how do we use prefixes in the metric system?

Answer 1

micro=0.000001
milli=0.001
centi=.01
deci=.1
For 1, you just use the unit name (i.e. meter, gram)
deca=10
kilo=1000

There's more. I just can't think of them off the top of my head at the moment.


So...you would say milligram to say .001 grams.

Answer 2

You might find the following table useful, I often have to use it to solve problems...

Exa (E) = 10^18
Peta (P) = 10^15
Tera (T) = 10^12
Giga (G) = 10^9
Mega (M) = 10^6
Kilo (K) = 10^3
Hecta (H) = 10^2
Dekka (D) = 10^1
UNITS = 10^0
deci (d) = 10^-1
centi (c) = 10^-2
milli (m) = 10^-3
micro (u) = 10^-6
nano (n) = 10^-9
pico (p) = 10^-12
femto (f) = 10^-15
atto (a) = 10^-18

The prefixes can be used on any Metric quantity.

They usually represent increses of 1,000 at a time, except for 1/100, 1/10, x10 and x100. These have their own special terms as they are such common values and were expected to be in wide use.

However, in practise "centi" is rarely used other than in "centimetre", "deci" is rarely used except in "decibel", "Dekka" is hardly used at all, while "Hecta" is hardly used except for "Hectares".

The others are all generally used, except when it comes to mass. 1000 Kg should be 1Mg (Megagram), but nearly always referred to a "Metric Tonne" or "1000 Kg", even in science.

Apart from these few anomolies, almost all other Metric units follow these prefixes very accurately.

I hope this helps?!

Answer 3

We use them to describe quantities of weight (measured in grams (g)), volume (measured in liters (l)), or length (measured in meters (m)).

Common prefixes are

Mega- (M) = million
Kilo- (K) = thousand
Hecto- (h) = hundred
Deka- (da) = ten
deci- (d) = tenth
centi- (c) = hundreth
milli- (m) = thousandth
micro- (u) = millionth

So Kg would indicate 1000grams
Km would indicate 1000meters
etc
and
mg would indicate 1/1000 of a gram
mm would indicate 1/1000 of a meter

etc

Here is a link to a more extensive list of metric prefixes, some of which I haven't even heard of:

http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/prefixes.html

Answer 4

The prefix, immediately followed by the unit. More at the source.

Answer 5

kilo-is 1000, kilometre km 1000 metres kilogram kg 1000g
centi - 1/100, centimeter cm
mili- 1/1000, mm milimetre
etc.
the prefix if usually lower case when abreviated (the last shows the abbreiveation.)

Answer 6

The most commonly used are:
giga = 1,000,000,000
mega = 1,000,000
kilo=1000
deci=1/10
centi=1/100
milli=1/1000
micro=1/1,000,000
nano = 1/1,000,000,000