We are sometimes presented with units of measurement that are not in the best format. For example we may have 1,100g of something but it is much more effective to say 1.1kg. Of course 1,100g and 1.1kg are exactly the same they are just in a different format.

So how to we convert one to the other? To achieve this we will use the operations of multiply or divide.

The basic principle is that when we are going from say kg to g we are going from a small number of kg to many g. To turn a small number to a big number you multiply. When we go the other way from g to kg we divide.

You can see from the image above that 1kg is 1000g. So compared to the number of kilograms an object weighs it weighs many more grams. So to go from 1kg to 1000g we multiply the number of kg by 1000. If I have 2kg I will have lots of g and 2kg x 1000 = 2000g. Going the other way is the opposite. Lots of g makes only a small number of kg. So to turn g into kg we divide. 7000g ÷ 1000 = 7kg.

Distance units are the hardest to convert as you have to remember to use 10, 100 and 1000 at the right time.

You can see from the image above to go from mm to cm you divide by 10. To go from cm to m you divide by 100. To go from m to km you divide by 1000. To go the other way you use multiply. To go from km to m you multiply by 1000. To go from m to cm you multiply by 100 and to go from cm to mm you multiply by 10.

Mass/weight units are easier to convert as you only have to remember to use 1000.

You can see from the image above to go from mg to g you divide by 1000. To go from g to kg you divide by 1000. To go from kg to t you divide by 1000. To go the other way you use multiply. To go from t to kg you multiply by 1000. To go from kg to g you multiply by 1000 and to go from g to mg you multiply by 1000.

Volume/capacity of a liquid units are easier to convert as you only have to remember to use 1000.

You can see from the image above to go from mL to L you divide by 1000. To go from L to kL you divide by 1000. To go from kL to ML you divide by 1000. To go the other way you use multiply. To go from ML to kL you multiply by 1000. To go from kL to L you multiply by 1000 and to go from L to mL you multiply by 1000.