Metric length conversion, step by step

Length is where metric conversion starts: millimeters to centimeters to meters to kilometers, every step a power of ten.

The question
911 m = ________ mm

11 m = ? mm

m → mmsmaller unit, bigger number
1 m =1000 mm
11 × 1000 =11000
11000 mm
  1. One mm is smaller than one m, and it takes MORE of a small thing to make the same amount. So the number has to get bigger — which means multiplying.
  2. There are 1000 mm in one m, so that is the number to multiply by.
  3. 11 × 1000 = 11000, so 11 m is 11000 mm. Check the direction held: the number got bigger, which is what a smaller unit does.

How it works.

  1. 01

    One mm is smaller than one m, and it takes MORE of a small thing to make the same amount. So the number has to get bigger — which means multiplying.

  2. 02

    There are 1000 mm in one m, so that is the number to multiply by.

  3. 03

    11 × 1000 = 11000, so 11 m is 11000 mm. Check the direction held: the number got bigger, which is what a smaller unit does.