Unit Conversions

Understanding Unit Conversions

• Unit conversion is the process of changing the measure of a quantity from one unit to another.

• It’s an essential skill in mathematics and science, often used in solving problems involving rates, ratios, and proportions.

• Many different types of quantities can be converted, including length, area, volume, weight, time, and temperature.

Converting Units in the Same System

• To convert units within the same system (for instance, inches to feet, or grams to kilograms), it’s necessary to know the conversion factors between the units.

• A conversion factor is a ratio between two different units for the same quantity.

• For example, the conversion factor from inches to feet is 1 foot/12 inches, and from grams to kilograms is 1 kilogram/1000 grams.

• To carry out the conversion, the original measure is multiplied by the conversion factor in a way that cancels out the original unit, leaving the desired unit.

Converting Units in Different Systems

• Converting units between different systems (for instance, miles to kilometres, or pounds to kilograms) requires knowledge of specific conversion factors between those systems.

• Some commonly used conversion factors include 1 mile = 1.60934 kilometres, 1 pound = 0.453592 kilograms.

• Similar to conversion within the same system, the original measure is multiplied by the appropriate conversion factor.

Using Unit Conversions in Solving Problems

• In problems involving different units of measure, the first step is often to convert all the measures to the same unit.

• Be careful to make all conversions correctly, as an error in any conversion can affect the final result.

• In problems involving ratios, rates, or proportions, the units on both sides of the ratio or proportion must be the same before they can be compared or simplified.