Concept

Metric System of Measurement

The metric system is a base-ten measurement system used by most countries worldwide. It is built on three fundamental base units:

  • meter (m) — the base unit of length
  • liter (L) — the base unit of capacity (volume)
  • gram (g) — the base unit of mass

Larger and smaller units are created by attaching prefixes to the base unit, each prefix representing a specific power of 1010:

PrefixSymbolFactor
kilo-k1,0001{,}000 (10310^3)
hecto-h100100 (10210^2)
deka-da1010 (10110^1)
(base)11 (10010^0)
deci-d0.10.1 (10110^{-1})
centi-c0.010.01 (10210^{-2})
milli-m0.0010.001 (10310^{-3})

Because every step between adjacent prefixes is a factor of 1010, converting within the metric system amounts to moving the decimal point. For example, 11 kilometer =1,000= 1{,}000 meters and 11 centimeter =0.01= 0.01 meters.

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Updated 2026-04-21

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