Metric conversion in the 11+

[leanmeamum]

if you just write the basic conversion chart for him it will be easier.

1 tonne = 1000 KG
1 Kg = 1000 grams
1 gram = 1000 milligram


1 Km = 1000 m
1 m = 100 cm
1 cm = 10 mm

Once he has see the basic numbers then it is just a matter of putting the numbers into the question. It is better to do the conversion in stages in the beginning to avoid confusion.

1 square m = 10000 square cm ( 1 square m = 1 m X 1 m which converts to 100 cm X 100 cm)
1 square cm = 100 square mm ( 1 cm X 1 cm = 10 mm X 10 mm)

This is easy to understand if they can see why 1 square m is not 100 square cm. You can draw a square and label the side 1 m by 1 m which convert to 100 cm by 100 cm and once the child has seen the drawing it is really easy to remember.

[parent2013]

Yes, it is definitely required.

I've seen a complicated barometer question in superselective past paper which used the underlying concept - milli is 1/1000.
The question was showing meter readings in bar, mbar and expecting children to apply the concept. My ds got shocked as he only learnt km, litre and kg etc.

[Tinkers]

Which is why, when I taught DD, I used wibble as a dummy unit, to reinforce the idea that it goes for any Unit.

[southbucks3]

Which is why, when I taught DD, I used wibble as a dummy unit, to reinforce the idea that it goes for any Unit.

Must be where I am going wrong ...I always use bananas....or sometimes even bl**dy bananas if it is the twenty fifth time of explaining.

[Tinkers]

Bananas would work but not in this house neither DD or I like them.

[fatbananas]

Bananas are used often enough in this house

Thing is, how does the 'milli', 'centi' thing work when dealing with converting milligrams (say) to kilograms. That's a 1000 1000, but some DCs might just think that there's a 1000mg in a kg ...

I thought for a long time, growing up, I hasten to add, that there were 100 centilitre in a litre ... To me, it's not as intuitive as it is for other people.

[Tinkers]

There are 100 centilitres in a litre.

DD didn't get the whole thing until I used wibbles.

Then said wibbles stands for grams, metres, litres, Amps, Volts etc. The unit word without anything in front of it.

Most are in factors of a thousand, though centi is a bit of an odd ball.
Nanowibble is a 1000 000 000th of a wibble
Microwibble is 1000 000th of a wibble
So milliwibble is a 1000th of a wibble
Centiwibble is 100th of a wibble
1000 wibble is a kilowibble
1000 000 wibble is a Megawibble
1000 000 0000 wibble is a Gigawibble

It all centres around the word without a prefix. If you can get that point across then move on from there.

I know chemists like to use Decilitres. Deci meaning a 10th of a litre, I doubt anyone else uses them.

I get all sorts of units and on my current project the client are insisting on ft and inches, psi and degrees farenheit. I'm coping but some of our young grads have had very blank faces.
My favourite units are Degrees Twadell (think the spelling is not quite right) and acres-foot/day.

[Proud_Dad]

I thought for a long time, growing up, I hasten to add, that there were 100 centilitre in a litre ... To me, it's not as intuitive as it is for other people.

As Tinkers said, there ARE 100 centilitres in a litre.

People rarely talk about centilitres though. I think maybe you're thinking of cubic centimetres which are the same size as millilitres and therefore have 1000 in a litre?

[Tinkers]

Wine is usually sold in 75 centilitre bottles.

Not that I know much about these things

[fatbananas]

I thought for a long time, growing up, I hasten to add, that there were 100 centilitre in a litre ... To me, it's not as intuitive as it is for other people.

I can't even get my own mistake down correctly what I meant to say was a 100 litre in a centilitre ... to me centilitre read as 100-litres!