« How to Convert between metric units? »

METRIC CONVERSION

The process of changing measurement from one metric unit to another within the international system of units (S.I) is known as metric conversion in physics.

The decimal system, with all units based on multiples of ten, provides a consistent and widely recognised foundation for measures in science and daily life.This approach makes unit conversion simple.

Metric conversions are an important component of physics.Metric conversion can be done using a conversion table, a calculator, or by hand.These metric conversions are used to measure physical occurrences as well as to develop and evaluate physical hypotheses.Physics would be a considerably less exact and productive subject without metric conversion.

METRIC CONVERSION: METHOD-1

METRIC CONVERSION: METHOD-2

METRIC CONVERSION: METHOD-1

METRIC CONVERSION: METHOD-2

Solved Examples (Step-by-Step)Example 1 (Method-1: Moving decimal point)

Convert 4.25 km to cm.
Solution:
km → m (×1000) → cm (×100) ⇒ total ×100,000
4.25 × 100,000 = 425,000 cm ✅

Example 2 (Method-2: Using prefix powers)
Convert 350 mg to kg.
Solution:
milli = 10⁻³, kilo = 10³ → difference = 10⁻⁶
350 × 10⁻⁶ = 3.5 × 10⁻⁴ kg ✅

Example 3 (Area conversion)
Convert 5 cm² to m².
Solution:
1 cm = 10⁻² m ⇒ 1 cm² = (10⁻²)² = 10⁻⁴ m²
5 × 10⁻⁴ = 0.0005 m² ✅

Example 4 (Speed conversion)
Convert 90 km/h to m/s.
Solution:
90 × (1000/3600) = 90 × (5/18) = 25 m/s ✅

📐 Metric Conversion Practice

25 Additional Questions | CBSE Physics Class IX / XI | Write your answers in the empty column

📋 Question Table (Fill in your answers)

#	Question	Your Answer
1	Convert 0.0085 km to meters.
2	Convert 2500 mm to meters.
3	Convert 3.2 × 10⁵ μm to cm.
4	Convert 0.05 m² to cm².
5	Convert 108 km/h to m/s.
6	Convert 750 grams to kilograms.
7	Convert 12 nanoseconds (ns) to seconds.
8	Convert 0.0025 ML (megaliters) to liters.
9	A table is 125 cm long. Express in meters.
10	A hair thickness is 50 μm. Express in mm.
11	Convert 0.002 kg to mg.
12	Convert 4.5 × 10⁹ nm to meters.
13	Convert 0.00025 m³ to cm³.
14	Convert 2 hours to seconds.
15	Convert 90 km/h to m/s.
16	Convert 0.05 L (liters) to mL.
17	Convert 150 cm/s to m/s.
18	Convert 2.5 × 10⁴ μs (microseconds) to seconds.
19	Convert 0.0075 km² to m².
20	Convert 500 μA (microamperes) to mA.
21	Convert 3.2 × 10⁷ μm to km.
22	Convert 0.25 kg/m³ to g/cm³.
23	Convert 5.6 × 10⁻⁵ m to μm.
24	Convert 2.5 hours to minutes.
25	Convert 0.02 N/mm² to N/m².

🔑 Answer Key (Check your answers below)

1. 8.5 m

2. 2.5 m

3. 32 cm

4. 500 cm²

5. 30 m/s

6. 0.75 kg

7. 1.2 × 10⁻⁸ s

8. 2500 L

9. 1.25 m

10. 0.05 mm

11. 2000 mg

12. 4.5 m

13. 250 cm³

14. 7200 s

15. 25 m/s

16. 50 mL

17. 1.5 m/s

18. 0.025 s

19. 7500 m²

20. 0.5 mA

21. 0.032 km

22. 0.00025 g/cm³

23. 56 μm

24. 150 minutes

25. 20,000 N/m²

 

Prefixes and Powers of 10

Common Exam Mistakes & Warnings Box (High CBSE relevance)