successfully switched to it but it just didn't happen.

[bedrock_]

My friend and I are planning on moving to Canada when we turn 18 so I need to learn this if I want to fit in

[mossy_]

U.S schools should teach both methods imo

[trypkelly]

Just moved to the UK after living in America. The confusion is real😂

[Allyvowar]

Thanks! This was a super helpful supplement to my Medical Transcribing and Editing education. Medication dosages are commonly prescribed in metric units.

[m.n.tarrint]

Thanks for the video. My kid is confused on the subject so we're going to do metric lessons using this video and some experiments here. Not to mention, i needed a brush up too :)

[tanyaa.]

is matthew mcConaughey doing the voice over for this video?