Table of Contents

Teaching and Learning The Metric System

Unit 1

- Suggested Teaching Sequence - Objectives - Rules of Notation - Metric Units, Symbols, and Referents - Metric Prefixes - Linear Measurement Activities - Area Measurement Activities - Volume Measurement Activities - Mass (Weight) Measurement Activities - Temperature Measurement Activities

1

1 

1 

1 

2 

2 

3 

5 

7 

9 

11

Unit 2

- Objectives - Suggested Teaching Sequence - Metrics in the Office - Type It Metric Style - Write & Spell It Right - Trying Out Metric Units - Use Those Metric Terms - Writing Metric Terms

12

12

12

12

13

16

17

18

19

Unit 3

- Objective - Suggested Teaching Sequence - Metric-Metric Equivalents - Changing Units at Work

20

20

20

20

22

Unit 4

- Objective - Suggested Teaching Sequence - Working With Metrics - Proofreading Metric Terms - Metric Layouts

23

23

23

23

24

25

Unit 5

- Objective - Suggested Teaching Sequence - Metric-Customary Equivalents - Any Way You Want It

26

26

26

26

27

Testing Metric Abilities 28

Answers to Exercises and Test 29

Tools and Devices List

References

TEACHING AND LEARNING 

THE METRIC SYSTEM 

This metric instructional package was designed to meet job-related 

metric measurement needs of students. To use this package students 

should already know the occupational terminology, measurement 

terms, and tools currently in use. These materials were prepared with 

the help of experienced vocational teachers, reviewed by experts, tested 

in classrooms in different parts of the United States, and revised before 

distribution. 

Each of the five units of instruction contains performance objectives, learning activities, and supporting information in the form of 

text, exercises, and tables. In addition, suggested teaching techniques 

are included. At the back of this package are objective-based evaluation 

items, a page of answers to the exercises and tests, a list of metric 

materials needed for the activities, references, and a list of suppliers. 

Classroom experiences with this instructional package suggest the 

following teaching-learning strategies: 

1. Let the first experiences be informal to make learning the metric 

system fun. 

2. Students learn better when metric units are compared to familiar 

objects. Everyone should learn to "think metric." Comparing 

metric units to customary units can be confusing. 

3. · Students will learn quickly to estimate and measure in metric units 

by ·'doing." 

4. Students should have experience with measuring activities before 

getting too much information. 

5. Move through the units in an order which emphasizes the simplicity of the metric system (e.g., length to area to volume ). 

6. Teach one concept at a time to avoid overwhelming students with 

too much material. 

Unit 1 is a general introduction to the metric system of measurement which provides informal, hands-on experiences for the students. 

This urit enables students to become familiar with the basic metric 

units, their symbols, and measurement instruments; and to develop a 

set of mental references for metric values. The metric system of notation also is explained. 

Unit 2 provides the metric terms which are used in this occupation 

and gives experience with occupational measurement tasks. 

Unit 3 focuses on job-related metric equivalents and their relationships. 

Unit 4 provides experience in recognizing and using metric units, 

terms, and symbols in proofing, typing, and layout tasks. 

Unit 5 is designed to give students practice in converting customary and metric measurements. Students should learn to "think metric" 

and avoid comparing customary and metric units. However, skill with 

conversion tables will be useful during the transition to metric in each 

occupation. 

Using These Instructional Materials 

This package was designed to help students learn a core of knowledge about the metric system which they will use on the job. The 

exercises facilitate experiences with measurement instruments, tools, 

and devices used in this occupation and job-related tasks of estimating 

and measuring. 

This instructional package also was designed to accommodate a 

variety of individual teaching and learning styles. Teachers are encouraged to adapt these materials to their own classes. For example, the 

information sheets may be given to students for self-study. References 

may be used as supplemental resources. Exercises may be used in independent study, small groups, or whole-class activities. All of the 

materials can be expanded by the teacher. 

Gloria S Cooper 

Joel H. :\lagisos 

Editors 

Th1s publication was developed pursuant to contract No . OEC-0-74-9335 w1th the 

Bureau of Occupat iona l and Adu lt Education. U .S. Department of Health. Edu ca· 

t ion and Welfa re. However, the op ini ons expressed herein do not necessarily 

reflect the posit iOn or po licy of the U .S. Office of Education and no official 

endorsement by the U.S Office of Education should be inferred. 
1. 

2. 

3. 

UNIT 1 

SUGGESTED TEACHING SEQUENCE 

These introductory exercises may require 

two or three teaching periods for all five 

areas of measurement. 

Exercises should be followed in the order 

given to best show the relationship 

between length, area, and volume. 

Assemble the metric measuring devices 

(rules, tapes, scales, thermometers, and 

measuring containers) and oqjects to be 

measured.* 

4. Set up the equipment at work stations 

for use by the whole class or as individualized resource activities. 

5. Have the students estimate, measure, and 

record using Exercises 1 through 5. 

6. Present information on notation and 

make Table 1 available. 

7. Follow up with group discussion of 

activities. 

*Other school departments may have devices which 

can be used. Metric suppliers are listed in the reference 

section. 

OBJECTIVES 

The student will demonstrate these skills for the Linear, Area, Volume or Capacity, Mass, and 

Temperature Exercises, using the metric terms and measurement devices listed here. 

SKILLS 

1. Reco gnize and use the 

unit and its symbol for : 

2. Select, use, and read the 

appropriate measuring 

instruments for : 

3. Sta te or show a 

physical reference for: 

4. Estimate within 25% 

of the actual measure 

5. Read correctly 

Linear 

(pp. 3. 4 ) 

millimetre (mm ) 

centimetre (em) 

me tre (m) 

hei gh t. width, o r 

length o f o bjects 

me tre stick, metric 

tape measure, and 

metric rulers 

RULES OF NOTATION 

rue a 

(pp. 5. 6) 

square 

centimetre 

(cm 2 ) 

square 

metre 

(m2 ) 

the area of 

a given surface 

EXERCISES 

Volume or Capacity 

(pp. 7 . 8) 

cubic centimetre (cm 3 ) 

cubic metre 

(m3) 

litre (I ) 

millilitre(ml) 

capacity o f 

containers 

measurements 

on graduated 

volume measur· 

ing devices 

Mass Temperature 

(pp. 9. 10 ) (p. 11) 

gram (g) de gree Celsius 

("c) 

kilogram (kg) 

the mass o f objects the temperature of 

in grams and kilo- the air or a liquid 

grams 

a kilogram scale A Celsius thermometer 

and a gram scale 

1. Symbols are not capitalized unless the unit is a proper name (mm not MM). 

2. Symbols are not followed by periods (m not m.). 

3. Symbols are not followed by an s for plurals (25 g not 25 gs). 

4. A space separates the numerals from the unit symbols ( 4 l not 41 ). 

5. 

6. 

7. 

Spaces, not commas, are used t o separate large numbers into groups of three 

digits ( 45 271 km not 45 ,271 km). 

A zero precedes the decimal point if the number is less than one (0.52 g not .52 g). 

Litre and metre can be spelled either with an -re or -er ending. 

Information Sheet 1 

1 
2 

METRIC UNITS, SYMBOlS, AND REFERENTS METRIC PREFIXES 

Quantity Metric Unit Symbol Useful Referents Multiples and 

Prefixes Symbols Submultiples 

Length millimetre nun Thickness of dime or paper 

clip wire 

1 000 000 = 106 mega (meg' a) M 

centimetre em Width of paper clip 1 000 = 103 kilo (k-ilo) k 

metre m Height of door about 2 m 100 = 102 hecto (hek' to) h 

kilometre k.m 12-minute walking distance 10 = 10 1 deka (dek'a) da 

Area square Area of this space 

D centimetre 2 em 

Base Unit 1 = 10° 

0.1 = 10-l deci ( des'f) d 

0.01 = 10-2 centi (sen' tl) c 

square metre m 2 Area of card table top 0.001 = 10 - 3 milli (mil'[) m 

hectare ha Football field including sidelines 

and end zones 0 .000 001 = 10-6 micro (mi'kro) J1 

Volume and millilitre ml Teaspoon is 5 ml 

Capacity litre I A little more than 1 quart Table 1-b 

cubic 

centimetre em 3 Volume of this container 

CJJ 

cubic metre m 3 A little more than a cubic yard 

Mass milligram mg Apple seed about 10 mg, grain of 

salt, 1 mg 

gram g Nickel about 5 g 

kilogram kg Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 

metric ton 

(1 000 kilol[l'arns) t Volkswagen Beetle 

Table 1-a 
LINEAR MEASUREMENT ACTIVITIES 

Metre, Centimetre, Millimetre 

I. THE METRE (m) 

A. DEVELOP A FEELING FOR THE SIZE OF A METRE 

1. Pick up one of the metre 

sticks and stand it up on the 

floor. Hold it in place with 

one hand. Walk around the 

stick. Now stand next to 

the stick. With your other 

hand, touch yourself where 

the top of the metre stick 

comes on you. 

THAT IS HOW HIGH A tvlETRE IS! 

2. Hold one arm out straight 

at shoulder height. Put 

the metre stick along this 

arm until the end hits the 

end of your fingers. Where 

is the other end of the 

metre stick? Touch yourself at that end. 

THAT IS HOW LONG A l'vlETRE IS! 

~·NTER "'" VOCATIONAL •DUCATOON 

l;~ .. ~,~ 

~ 

3. Choose a partner to stand 

at your side. Move apart 

so that you can put one 

end of a metre stick on 

your partner's shoulder 

and the other end on 

your shoulder. Look at 

the space between you. 

THAT IS THE WIDTH OF A METRE! 

3 

B. DEVELOP YOUR ABILITY TO ESTIMATE IN IvlETRES 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

;). 

6. 

Now you will improve your ability to estimate in metres. 

Remember where the length and height of a metre was on your 

body . 

For each of the following items: 

Estimate the size of the items and write your estimate in the 

ESTIMATE column. Measure the size with your metre stick 

and write the answer in the MEASUREMENT column. 

Decide how dose your estimate was to the actual measure. If 

your estimate was within 25% of the actual measure you are a 

"Metric Marvel." 

Height of door knob 

from floor. 

Height of door. 

Length of table. 

Width of table. 

Length of wall of 

this room. 

Distance from 

you to wall. 

Estimate 

(m) 

:Measurement 

(m) 

How Close 

Were You? 

Exercise 1 

(continued on next page) 
4 

II. THE CENTIMETRE (em) 

There are 100 C'entimetres in onP metre. If then' are 4 metrP,: and 

3 centimetres, you write 403 em [ ( 4 x 100 em) + 3 em = 400 em 

+ 3 em] . 

A. DEVELOP A FEELING FOR THE SIZE OF A CENTil'vlETRE 

B. 

1. Hold the metric ruler against the width of your thumbnail. 

How wide is it? em 

2. Measure your thumb from the first joint to the end . 

em 

3. Use the metric ruler to find the width of your palm. 

em 

4. Measure your index or pointing finger. How long is it? 

em. 

5. Measure your wrist with a tape measure . \Vhat is the distance 

around it? em 

6. Use the tape measure to find your waist size. ____ em 

DEVELOP YOUR ABILITY TO ESTIMATE IN CENTIMETRES 

You are now ready to estimate in centimetres. For each of the 

following items, follow the procedures used for estimating in 

metres. 

1. Length of a paper 

clip. 

2. Diameter (width) 

of a coin. 

3. Width of a 

postage stamp. 

4. Length of a 

pencil. 

5. Width of a sheet 

of paper. 

Estimate 

(em) 

Measurement 

(em) 

How Close 

Were You? 

~A roA VOCAnoNAL EDUCATOON 

III. THE MILLIMETRE (mm) 

There are 10 rnillimetres in one C'PntimPtrP. \Vhen a measurement is 

2 centimetres and 5 millimetres, you write 25 mm [ ( 2 x 10 mm) 

+ 5 mm = 20 mm + 5 mm]. There are 1 000 mm in 1m. 

A. DEVELOP A FEELING FOR THE SIZE OF A !\1ILLIJ\1ETRE 

Using a ruler marked in rnillimetres, measure: 

1. Thickness of a paper clip wire. mm 

2. Thickness of your fingernaiL mm 

3. Width of your fingernail. mm 

4. Diameter (width)of a coin. mm 

5. Diameter (thickness) of your pencil. mm 

6. Width of a postage stamp. mm 

B. DEVELOP YOUR ABILITY TO ESTIMATE IN MILLIMETRES 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

You are now ready to estimate in rnillimetres. For each of the 

following items, follow the procedures used for estimating in 

metres. 

Thickness of a 

nickel. 

Diameter (thickness) 

of a bolt. 

Length of a bolt. 

Width of a sheet 

of paper. 

Thickness of a board 

or desk top. 

Thickness of a 

button. 

Estimate 

(mm) 

How Close 

Measurement Were You? 

(mm) 

Exercise 1 
AREA MEASUREMENT ACTIVITIES 

Square Centim·etre, Square Metre 

WHEN YOU DESCRIBE THE AREA OF SOMETHING, YOU ARE 

SAYING HOW ivl-\.NY SQUARES OF A GIVEN SIZE IT TAKES TO 

COVER THE SURF ACE. 

I. THE SQUARE CENTIMETRE (cm2 ) 

A. DEVELOP A FEELING FOR A SQUARE CENTIMETRE 

1. Take a clear plastic grid, or use the grid on page 6. 

2. Measure the length and width of one of these small 

squares with a centimetre ruler. 

THAT IS ONE SQUARE CENTIMETRE! 

3. Place your fingernail over the grid. About how many 

squares does it take to cover your fingernail? 

---·Cm2 

4. Place a coin over the grid. About how many squares 

does it take to cover the coin? cm2 

5. Place a postage stamp over the grid. About how many 

squares does it take to cover the postage stamp? 

___ ,em2 

6. Place an envelope over the grid. About how many 

squares does it take to cover the envelope? 

___ .em2 

7. :Measure the length and width of the envelope in centimetres. Length em; width em. 

Multiply to find the area in square centimetres. 

em x em = cm2 • How ----

close are the answers you have in 6. and in 7 .? 

5 

B. DEVELOP YOUR ABILITY TO ESTIMATE IN SQUARE 

CENTIMETRES 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

You are now ready to develop your ability to estimate 

in square centimetres. 

Remember the size of a square centimetre. For each of the 

following items, follow the procedures used for estimating in 

metres. 

Index card. 

Book cover. 

Photograph. 

Window pane or 

desk top. 

Estimate 

(cm2 ) 

How Close 

Were You? 

II. THE SQUARE METRE (m2) 

A. DEVELOP A FEELING FOR A SQUARE METRE 

1. Tape four metre sticks together to make a square which 

is one metre long and one metre wide. 

2. Hold the square up with one side on the floor to see how 

big it is. 

3. Place the square on the floor in a comer. Step back and 

look. See how much floor space it covers. 

4. Place the square over a table top or desk to see how 

much space it covers. 

5. Place the square against the bottom of a door. See how 

much of the door it covers. How many squares would it 

take to cover the door? m2 

THIS IS HOW BIG A SQUARE METRE IS! 

Exercise 2 

(continued on next page) 
6 

B. DEVELOP YOUR ABILITY TO ESTIMATE IN SQUARE ·cENTIMETRE GRID 

METRES 

You are now ready to estimate in square metres. Follow the 

procedures used for estimating in metres. 

How Close 

Estimate Measurement Were You? 

(m2) (m2) 

1. Door. 

2. Full sheet of 

newspaper. 

3. Chalkboard or 

bulletin board. 

4. Floor. 

5. Wall. 

6. Wall chart or poster. 

7. Side of file cabinet. 

Exercise 2 
VOLUME MEASUREMENT ACTIVITIES 

Cubic Centimetre, Litre, Millilitre, Cubic Metre 

I. THE CUBIC CENTI.l\1ETRE ( cm3 ) 

A. DEVELOP A FEELING -FOR THE CUBIC CENTIMETRE 

1. Pick up a colored plastic cube. Measure its length, 

height, and width in centimetres. 

THAT IS ONE CUBIC .CENTIMETRE! 

2. Find the volume of a plastic litre box. 

a. Place a ROW of cubes against the bottom of one side 

of the box. How many cubes fit in the row? ___ _ 

b. Place another ROW of cubes against an -adjoining side 

of the box. How many rows fit inside the box 

to make one layer of <:ubes? _____ _ 

How many cubes in each row? ___ _ 

How many cubes in the layer in -the bottom of the 

box? ___ _ . 

c. Stand a ROW of cubes up against the side of the box. 

How many LAYERS would fit in .the box? ----'-~-... 

How many cubes in each layer? ___ _ 

How many cubes fit in the box altogether? ___ _ 

THE VOLUME OF THE BOX IS ___ CUBIC 

CENTIMETRES. 

d . l\1easure the length, width, and height of the box in 

centimetres. Length em; width em; 

height em. Multiply these numbers to find 

the volume in cubic centimetres. 

___ em x em x em == ___ cm3 • 

Are the answers the same in c. and d.? 

~NT·R roR VOCATIONAL W UCATOON 

B. DEVELOP YOUR ABILITY TO ESTIMATE IN CUBIC 

CENTIMETRES 

1. 

You are now ready to develop your ability to estimate 

in cubic centimetres. 

Remember the size of a cubic centimetre. For each of 

the following items, use the procedures for estimating in 

metres. 

Index card file 

box. 

Estimate 

(cm3 ) 

~asurement 

(cm3 ) 

How Close 

Were You? 

2. Freezer container. 

3. Paper clip box. 

4. Box of staples . 

II. THE LITRE (I) 

A. DEVELOP A FEELING FOR A LITRE 

1. Take a one litre beaker and fill it with water. 

7 

2. Pour the water into paper cups, filling each as full as you 

usually do. How many cups do you fill? 

THAT IS HOW MUCH IS IN ONE LITRE! 

3. Fill the litre container with rice . 

THAT IS HOW .MUCH IT TAKES TO FILL A ONE 

LITRE CONTAINER! 

Exercise 3 

(continued on next page) 
8 

B. DEVELOP YOUR ABILITY TO ESTI~1ATE IN LITRES 

You are now ready to develop your ability to estimate in 

litres. To write two and one-half litres, you write 2.5 l, or 

2.5 litres. To write one-half litre, you write 0.5 l, or 0.5 

litre. To write two and three-fourths litres, you write 

2.751, or 2.75 litres. 

For each of the following items, use the procedures for 

estimating in metres. How Close 

Were You? 

1. Medium-size 

freezer container. 

2. Large freezer 

container. 

3. Small freezer 

container. 

4. Bottle or jug. 

Estimate 

{I) 

Measurement 

(l) 

III. THE l\1ILLILITRE (ml) 

There are 1 000 millilitres in one litre. 1 000 ml = 1 litre. Half 

a litre is 500 millilitres, or 0.5 litre = 500 ml. 

A. DEVELOP A FEELING FOR A MILLILITRE 

1. Examine a centimetre cube . Anything which holds 

1 em 3 holds 1 ml. 

2. · Fill a 1 millilitre measuring spoon with rice. Empty the 

spoon into your hand. Carefully pour the rice into a 

small pile on a sheet of paper. 

THAT IS HOW MUCH ONE MILLILITRE IS! 

3. Fill the 5 ml spoon with rice. Pour the rice into another 

pile on the sheet of paper. 

THAT IS 5 MILLILITRES, OR ONE TEASPOON! 

4. Fill the 15 ml spoon with rice. Pour the rice into a third 

pile on the paper. 

THAT IS 15 MILLILITRES, OR ONE TABLESPOON! 

o::::3W<TER •OR VOCATOON= WUCATOON 

B. DEVELOP YOUR ABILITY TO ESTIMATE IN MILLILITRES 

1. 

2. 

3. 

You are now ready to estimate in millilitres. Follow the 

procedures used for estimating metres. 

Small juice can. 

Paper cup or tea 

cup. 

Soft drink can. 

Estimate 

(rnl) 

How Close 

Measurement Were You? 

(ml) 

4. Bottle. 

IV. THE CUBIC METRE (m3 ) 

A. DEVELOP A FEELING FOR A CUBIC METRE 

1. Place a one metre square on the floor next to the wall. 

2. Measure a metre UP the wall. 

3. Picture a box that would fit into that space. 

THAT IS THE VOLUME OF ONE CUBIC METRE! 

B. DEVELOP YOUR ABILITY TO ESTIMATE IN CUBIC !v1ETRES 

For each of the following items, follow the estimating procedures used before . 

1. Office desk. 

2. File cabinet. 

3. Small room. 

Measurement 

(m3) 

How Close 

Were You? 

Exercise 3 
MASS (WEIGHT) MEASUREMENT ACTIVITIES 

Kilogram, Gram 

The mass of an object is a measure of the amount of matter in the 

object. This amount is always the same unless you add or subtract some 

matter from the object. Weight is the term that most people lise when 

they mean mass. The weight of an object is affected by gravity; the 

mass of an object is not. For example, the weight of a person on earth 

might be 120 pounds; that same person's weight on the moon would be 

20 pounds. This difference is because the pull of gravity on the moon 

is less than the pull of gravity on earth. A person's mass on the earth 

and on the moon would be the same. The metric system does not 

measure weight--it measures mass. We will use the term mass here. 

The symbol for gram is g. 

The symbol for kilogram is kg. 

There are 1 000 grams in one kilogram, or 1 000 g = 1 kg. 

Half a kilogram can be written as 500 g,or 0.5 kg. 

A quarter of a kilogram can be written as 250 g,or 0.25 kg. 

Two and three-fourths kilograms is written as 2.75 kg. 

I. THE KILOGRAM {kg) 

DEVELOP A FEELING FOR THE MASS OF A KILOGRAM 

Using a balance or scale, find the mass of the items on the table . 

Before you find the mass, notice how heavy the object "feels" 

and compare it to the reading on the scale or balance. 

a:::3'E,.,..R O'OR VOCATOONAC EDUCAT>O« 

Mass 

(kg) 

1. 1 kilogram box. 

2. Textbook. 

3. Bag of sugar. 

4. Package of paper. 

5. Your own mass. 

B. DEVELOP YOUR ABILITY TO ESTIMATE IN KILOGRAMS 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

For the following items ESTIMATE the mass of the object in 

kilograms, then use the scale or balance to find the exact mass 

of the object. Write the exact mass in the MEASUREMENT 

column . Determine how close your estimate is: 

Bag of rice. 

Bag of nails. 

Large purse or 

briefcase. 

Another person. 

A few books. 

Estimate 

{kg) 

Measurement 

{kg) 

How Close 

Were You? 

Exercise 4 

{continued on next page) 

9 
10 

II. THE GRAM (g) 

A. DEVELOP A FEELING FOR A GRA1v1 

1. Take a colored plastic cube. Hold it in your hand. 

2. 

Shake the cube in your palm as if shaking dice. Feel the 

pressure on your hand when the cube is in motion, then 

when it is not in motion. 

THAT IS HOW HEAVY A GRAM IS! 

Take a second cube artd attach it to the first. Shake the 

cubes in first one hand and then the other hand; rest 

the cubes near the tips of your fingers, moving your 

hand up and down. 

THAT IS THE MASS OF TWO GRAMS! 

3. Take five cubes in one hand and shake them around. 

THAT IS THE MASS OF FIVE GRAMS! 

~·<TOR H>O VOCAnONAC WUCMOON 

B. DEVELOP YOUR ABILITY TO ESTIMATE IN GRAMS 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

You are now ready to improve your ability to estimate in 

grams. Remember how heavy the 1 gram cube is, how heavy 

the two gram cubes are, and how heavy the five gram cubes 

are. For each of the following items, follow the procedures 

used for estimating in kilograms. 

Two thumbtacks. 

Pencil. 

Two-page letter 

and envelope. 

Nickel. 

Apple. 

Package of 

marga:dne. 

Estimate 

(g) 

How Close 

Measurement Were You? 

(g) 

Exercise 4 
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT ACTIVITIES 

Degree Celsius 

I. DEGREE CELSIUS (° C) 

Degree Celsius (°C) is the metric measure for temperature. 

A. DEVELOP A FEELING FOR DEGREE CELSIUS 

Take a Celsius thermometer. Look at the marks on it. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

Find 0 degrees. 

WATER FREEZES AT ZERO DEGREES CELSIUS (0°C) 

WATER BOILS AT 100 DEGREES CELSIUS (100°C) 

Find the temperature of the room. ___ °C. Is the 

room cool, warm, or about right? 

Put some hot water from the faucet into a container. 

Find the temperature. ° C. Dip your finger 

quickly in and out of the water. Is the water very hot, 

hot, or just warm? 

Put some cold water in a container with a thermometer. 

Find the temperature. °C. Dip your finger into 

the water. Is it cool, cold, or very cold? 

Bend your arm with the inside of your elbow around the 

bottom of the thermometer. After about three minutes 

find the temperature. °C. Your skin temperature is not as high as your body temperature. 

NORMAL BODY TEMPERATURE IS 37 DEGREES 

CELSIUS (37°C). 

A FEVER IS 39°C. 

A VERY HIGH FEVER IS 40°C. 

G:3CENnR..,. VOCATK>NAL EDUCATOON 

B. DEVELOP YOUR ABILITY TO ESTII\LI\TE IN DEGREES 

CELSIUS 

11 

For each item, ESTIMATE and write down how many degrees 

Celsius you think it is. Then measure and write the l\1EASUREl\1ENT. See how close your estimates and actual measurements are. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

l'vlix some hot and 

cold water in a 

container. Dip your 

finger into the 

water. 

Pour out some of 

the water. Add some 

hot water. Dip your 

finger quickly into 

the water. 

Outdoor temperature. 

Sunny window sill. 

J\ilix of ice and water. 

6. Temperature at 

floor. 

7. Temperature at 

ceiling. 

How Close 

Measurement Were You? 

(OC) 

Exercise 5 
12 

UNIT 2 

OBJECTIVES 

The student will recognize, select, and 

write correctly metric quantities used in job 

related tasks. 

• Given a metric measurement task, select 

the appropriate metric unit. 

• Given a metric measurement t ask in this 

occupation, estimate then measure the 

metric quantity . 

• Given a metric quantity, write the 

measurement correctly using either the 

symbols or the name of the unit. 

SUGGESTED TEACHING SEQUENCE 

1. Present or make available Information 

Sheet 2. 

2. Present or make available the information in Tables lb, 2, and 3. Discuss how 

to use these tables as reference aides. 

(Metric prefixes are located in Table lb. 

Table 2 is a style reference containing 

rules for capitalization, punctuation, 

spacing, spelling, fractions and mathematical operations. It also contains 

suggestions for writing and typing metric 

units, terms, and symbols. Table 3 gives 

the correct spelling of metric units and 

symbols.) 

3. Give the students practice in measuring, 

selecting, and correctly writing metric 

units by completing Exercises 6, 7, and 8. 

4. Test performance by using Section A of 

"Testing Metric Abilities." 

~·NT>R '0R VOCA,~AC <OUCATOON 

METRICS IN THE OFFICE 

Changeover to the metric system is underway. Large corporations in such areas as transportation, chemicals, information systems, electronics, health equipment and supplies are 

already using the metric measurements to compete on the world market. The metric system 

has been used in various parts of the industrial and scientific communities for years. Legislation passed in 1975 authorizes an orderly transition to metric. As business and industry make 

this changeover, employees will need competency in using metric measurement in job-related 

tasks. 

Business and office workers are more concerned with the correct usage of metric terms and 

symbols than with actual measurement tasks. They use metric terms to place orders, bill 

customers, type and proof correspondence. 

Paper sizes and weights are changing. Margins are changing to centimetres and rnillimetres. 

Postal rate calculations will be based on grams. Business and office students need to learn to 

pronounce and spell the names of metric units, write the symbols, and use proper metric notation . In addition, they need to be able to recognize the incorrect use of terms; for example, if 

kilograms of chocolate (half a metric ton) is ordered, instead of 500 grams (about a pound). 

Information Sheet 2 
TYPE IT METRIC STYLE 

I. C'APITALJZATION 

1 1 Units 

Unit names ar~ typed in lower case except for the unit Celsius. 

The modifier "degree" in "degree Celsius" is lower case. 

orn~c t: 

Symbols 

metre 

litre 

W<ltt 

degree Celsius 

Incorrect : 

~IETRE 

LitrP 

Watt 

degree celsius 

A.!! symbols 3rt.' typed in lower case except for those unit:s namt•d 

after peupie. and for the prefixes mega- . gij!a· . and teraCorrect: 

k~ 

m 

W (James Watt) 

Incorrect : 

Kg 

M 

° C {Anders Celsius) 

M(mega · ) 

T (tera ·) 

G (giga · ) 

1.3 Table Headings 

Units of measure in a tab.\e heading can be typed in either all 

capi{a\s or all ~ower case. Do not mix capital and lower case 

letters in an individual unit of measure. 

Correct : 

GRAMS 

Tit res 

Incorrect: 

Grams 

Lit res 

2. PUNCTUATlON 

2.1 Period 

Do not use a period after a metric ~ymbol unless the symbol l~nds 

a sentence. 

Correct: Incorrect: 

2.2 Semicolon 

12 em 

350 g 

90 km/ h 

50 ml 

12 em. 

:l50 g. 

90 km .lh . 

SO m.l. 

A semicolon separates numbers in a sequence. 

Correct: 

61 2111;9.2;0AS 

Incorrect: 

61 211 1, 9.2, 0.45 

3. 

2.3 Hyphen 

2.3.1 

~- L2 

SPAClNG 

Compound units 

Use a hyphen or space to type compound unit names in 

full. 

Correct: 

Prefixes 

newton-metre 

newton metre 

Incorrect: 

newton·metre 

newtonmetre 

ThE"re is no hyphE'n or space between a prefix and a unit 

of measure. 

Correct : 

millimetrE' 

kilogram 

megahertz 

Incorrect: 

milli-metre 

kilo-gram 

mega hertz 

:~.1 Prefix and Unit Symbols 

Do not leave a space between a symbol or name having a prefix. 

Correct: 

mm 

millimetre 

kg 

kilogram 

3.2 Numbers and Symbols 

Incorr~t: 

mm 

milli metre 

kg 

kilo gram 

A space is left between a number and a symboL The symbol for 

"deg:ret• Celsius·· can be written with or without a space. 

Correct: 

10 ml 

~m 

21 ° C or 21 °C 

~.a Grouping Numbers 

Incorrect: 

!Om! 

Hm 

21 ° c 

Numbers that are 1 000 and larger use a space instead of a comma 

to separate groups of three digits. A space is left after each group 

of three numbers both to the left and to the right of the decimal 

point. In a four digit number the space does not have to be used 

except to align with tabulation. 

Correct : Incorrect: 

12 486 g 

1.035 26 m 

\025 em or\ 025 em 

25 987 m 

6 025 m 

10 340m 

4 2 352m 

12,486 g 

1.03526 m 

25 987 m 

6025 m 

10 340 m 

42 352 m 

13 

Table 2 
14 TYPE IT METRIC STYLE 

;)..t Decimals 

No spact> is used bt•fore or <!fter tht-> dt.•cim<-~1 point. 

Corrt>ct : 

Stl.Li m 

1 9(1-1.36 kg 

ln corrN·t: 

:i(l. t:im 

1 9(;.1 .:!G k~ 

3. :1 l\'lathematical Signs 

Lt>aV{' a spact> on e;~c h sidt> of mathematical opt.•ration signs 

(multiplication. division, Pte.) except within a compound sy mbol. 

Corn!Ct : 

1. SPELLING 

:2 em :x I ern 

~l{+{l!-! 

k~ · 

N·m 

Incorrect : 

:!cmx I em 

t) g+;) I:! 

kg / m·' 

N·m 

·L 1 "re .. or " er" 

Both ''re'' and "er" arP corrpct for thf' mt~tric terms metrP /mett>r 

and litre!litPr. \\~1ichever spt>lling you use. ust' that spt>lling 

consistently . 

-1.:2 Plurals 

L:2.1 Unit symbols 

Do not add an "s" to a symbol to sho\V a p\ur<ll. 

Corrt>CI : 

Kern 

Ill g 

:! mJ 

Incorrect : 

~ems 

-l() gs 

3 mls 

L2.2 Unit names 

~.2.3 

Unit names are made plural when required. 

Correct : 

75 metres 

2. 2 kilograms 

3 litres 

Incorrect: 

7fl metre 

2.2 kiloj:!ram 

3 litre 

Decimal fractions 

Decimal fractions which are one or less are si n~ul ar. 

Decimal fractions more _tha n one are always plural. 

Correct: Incorrect: 

O.f> gram 

(five tenths of a 

gram) 

0.8 metre 

(eight tenths of a 

metre) 

2. 2 kilograms 

(two and two tenths 

k ilograms) 

25.1 millilitres 

( 25 and one tenth 

millilitre) 

O.H metres 

2.2 ki logram 

25.1 millilitre 

t.:~ Double Vowels 

The final vowel in a prefix is omitted in megnhm. kilohm., llnd 

hectare. For a ll other cases both vowels are retained and 

pronounced. Do not use a space or hyphen to separate the 

double vowels. 

Co rrect : 

\we tare 

milliampert> 

Incorrect: 

hectoare 

m ill ampere 

milli-ampere 

milli ampere 

FRACTIONS AN U ~IATHEMATICAL OPERATIONS 

;),I Fractions 

De-cimal notation is p re ferred for all fractions. However, 

common fractions with a denominator of 2, 3 . .1. or fl 

a re acceptable . 

Correct : 

1.~3 km 

0.375 m 

0.75 ~or 3 /4 g 

1.2 m or 1 1/;) m 

Incorrect : 

I ~3!100 km 3/K m 

:1.\ ~ QuantitiPs lt>ss than one 

In numbers less than one. a "0'' precPdes the decimal point. 

Corn"ct : 

0 . .16 em 

O.H71 g 

0. 15 ml 

IncOrrect : 

.~6 em 

.H71 g 

.75 ml 

S.~ Multipli<.'ation 

!1.~.1 Unit symbols 

5.2.~ 

Us£> a raised dot to indicate symbols for units d erived as a 

product. 

Corn~ct: 

N·m (newton-metre) 

Pa ·s (pascal second) 

Metric number calculations 

Incorrect: 

N-m 

Pas 

Use " x" as a multiplier symbol for calcul ations. Do not 

use the " product dot." 

Correct: 

6.2mmx5 

120 em x 10 

72mmx.Ol 

Incorrect: 

6.2mm-5 

120 cm·10 

72 m ·O J 

Table 2 

(continued) 
TYPE IT METRIC STYLE 

6. 

5.3 Division 

Division -is indicated by the diagonal (oblique stroke or solidus). 

Gnl~· one diagonal shoutd be used in a compound unit of mE-asure. 

5A Powers 

5.4.2 

Correct: Incorrect: 

cm/s ....£!!!... s 

km/h km1> 

Squares and cubes 

Use metric symbols with a superscript to indicate area and 

volume. 

Correct: 

~?5 mm:! 

lOcm·' 

3.4 m 2 

Scientific notation 

Incorrect: 

55 sq. mm 

10 cu. em 

3.4 sq. m 

Division can also be sho-wn by using a negativ.e exponent. 

Example: m·s .-t 

km·h -I _, m·s 

m/s 

kmfh 

m/s2 

OTHER SUGGESTIONS 

6 . 1 Combining Metric Units 

Do not combine metric units -in one expression. 

Correct: 

10.21 m 

-100 em by 750 em 

6.2 t:ombining Words and Symbols 

Incor.rt"Ct: 

10m 20 em I mm 

400 em by 7.5 m 

Do not combine metric words and symbol!: in one expression.. 

Correct: 

6 .3 Prefixes 

kilowatts per hour 

kW/h 

Use one prefix with a unit of measure. 

Correct: 

Mg (megagram) 

mm (millimetre) 

Incorrect: 

kilowatts/h 

kW/hour 

Incorrect : 

kkg (kilokilogram) 

dcm ( decicentimetre) 

6A Customary and Metric Symbols 

Do not combine Customary and metric symbols in the same 

expression. 

Correct: Incorrect : 

kg/ft. 

oz. /m 2 

6.o Tlie US.. -of "Per" 

Use the word "'.per" when writing out a metr.ic expression. Substitute a diag.onal (oblique stroke or solidus) to indicate tbe word 

per when writing metric symbols. 

Correct: 

·kilometres per hour 

km}h 

joule per -kilogram 

J/.kg 

Incorrect: 

kilometres/hour 

kph 

joule /kilogram 

J per kg 

6.6 Typing-suggestions 

6.6 .1 

6.6.2 

6.6.3 

6 .6.4 

Typeface 

Type metric symbols in upright (roman) type. Use of 

italic (script) 1l1tters sltould be avoided. 

Correct: 

m 

micro- J1 

Incorrect: 

m 

If the symbol !l(mu) is not available, spell out the unit 

name. If necessary, the symbol can be made by striking 

the lowercase "U '' .and adding a tail to the lower left s1de. 

Correct: micrometre 

ohm-n 

If the symbol Q(Omega) is not available. spell out the 

unit name_ 

Correct: ohmn 

litre- I 

The symbol for litre is the lowercase "eL" This is often 

confused with the numeral "1" (one). In cases where 

confusion might exist. spell out the unit name in full. 

Correct: 0.5 litre 

70 I 

Table 2 

(continued) 

lS 
16 

WRITE & SPELL IT RIGHT 

Quantity Unit Plural Symbol Quantity Unit Plural Symbol 

length metre metres m force newton newtons N 

centimetre centimetres em conductance siemens siemens s 

millimetre millimetres mm electric current ampere amperes A 

kilometre kilometres km electric change coulomb coulombs c area square metre square metres ml electric volt volts v 

square centimetre square centimetres 2 potential em 

mm2 electric farad farads F 

square millimetre square millimetres capacitance 

volume / cubic metre cubic metres m3 electrical ohm ohms n 

capacity cubic centimetre cubic centimetres cm3 resistance 

litre litres I power watt watts w 

millilitre millilitres ml kilowatt kilowatts kW 

energy joule joules J mass gram grams g kilojoule kilojoules kJ kilogram kilograms kg 

metric ton metric tons t illuminance lux lux lx 

degree Celsius degrees Celsius oc luminous candela candelas cd temperature intensity kelvin kelvins K 

kg /m 3 density kilogram per kilograms per 

time day days d cubic metre cubic metre 

hour hours h pressure /stress pascal pascals Pa 

minute minutes min kilopascal kilopascals kPa second seconds · s amount of mole moles mol 

velocity metre per second metres per second m/s substance 

frequency hertz hertz Hz luminous flux lumen lumens lm 

megahertz megahertz MHz magnetic flux weber webers Wb 

magnetic tesla teslas T 

inductance 

inductance henry henries H 

Table 3 

o::3'·~· "'" VOCATOON~ ·~CATOON 
17 

TRYING OUT METRIC UNITS 

To give you practice with metric units. first estimate the measure- ! r:~ ti matt • l ,\,·t u ;t! 

ments of the items below. Write down your best guess next to the item. I Then actually measure the item and write down your answers using the Hi. i\1iddle desk drawer 

correct metric symbols. The more you practice, the easier it will be. 

17. File cabinet drawer 

Estimate Actual I 18. Box of rubber bands 

Length 19. Wastebasket 1. Width of file drawer 

2. File folder width I 20. Bottle of typewriter cleaner 

3. Length of standard paper clip 21. Letter size file drawer 

4. Width of desk top 22 . Coffee cup 

5. Lerigth of table 

Mass 

6. Length of typing book 23. Ream of paper 

I. Height of the typewriter desk 24. Typing eraser 

8. Width of "a" key on a 25 . Paper clip typewriter 

9. Height of a four-drawer 26. Dictionary 

letter file cabinet 

Area 27 . Business letter in an envelope 

10. Desk top 28. Stapler 

11. Small business card i 

12. Sheet of typing paper Temperature 

29. Room temperature 

13. Typing book cover 

30. Outside temperature 

14. Envelope 31. Hot tap water 

Volume/Capacity 32. Cold tap water 15. Small file box 

~~·· roR VOCAT>ONAC •o~A,ON Exercise 6 
18 

USE THOSE METRIC TERMS 

It is important to know what metric measurement to use. Show 13. Determining th e height what measurement to use in the following situations. of file cabinet 

1. Determining the area of 14. Finding the depth of 

desk top fill' cabinet 

2. Measuring the length of 15. Determining the capacity desk calendar of fil e drawer 

3. Measuring the width of 16. Ordering a bottle of 

desk calendar liquid correction fluid 

4 . Determining the area of 17 . Determining how much 

in-out basket water to put in a coffee pot 

5. Measuring the length of 18. Buying rubber cement 

desk pad 

19. Finding the mass of a 

6. Measuring the width of business letter 

desk pad 

20. Finding the mass of a 

7. Determining the top package of 5 typing books 

margin of a letter 

21. Buying duplicator fluid 

8. Setting the side margin 

of a letter 22. Determining temperature 

9. Determining the amount 

of the office 

of typewriter cleaner 23. Adjusting chair to 

fluid in a bottle comfortable height 

10. Determining the correct 24 . Finding distances for a 

dimensions of a piece of mileage report 

paper 

25 . Ordering typing paper 11. Ordering a box of carbon 

paper 

12. Determining the width of 

file folder 

o::3'"'"'" >OR VOCATOONAC <DUCATOON Exercise 7 
WRITING METRIC TERMS 

1. Using the reference materials, write metric 

symbols for the following: 

a ) 900 farads 

b ) 46 teslas 

c ) 9 webers 

d ) 465 metres 

e ) 900 kilolitres 

f ) 649 micrograms 

g ) 41 megavolts 

h) 28 centimetres 

) 981lumens 

j 968 cubic millimetres 

k ) 1 square metre 

l ) 465 metric tons 

m) 90 kilometres per hour 

n) 14 hours 

0 ) 76 degrees Celsius 

o::3'ENTER '0R VOCATION~ <OUCATOON 

2 . Using the reference materials, write the 

numeral and write out the metric term for 

each of the following: 

a ) 975 cm 3 

b ) 8411 

c ) 91 mm 

d ) 47 /lg 

e ) 418 T 

f ) 46 N·m 

g ) 78 Wb/m2 

h ) 14m3 

) 871 ml 

94 g 

k ) 853 kPa 

l ) 95°C 

m ) 461 v 

n ) 978 Tm 

0 ) 81 kl 

3. Write the metric symbol for the metric 

words that are written out, and write 

the metric words in full for the metric 

symbols that are given. Use Tables lb, 

2, and 3 as a guide, if necessary. 

a ) Paper width, 

210 millimetres 

b ) Stapler mass, 

400 grams 

c ) Bookshelf width, 

97 centimetres 

d ) File cabinet height, 

1.5 metres 

e ) Cooler of water, 

5 litres 

f ) Dictionary cover 

area, 450 square 

centimetres 

g ) Volume of 1 cup of 

coffee, 215 

millilitres 

h ) Typing book mass, 

1 kilogram 

Eraser, 50 mm 

Desk drawer area, 

10 880 cm3 

k ) 500 ml of coffee 

l ) Room temperature, 

22°C 

m ) Mass of a paper 

clip, 0 .5 g 

n ) Height of one bookshelf, 30 em 

19 

o) Room length, 10 m _ ____ _ 

p ) Duplicator fluid, 4 l ____ _ _ 

Exercise 8 
20 

UNIT3 

OBJECTIVE 

The student will recognize and use metric equivalents. 

• Given a metric unit, state an equivalent 

in a larger or smaller metric unit. 

SUGGESTED TEACHING SEQUENCE 

1. :Make available the Information Sheets 

( 3 - 8) and the associated Exercises 

(9 - 15), one at a time . 

2. As soon as you have presented the 

Information, have the students complete 

each Exercise. 

3. Check their answers on the page titled 

ANSWERS TO EXERCISES AND 

TEST. 

4. Test performance by using Section B of 

"Testing Metric Abilities." 

~""R O'OR VOCATOONAC WUCATOON 

METRIC-METRIC EQUIVALENTS 

Centimetres and Millimetres 

( rm1

m,1'll'l''''l''''l''"l''''l''lll''''l'" il'''''''''l''''' 

1 2 3 4 5 6 l

l''''l''''j'llljlllljlllljlllljlllljlllljlllljlllljlllljlllljlllljlll 

1 2 3 4 5 6 

Look at the picture of the nail next to the ruler. The nail is 57 mm long. This is 5 em+ 7 mm. 

There are 10 mm in each em, so 1 mm = 0.1 em (one-tenth of a centimetre). This means that 

7 mm = 0.7 em, so 57 mm 5 em+ 7 mm 

5 em+ 0.7 em 

= 5.7 em. Therefore 57 mm is the same as 5.7 em. 

Now measure the paper clip. It is 34 mm. This is the same as 3 em + mm. Since each 

millimetre is 0.1 em (one-tenth of a centimetre), 4 mm = em. So, the paper clip is 

34 mrn = 3 em + 4 mm 

3 em+ 0.4 em 

3.4 em. This means that 34 mm is the same as 3.4 em. 

Information Sheet 3 

Now you try some. 

a ) 26mm = em e ) 132 mm = em 

b) 583 mm "" em f ) 802 mrn = em 

c ) 94 mm = em g ) 1400 mm em 

d ) 680 mm = em h ) 2 307 mm em 

Exercise 9 
Metres, Centimetres, and Millimetres 

There are 100 centimetres in one metre. Thus, 

2m= 2 x 100 em = 200 em, 

3m = 3 x 100 em = 300 em, 

8 m = 8 x 1 00 em = 800 em, 

36m = 36 x 100 em = 3 600 em. 

There are 1 000 millimetres in one metre, so 

?. m = 2 x 1 000 rrun = 2 000 mm, 

3 m = 3 x 1 000 mm = 3 000 mm, 

6 m = 6 x 1 000 rrun = 6 000 mm, 

24 m = 24 x 1 000 mm = 24 000 rrun. 

From your work with decimals you should know that 

one-half of a metre can be written 0.5 m (five-tenths of a metre), 

one-fourth of a centimetre can be written 0.25 em 

(twenty-five hundredths of a centimetre ). 

This means that if you want to change three-fourths of a metre to 

millimetres, you would multiply by 1 000. So 

0.75 m = 0.75 x 1 000 mm 

75 

100 x 1 000 mm 

1 000 

75 x 100 mm 

75 x 10 mm 

750 mm. This means that 0.7 5 m = 750 mm. 

Information Sheet 4 

Fill in the following chart. 

metre centimetre millimetre 

m em mm 

1 100 1 000 

2 200 

3 

9 

5 000 

74 

0.8 80 

0.6 600 

2.5 _., ?-

1-!8 

639 

Exercise 10 

Millilitres to Litres 

There are 1 000 millilitres in one litre. This means that 

2 000 millilitres is the same as 2 Jitres, 

3 000 mi is the same as 3 litres, 

-! 000 ml is the same as -! litres, 

12 000 ml is the same as 12 litres. 

21

Since there are 1 000 millilitres in each litre, one way to change milli· 

litres to litres is to divide by 1 000. For example, 

1 000 

Or 

1 000 ml = 1 000 litre = 1 litre. 

2 000 

2 000 ml = 1 OOO litres = 2 litres. 

And, as a final example, 

28 000 

28 000 m! = 1 OOO litres = 28 litres. 

What if something holds 500 ml? How many litres is this? This is 

worked the same way. 

500 ml = 1 ~~~litre = 0.5 litre (five-tenths of a litre ). So 500 ml 

is the same as one-half (0.5 ) of a litre. 

Change 57 millilitres to litres. 

57 ml = 1 ~~ litre = 0.057 litre (fifty-seven thousandths of a 

litre). 

Information Sheet 5 

Now you try some. Complete the foilowing chart. 

millilitres lit res 

(ml) (I) 

3 000 3 

6 000 

8 

1-1 000 

23 

300 0.3 

700 

0.9 

250 

0.-!i 

275 

Exercise 11 
22 

Li tres to M illili tres 

\:Vhat do you do if you need to change litres to millilitres? Remember, 

there are 1 000 millilitres in one litre, or 1 litre = 1 000 mi. 

So, 

2 litres = 2 x 1 000 ml = 2 000 ml, 

7 litres = 7 x 1 000 ml = 7 000 mi. 

13 litres =13 x 1 000 ml =13 000 ml, 

0.65 litre = 0.65 x 1 000 ml = 650 ml. 

Information Sheet 6 

Now you try some. Complete the following chart. 

litres millilitres 

I ml 

8 8 000 

5 

46 

32 000 

0.4 

0.53 

480 Exercise 12 

Grams to Kilograms 

There are 1 000 grams in one kilogram. This means that 

2 000 grams is the same as 2 kilograms, 

5 000 g is the same as 5 kg, 

700 g is the same as 0.7 kg, and so on. 

To change from grams to kilograms, you use the same procedure for 

changing from millilitres to litres. 

Information Sheet 7 

Try the following ones. 

grams kilograms 

g kg 

4 000 1_ 

9 000 

23 000 

8 

300 

275 Exercise 13 

Kilograms to Grams 

To change kilograms to grams, you multiply by 1 000. 

-1 kg = -1 X 1 000 g = -1 000 g, 

23 kg = 23 X 1 000 g = 23 000 g, 

0.75 kg = 0.75 X 1 000 g = 750 g. 

Information Sheet 8 

Complete the following chart. 

kilograms grams 

kg g 

7 7 000 

11 

25 000 

0.4 

0.63 

175 Exercise 14 

Changing Units at Work 

Some of the things you use in this occupation may be measured in 

different metric units. Practice changing each of the following to 

metric equivalents by completing these statements. 

a ) 500 em of tape is-------------

b ) 250 ml of solution is 

m 

l 

c ) 2 em stamp is mm 

d ) 500 g of mimeograph ink is-------- kg 

e ) 0.05 litre of fluid is. ____________ ml 

f ) 1.5 m file cabinet is ------------ mm 

g ) 2 500 g package is kg 

h ) 24 em side margin is ____________ mm 

i ) 500 ml of fluid is------------ 1 

j ) 0.5 t of paper is kg 

k) 10m of twine is em 

1 ) 3.5 em paper clip is ------- - - --- mm 

m) 20 kg typewriter is g 

n ) 25 em wide envelope is. ___________ mm 

o ) 2 400 mm room divider length is ------- em 

Exercise 15 
UNIT 4 

OBJECTIVES 

The student will correctly proof, type, 

and layout pages, using metric units, terms, nd 

symbols. 

• Given a proofing exercise with metric 

terms, identify the incorrect usage of 

terms and symbols, and correctly type 

the exercise using proper rules of notation. 

• Given layout information and metric 

dimensions, prepare an attractive typing 

layout for a page. 

SUGGESTED TEACHING SEQUENCE 

1. Present or make available Information 

Sheet 9 and Tables 1b, 2, and 3. Review 

the reference format and ways of using 

the reference material. 

2. Using the references, have students complete the proofing and typing exercises in 

Exercise 16. 

3. Assemble equipment (paper, rulers, 

scissors, etc.) and have students complete 

the layouts in Exercise 17. 

G::3C...,-ER •co VOCAT>ONAL EOUCAT<ON 

WORKING WITH METRICS 

TYPING 

The American Metric Council recommends when the following metric symbols are 

used frequently that they be included on typewriters: 

1. superscripts 2 and 3 for squares and cubes 

2. sign · for a product dot 

3. symbol 0 for degree 

4. symbol n for ohm 

5. symbol J.l for micro 

A special type element is available for some typewriters which contains these and many 

other characters used in technical reports. Other typewriters can use replaceable character 

keys. 

If neither of these options is available the following procedures can be used on regular 

keyboards. Superscripts, product dots, and degree symbols can be produced by rolling the 

platen half a space before typing the figure. Numerals are typed as superscripts, the period is 

substituted for the product dot and a lower case "o" is typed for the degree symbol. "Ohm" 

(D) should be spelled out whenever possible. Micro (J.l) can be produced by striking a lower 

case "u" and adding a tail to the lower left side. 

LAYOUT AND MARGINS 

Layout designs and margins will be given in millimetres and centimetres. 2.5 em will be 

used instead of 1 inch margins, 3.75 em for 11/2 inches, 5 em for 2 inches, etc.* 

*Information adapted from Service Project Report by Beta Mu Chapter of Delta Pi Epsilon, Central 

Connecticut State College, New Britain, Connecticut, November 1976. 

Information Sheet 9 

23 
24 

PROOFREADING METRIC TERMS 

Part 1. Type the following memo. Be sure to proof it before you begin 

typing. (There are spelling, symbol, and notation errors.) Prepare a 

final mailable copy. 

To: All Staff Date : December 14, 19--

From: Paul Jones, President Subject: Adoption of Metric System 

Due to the recent ad option of the metric system by the United States 

Government, we find some need to expand this company's background 

knowledge of the system. We will be required to order more of our 

equipment and supplies utilizing the metric unit of measure. Also, our 

customers will gradually begin to order in metric quantities. Therefore, 

we must prepare t o meet this challenge. Please review the following 

information and keep it available for easy reference. 

1. 

2. 

Linear measures will be: millimetres (mM ) and centimeters 

(em.) instead of inches; metres (M ) will replace feet and 

yards; kilometres will t ake the place of miles. Travel reports 

\\ill reflect Km rather than miles. Speed will be recorded in 

km per hour rather than mph. 

Area is measured by cm2 replacing square inches: square 

feet and square yards will be replaced by m 2 . The unit of 

land measure which replaces the acre will be the hectare. 

3. Liquid supplies will be measured in millimetres (ml) and 

litres (L) (replacing the cup, pint, quart, gallon); and very 

large quantities will be measured in killolitres (kls). 

4. Weights will be determined in grammes, kilograms, and tonnes. 

5. A comfort able room temperature will be 20 degrees Celisus 

(20° C) instead of 68° F. Also, scientific use of temperature 

will be shown in Kelvins. 

6. Th.e following electrical terms will not change: voltes (v.), 

henries (H ), webres (wb ), farades (F), and Wats (Ws), etc. 

Training programs will be scheduled for all employees in the very near 

future. Let's go metric! 

o:3 C£NUR 'OR VOCATOONAL <DUCATO"" 

Part 2. 

Proof the following advertisement. There are spelling, symbol, 

notation, and substitution errors. Type a final printable copy. 

FOR SALE 

Lovely old colonial home located on wooded ten-Hectare lot in 

Worthmoore school district, just 10 Km from the nearest shaping 

centre. The house has 225 sq. m. of floor space; a large 400 ems x 

730cm livingroom; formal 335 Cm x 430 centilitre dining room; three 

bedrooms; two full baths; finished basement; and seperate two-car 

garage. It has a 250 liter water heater, 400 Litre fuel oil tank, and 15 

ems of insulation in the attic. 

Special features: two wood burning fireplaces with 4 ms 3 of 

cut wood; wine cellar kept at consfant 12° C; 4-stall stable with 500 

Kg of feed; 25 M2 of formal garden; 4 kiloliter of riding trails; 2 

hectare of woods; 1 1 /2 hA fenced pasture; .75 km driveway bordered 

by a stone fense 1 3/8 m high. 

For information call Metric Realty at 466-487 4, Ext. 2. 

Exercise 16 
METRIC LAYOUTS 

You have been given information for two layouts for 

typing. Your task is to prepare correct sizes of the items and 

plan an attractive layout for each page. (The figures shown 

for both layouts are the actual measurements you are to use; 

however, the drawings are scaled down from the actual size.) 

LAYOUT 1. 

Letterhead 

216mm 

90mm 

56mm 

Article 1 

126mm 

60mm 

70mm 

30mm 

61mm 

Picture 

Article 1 

50mm 

CENTER O'OR VOCATION~ WUCATOON 

102mm 

Table 

102mm 

75mm 

Article 2 

116mm 

LAYOUT 2. 

88 mm 

83 mm 

65 mm 

Table for 

Article 2 

80 mm 

Article 3 

60mm 

Picture to Ar ticle 1 

25 

Logo !3mm I 190 mm 

190mm 

Letterhead 

105 mm 

38 mm Article 2 

43 mm 

70mm 

88 mm 

50mm 

35 mm 

I 60 mm I 10 mm Caption for Picture 1 

125 mm 

Article 1 

95mm 

Exercise 17 
26 UNIT 5 

OBJECTIVE 

The student will recognize and use metric 

and Customary units interchangeably in ordering, selling, and using products and supplies in 

this occupation. 

• Given a Customary (or metric) measurement, find the metric (or Customary) 

equivalent on a conversion table . 

• Given a Customary unit, state the replacement unit. 

SUGGESTED TEACHING SEQUENCE 

1. Assemble packages and containers of 

materials. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

Present or make available Information 

Sheet 10. 

Have students find approximate metricCustomary equivalents by using 

Exercise 18. 

Test performance by using Section D of 

"Testing Metric Abilities." 

o::30'NHR '00 VOCATOONAC <DUCATOON 

METRIC-CUSTOMARY EQUIVALENTS 

During the transition period there will be a need for finding equivalents between systems. 

Conversion tables list calculated equivalents between the two systems. When a close equivalent 

is needed, a conversion table can be used to find it. Follow these steps: 

1 . Determine which conversion table is needed. 

2. Look up the known number in the appropriate column; if not listed, find numbers you 

can add together to make the total of the known number. 

3. Read the equivalent(s) from the next column. 

Below is a table of metric-Customary equivalents which tells you what the metric replacement for Customary units are.* This table can be used with Exercise 18, Part 1. The symbol ~ 

means "nearly equal to." 

1 em ~ 0.39 inch 

1m~ 3.28 feet 

1m ~ 1.09 yards 

1 km ~ 0.62 .mile 

1 cm2 ~ 0.16 sq in 

1 m 2 ~ 10.8 sq ft 

1m2 ~ 1.2 sq yd 

1 hectare ~ 2. 5 acres 

1 cm3 ~ 0.06 cu in 

1 m 3 ~ 35.3 cu ft 

1m3 ~ 1.3 cu yd 

1 inch ~ 2.54 em 

1 foot ~ 0.305 m 

1 yard~ 0.91 m 

1 mile ~ 1.61 km 

1 sq in ~ 6.5 cm2 

1 sq ft ~ 0.09 m2 

1 sq yd ~ 0.8 m 2 

1 acre ~ 0.4 hectare 

1 cu in~ 16.4 cm3 

1 cu ft ~ 0.03 m 3 

1 cu yd ~ 0.8 m3 

1 ml ~ 0.2 tsp 

1 ml ~ 0 .07 tbsp 

1l~33.8floz 

11 ~ 4.2 cups 

11 ~ 2.1 pts 

1 l ~ 1.06 qt 

11 ~ 0.26 gal 

1 gram ~ 0.035 oz 

1 kg~ 2.2 lb 

1 metric ton ::::::: 2205 lb 

1 kPa::::::: 0 .145 psi 

1 tsp ~ 5 ml 

1 tbsp ~ 15 ml 

1 fl oz ~ 29 .6 ml 

1 cup ~ 237 ml 

1 pt ~ 0.47 l 

1 qt ~ 0.95 l 

1 gal~ 3.79 l 

1 oz ~ 28.3 g 

1lb ~ 0.45 kg 

1 ton ~ 907.2 kg 

1 psi ~ 6 .895 kPa 

*Adapted from Let's Measure Metric. A Teacher's Introduction to Metric Measurement. Division of Educational 

Redesign and Renewal, Ohio Department of Education , 65 S. Front Street, Columbus, OH 43215. 197 5. 

Information Sheet 10 
ANY WAY YOU WANT IT 

1. One of your office tasks may be typing purchase orders, making 

changes from Customary units to metric units of measure (as some 

suppliers will sell metric quantities only). To develop your skill in 

determining approximate Customary equivalents, use the Table on 

Information Sheet 10 and give the approximate metric quantity 

(both number and units) for each of the following Customary 

quantities. 

Customary Quantity Metric Quantity 

a ) 1 gal. of typewriter cleaner 

b ) 5 oz . of correction fluid 

c ) 1/2 in. tape 

d ) 2 lbs. of hand cleaner 

e ) 25 ft. of string 

f ) 9 in. reference manual 

g ) Two-gallon waste basket 

h) 1 pt. of hand cleaner 

i ) 1/2 lb. of rubber bands 

j ) 30 in . x 60 in. desk 

k ) 1 fl. oz . liquid re-type 

l ) 5 lb. package 

m) 6 in. pair of scissors 

n) 3 mile distance 

2. Use the following conversion tables to find the metric or 

Customary equivalent for these quantities. 

a ) 1mm = 

b ) 45 mm = 

c ) 25 mm = 

d) 83 mm = 

e ) 54 mm = 

f ) 72 mm = 

g ) 11 mm = 

h ) 60 mm = 

i ) 22mm"" 

j ) 8mm = 

k ) 24 mm = 

l ) 75 mm= 

27 

MILLIMETRES TO INCHES 

mm in. mm m . 

10 0.39 1 0.04 

20 0.79 2 0.08 

30 1.18 3 0.12 

40 1.57 4 0.16 

50 1.97 5 0.20 

60 2.36 6 0.24 

70 2.76 7 0.28 

80 3.15 8 0.31 

90 3.54 9 0.35 

INCHES TO MILLIMETRES 

m . mm 

I m. mm 

10 254. 0 1 25.4 

20 508.0 2 50.8 

30 762.0 3 76 .2 

40 1016.0 4 101.6 

50 1270.0 5 127.0 

60 1524.0 6 152.4 

70 1778.0 7 177.8 

80 2032.0 8 203.2 

90 2286.0 9 228.6 

m ) 15 in. 

n ) 5 in. 

0 ) 2 in. 

p) 18 in. 

q) 35 in. 

r ) 12 in. 

s ) 7 in. 

t ) 25 in. 

u ) 11 in. 

v ) 8 in. 

w) 6 in. 

X ) 35 in. 

Exercise 18 
28 

SECfiON A 

1. One kilogram is about the mass 

of a: 

(A] nickel 

[B) apple seed 

[C) basketball 

(D) Volkswagen "Beetle" 

2. A square metre is about the 

area of: 

[A) this sheet of paper 

[B) a card table top 

(C) a bedspread 

[ D] a postage stamp 

3. When setting side margins, the unit 

of measure to be used would be: 

[A) micro metres 

[B) kilometres 

(C) centimetres 

(D) metres 

4. The mass of a business letter 

would be measured in: 

[A ) millilitres 

[B) litres 

(C) metres 

(D) grams 

5. The correct way to write twenty 

grams is: 

(A) 20 gms 

(B) 20 Gm. 

[C) 20 g. 

[D) 20 g 

6. The correct way to write twelve 

thousand millimetres is: 

[A) 12.000 mrn. 

[B] 12.000mm 

[C) 12 OOOmm 

(D) 12 000 mm 

SECTION B 

7. A business form 20 centimetres 

wide is the same as: 

[A) 2 000 millimetres 

[B) 200 millimetres 

[C) 0.02 millimetre 

[DJ 2 millimetres 

8. A paper 216 millimetres wide is 

the same as: 

[A) 21.6 centimetres 

[B) 21.6 metres 

[C) 2.16 centimetres 

[D) 0 .216 metre 

SECTION C 

9. Which metric term is misspelled? 

(A] lumens 

[B) miligrams 

(C] degree Celsius 

[D] lux 

10. Which sentence is correctly typed? 

[A) The card has a mass of 2 gs. 

[B) The temperature is 33 degrees C. 

[C] The area of the floor is 9 000 m 2 . 

[D J The executive traveled 1,500 km. 

C,NT£R '"" OCATOON~ •OUCATOON 

11. Which metric term is misspelled? 

[A) henries 

[B) watts 

(C) killograms 

[D) Celsius 

12. Which term is the correct way to 

write kilometres per hour: 

[A] k .p.h. 

[B) km/hr. 

[C) km/h 

(D) kilometres/hour 

SECTION D 

13. The metric unit which replaces the 

cubic yard is: 

(A) cubic kilogram 

[B) cubic microwatt 

[C) cubic litre 

[D) cubic metre 

14. The metric unit which replaces the 

quart is: 

[A) micro litre 

[B) kilo litre 

(C] millilitre 

(D) litre 

Use this conversion table to answer questions 15 and 16. 

mm in. mm in. 

100 3 .94 10 0 .39 

200 7.87 20 0 .79 

300 11.81 30 1.18 

400 15.74 40 1.57 

500 19.68 50 1.97 

600 23.62 60 2.36 

700 27 .56 70 2.76 

800 31.50 80 3.15 

900 35.43 90 3.54 

15. The equivalent of 150 mm is: 

[A) 5.91 in. 

(B) 15.0 in. 

[C) 1.50 in. 

(D) 5.0 in. 

16. The equivalent of 210 mm is: 

[A) 8.26 in. 

(B) 8 .0 in. 

[C) 20.26 in. 

(D] 20.0 in. 

TESTING METRIC ABILITIES 
ANSWERS TO EXERCISES AND TEST 

EXERCISES 1 THRU 6 

The answers depend on th e items u~ed for the act-ivities. 

EXERCISE 7 

Currently accepted metric units of 

measurement for each question are 

shown in Table 1a. Stand ards in each 

occupation are being established 

now, so answers may vary. 

EXERCISE 8 

Part 1. 

a ) 900 F i ) 981lm . 

b ) 46 T j ) 968 mm3 

c ) 9Wb k ) 1m2 

d ) 465 m l ) 465 t 

e ) 900 kl m ) 90 km/h 

f ) 649 jlg n ) 14 h 

g ) 41 MV 0 ) 76"C 

h ) 28 em 

Part 2. 

a ) 97 5 cubic centimetres 

b ) 841 litres 

c ) 91 millimetres 

d ) 47 micrograms 

e ) 418 teslas 

f ) 46 newton-metres or 

46 newton metres 

g ) 78 webers per square 

metre 

h ) 14 cubic metres 

i ) 871 millilitres 

j ) 94 grams 

k ) 853 kilopascals 

l ) 95 degrees Celsius 

m) 461 volts 

n ) 97 8 terametres 

o ) 81 kilolitres 

Part 3 . 

a ) 210 mm 

b ) 400 g 

c ) 97 em 

d ) 1.5 m 

e ) 5 l 

f ) 450 cm2 

g ) 215 ml 

h ) 1 kg 

i ) 50 millimetres 

j ) 10 880 cubic centimetres 

k ) 500 millilitres 

l ) 22 degrees Celsius 

m ) 0 .5 gram 

n ) 30 centimetres 

o ) 10 metres 

p ) 4 litres 

EXERCISE 9 

al ~. 6 em 

b ) o8.3 em 

c ) 9.-± em 

d ) 68 .0 em 

e ) 13 .2 em 

f) 80.2 em 

g) 1-±0.0 em 

h ) 230.7 em 

EXERCISES 10 THR U 14 

Tables are reproduced in totaL Answers are in parentheses. 

Exercise 10 

metre centimetre millimetre 

m em mm 

, 100 1 000 j_ 

2 200 12 000) 

3 (300) (3 000) 

9 (900) (9 000) 

b) (500 ) 5 000 

7-l (7 -100) r'i-1000) 

I 0.8 80 (800 \ 

0.6 (60) 600 

(0.025) 2.5 C) ~ 

"-U 

oo·~·R ·~ VOCAn~AC WUCAnDN 

(0. 1-18) j 1-±.8) 1-±8 

(6.39) 639 (6 390) 

29 

Exercise 11 Exercise 14 

millilitres litres 

ml l 

kilograms grams 

kg g 

3 000 3 7 7 000 

6 000 (6) 

(8 000) 8 

(14 0 00) (1-±) 

(23 000) 23 

300 0.31 

1] ( 11 000) 

(25 ) 25 000 

0 .-± ( -100 ) 

0 .63 (630 ) 

(0.J.75 ) 175 

700 (0. 7 ) 

(900 ) 0.9 

250 (0 .25) 

( -!70) 0.47 

275 (0.275 ) 

Exercise 12 

litres millilitres 

l ml 

8 8 000 

5 (5 000) 

46 (46000) 

(32 ) 32 000 

OA (400) 

0.53 (530) 

(0 .48) -±80 

Exercise 13 

grams kilograms 

g kg 

-± 000 -± 

9 000 (9) 

2::l 000 (23) 

(S OOOJ 8 

300 (0 .3) 

275 (0. 275) 
30 ANSWERS TO EXERCISES AND TEST 

EXERCISE 15 

a) 5 m 

b ) 0.25 litre 

c) 20 mm 

d) 0.5 kg 

e ) 50 ml 

f ) 1 500 mm 

g ) 2.5 kg 

h) 240 mm 

EXERCISE 16 

i ) 0.5 litre 

j ) 500 kg 

k) 1 000 em 

l ) 35 mm 

m) 20 000 g 

n) 250 mm 

o) 240 em 

The correct answers are underlined 

in the following copy. 

Part 1. 

1. Linear measures will be: millimet.res (.!!U!l) and centimetres 

(em) instead of inches; metres (!!l) will replace feet and 

yards; kilometres will take the place of miles. Travel reports 

will reflect km rather than miles. Speed will be recorded in 

km/h rather than mph. 

2. Area is measured by em 2 replacing square inches; square 

feet and square yards will be replaced by m 2 . The unit of 

land measure which replaces the acre will be the hectare. 

3. Liquid supplies will be measured in millilitres (ml) and 

lit res (D, replacing the cup, pint, quart, gallon; and very 

large quantities will be measured in kilolitres (kl). 

4. Weights will be determined in grams, kilograms, and 

metric tons. 

5. A comfortable room temperature will be 20 degrees Celsius 

(20°C) instead of 68°F. Also, scientific use of temperature 

will be shown in kelvins. 

6. The following electrical terms will not change: volts ( Yl, 

henries(.!:!), webers (Wb), farads (F), and watts (1£), etc. 

Part 2. 

Lovely old colonial home located on wooded ten-hectare 

lot in Worthmoore school district, just 10 km from the nearest 2 - shopping center. The house has 225 .ill.. of floor space; a large 

400 £!!!X 730 em living room; formal 335 £.!!! x 430 em dining 

room; three bedrooms; two full baths; finished basement; and 

separate two-car garage. It has a 250 litre water heater, 400 

litre fuel oil tank, and 15 £ill. of insulation in the attic. 

Special features: 2 wood burning fireJ)laces with 4 m3 

- 0 -- of cut wood; wine cellar kept at constant 12 C; 4-stall stable 

with 500 ~of feed; 25 m2 of formal garden; 4 kilometres of 

~ 

riding trails; 2 hectares of woods;~ fenced pasture; 0.75 km 

driveway bordered by a stone fence 1.375 m high. 

~CENTER FOR VOC ATIONAL EDUC ATION 

EXERCISE 17 

Teacher to determine criteria for attractive layout. 

EXERCISE 18 

Part 1. 

a ) 3.79 litres h) 0.4 7 litre 

b ) 148 ml i ) 0.225 kg 

c ) 1.27 em j ) 76.2 em x 152.4 em 

d ) 0 .9 kg k ) 29.6 rnl 

e ) 7.625 m l ) 2.25 kg 

f ) 22.86 em m) 15.24 em 

g ) 7.58 litres n ) 4.83 km 

Part 2. 

a ) 0.04 in. m) 381 mm 

b ) 1.77 in. n ) 127 mm 

c ) 0.99 in. 0 ) 50.8 mm 

d ) 3.27 in. p) 45.72 mm 

e ) 2.13 in. q ) 889 mm 

f ) 2.84 in. r ) 304.8 mm 

g ) 0.43 in. s ) 177.8 mm 

h ) 2.36 in. t ) 635 mm 

i ) 0.87 in. u ) 279 .4 mm 

J ) 0.31 in. v ) 203.2 mm 

k) 0.95 in. w) 152.4 mm 

l ) 2.96 in. X ) 914.4 mm 

TESTING :METRIC ABILITIES 

L C 9. B 

2. B 10. C 

3. c 11. c 

4. D 12. C 

5. D 13. D 

6. D 14. D 

7. B 15. A 

8. A 16. A 

-/:( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OfFICE, 197&- 757 - 069/6226 
Tools and Devices List 

SUGGESTED METRIC TOOLS AND DEVICES 

NEEDED TO COMPLETE MEASUREMENT TASKS 

IN EXERCISES 1 THROUGH 5 

LINEAR 

Metre Sticks 

Rules, 30 em 

Measuring Tapes, 150 em 

*Height Measure 

*Metre Tape, 10 m 

*Trundle Wheel 

*Area Measuring Grid 

VOLUME/CAPACITY 

*Nesting Measures, set of 5, 

50 ml - 1 000 ml 

Economy Beaker, set of 6, 

50 ml - 1 000 ml 

Metric Spoon, set of 5, 

1 ml- 25 ml 

Dry Measure, set of 3, 

50, 125, 250 ml 

Plastic Litre Box 

Centimetre Cubes 

(* Optional) 

MASS 

Bathroom Scale 

*Kilogram Scale 

*Platform Spring Scale 

5 kg Capacity 

10 kg Capacity 

Balance Scale with 8-piece 

mass set 

*Spring Scale, 6 kg Capacity 

TEMPERATURE 

Celsius Thermometer 

FOR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION 

The Oh•o Stette Untver\tty • 1960 Kenny Road • Columbus Ot'uo 43210