LESSON 1
MEASUREMENT
Lesson 1 will cover the following topics:
• Conversions
• Time
Conversions of length and distance:
When we have a big unit that we want to convert into a smaller unit we multiply the big
unit by the conversion unit, see figure below:
kilometre (km) meter (m) centimetre (cm) millimetre (mm)
When we have a small unit that we want to convert into a bigger unit we divide the small unit
by the conversion factor, see figure below:
millimetre (mm) centimetre (cm) meter (m) kilometre (km)
Conversion tables:
Big unit to smaller unit Small unit to bigger unit
km to m × by 1000 m to km ÷ by 1000
m to cm × by 100 cm to m ÷ by 100
cm to mm × by 10 mm to cm ÷ by 10
The conversion tables shown above will not be given in the exam and therefore must
be memorised.
1 centimetre (cm) = 10 millimetres (mm)
1 metre (m) = 1 000 millimetres (mm)
1 metre (m) = 100 centimetres (cm)
1 kilometre (km) = 1 000 metres (m)
Conversions for mass:
When we have a big unit that we want to convert into a smaller unit we multiply the big
unit by the conversion unit, see figure below:
ton (t) kilogram (kg) gram (g) milligram (mg)
When we have a small unit that we want to convert into a bigger unit we divide the small unit
by the conversion factor, see figure below:
milligram (mg) gram (g) kilogram (kg) ton (t)
Conversion tables:
Big unit to smaller unit Small unit to bigger unit
t to kg × by 1000 mg to g ÷ by 1000
kg to g × by 1000 g to kg ÷ by 1000
g to mg × by 1000 kg to ton ÷ by 1000
The conversion tables shown above will not be given in the exam and therefore must
be memorised.
1 gram (g) = 1 000 milligrams (mg)
1 kilogram (kg) = 1 000 grams (g)
1 ton (t) = 1 000 kilograms (kg)
Conversions for volume:
When we have a big unit that we want to convert into a smaller unit we multiply the big
unit by the conversion unit, see figure below:
kilolitre (kl) litre (l) millilitre (ml)
When we have a small unit that we want to convert into a bigger unit we divide the small unit
by the conversion factor, see figure below:
millilitre (ml) litre (l) kilogram (kg)
Conversion tables:
Big unit to smaller unit Small unit to bigger unit
kl to l × by 1000 ml to l ÷ by 1000
l to ml × by 1000 l to kl ÷ by 1000
The conversion tables shown above will not be given in the exam and therefore must
be memorised.
1 litre (l) = 1 000 millilitres (ml)
1 kilolitre (kl) = 1 000 litres (l)
Baking Conversion table:
1 cup 250ml
1 tablespoon (tbs) 15ml
1 teaspoon (tsp) 5ml
The baking conversion table shown above does not need to be memorised, since these
types of conversions will be given in the exam paper.
The metric system is a decimal based system of measurement and is the international
system of units (SI), this system is used around the world except the ISA, Burma and Liberia.
Examples of the metric system units of measurement are metre, seconds, kilogram, litre,
kilometre.
The imperial system is used predominantly in the USA, examples include feet, inches,
pounds, yards.
Metric to Imperial:
Length and Distance Volume
1 centimetre (cm) = 0,3937 inches (in) 1 litre (l) = 1,7598 UK pint (pt)
1 metre (m) = 1,0936 yards (yd) 1 litre (l) = 0,2199 UK gallons (gal)
1 kilometre (km) = 0,6214 miles (mi) 1 litre (l) = 1,0566 US quarts (qt)
1 metre (m) = 3,2808 feet (ft) 1 millilitre (ml) = 0,0338 US fluid ounces ([Link])
Mass (Weight)
1 gram (g) = 0,0352 ounces (oz)
1 kilogram (kg) = 2,2046 pounds (lb)
Imperial to Metric:
Length and Distance Volume
1 inch (in) = 2,54 centimetres (cm) 1 UK pint (pt) = 0,5682 litre (l)
1 yard (yd) = 0,9144 metres (m) 1 UK gallons (gal) = 4,5461 litre (l)
1 mile (mi) = 1,6093 kilometres (km) 1 US quarts (qt) = 0,9464 litre (l)
1 foot (ft) = 0,3048 metres (m) 1 US fluid ounces ([Link]) = 29,5735 millilitre (ml)
Mass (Weight)
1 ounces (oz) = 28,3495 gram (g)
1 pounds (lb) = 0,4535 kilogram (kg)
The imperial to metric and metric to imperial conversion tables shown above does not
need to be memorised, however you must be able to use them.
Conversions for temperature:
Temperature can be converted from Celsius (℃) to Fahrenheit (℉) using the following
conversion formula:
℃ = (℉ − 𝟑𝟐𝟎 ) ÷ 𝟏, 𝟖
Temperature can also be converted from Fahrenheit (℉) to Celsius (℃) using the following
comversion formula:
℉ = (𝟏, 𝟖 × ℃ ) + 𝟑𝟐𝟎
You need to know how to manipulate the formula to change from ℃ to℉ since both
formulae will not be given.
When doing any and all calculations make sure you are always working in the same units if
the question has km and m make sure you convert to either km or m for all measurements,
the same applies for all conversions including imperial and metric units, ensure that you work
either in imperial or metric depending on the question.
Time
There are basic units of time namely day and year. Other units such as hours (h), minutes
(m) and seconds (s) are fractions of a day and other units such as months, weeks and days
are fractions of a year.
Time can be displayed on a clock or watch; this is known as analogue time.
Digital time is time displayed by numbers only such as 12:00, 13:00, 17:15.
When we have a big unit that we want to convert into a smaller unit we multiply the big
unit by the conversion unit, see figure below:
days hours (h) minutes (min) seconds (s)
When we have a small unit that we want to convert into a bigger unit we divide the small unit
by the conversion factor, see figure below:
seconds (s) minutes (min) hours (h) days
Conversion tables:
Big unit to smaller unit Small unit to bigger unit
days to h × by 24 s to min ÷ by 60
h to min × by 60 min to h ÷ by 60
min to s × by 60 h to days ÷ by 24
1 day = 24 hours (h)
1 hours = 60 minutes (min)
1 minute = 60 seconds (s)
1 year = 365 days
1 month = +- 4 weeks
1 year = +-52 weeks
1 week = 7 days
Speed is the rate at which a person or object covers a distance in a specified period of time.
distance
Average speed = time