Question

L. What does it mean to "convert" from one unit to another? Give an example.

Answer 1

These are four questions and four answers

Question 1. What does it mean to "convert" from one unit to another? Give an example.

Convert from one unit to another is transforming or changing the magnitude to an equivalent measure according to a different pattern of comparison or unit of measure.

For example, converting from meter to centimeters, means to transform the unit of measure (the pattern of comparison) from meter to centimeter.

When your measure is 3 meters, means the length is 3 times the standard pattern named meter.

Therefore, converting it to centimeters means that you want to know how many times is 3 meters relative to the a new pattern named centimeter.

Since, 1 meter equals 100 cm, you build a conversion factor which you can use to make the conversion:

1 m = 100 cm ⇒ 1 = 100 cm / 1 m

∴ 3 m = 3 m × 100 cm / 1 m = 300 cm.

Question 2. What are the general mathematical operations you use when converting from one SI unit to another?

The most common mathematical operations are the basic ones: addition, substraction, multiplication and division.

See one example of each one:

a) Addition:

Transform 20°C to K: 20 + 273.15 K = 293.15 K

b) Subtraction:

Convert 300 K to celsius degrees: 300 - 273.15°C = 26.85°C

c) Multiplication

Convert 1000 Km to meter

1000 Km × 1000 m/Km = 1,000,000 m

d) Division

Convert 1540 mm Hg to atm

1 atm = 760 mmHg ⇒ 1 = 760 mmHg / atm

1540 mmHg / (760 mmHg / atm) = 2.026 atm

Question 3. How many meters do you cover in a 10 km (10-K) race?

This requires to convert 10 km to the equivalent number of meters.

Conversion factor: 1 km = 1000 m ⇒ 1 = 1000 m/Km

∴ 10 Km = 10 Km × 1000 m/km = 10,000 m ← answer.

Quesiton 4. An Olympic swimming pool is 50 meters long. You swim from one end to the other four times.

a. How many meters do you swim?

4 laps × 50 m/lap = 200 m ← answer

b. How many kilometers do you swim?

1 = 1 km / 1000m

200 m = 200 × 1 km / 1000 m = 0.200 km ← answer

c. How many centimeters do you swim?

1 m = 100 cm ⇒ 1 = 100 cm / m

200 m = 200 m × 100 cm/m = 20,000 cm ← answer

Answer 2

L. What does it mean to "convert" from one unit to another? Give an example.
To convert means is to obtain an equivalent value with a specific unit to another unit. An example would be 1 inch is equal to 2.54 cm.

2. What are the general mathematical operations you use when converting from one SI unit to another? 
The mathematical operations used in converting units would be multiplication and division.

3. How many meters do you cover in a 10 km (10-K) race? 

4. An Olympic swimming pool is 50 meters long. You swim from one end to the other four times. 
a. How many meters do you swim? 
50 x 4 = 200 meters
b. How many kilometers do you swim? 
200 meters = 0.20 kilometers
c. How many centimeters do you swim? 
200 meters = 20000 centimeters