Units of Conversion: Linear Measure

Basic to the understanding of unit conversion is the understanding equivalence, the understanding of the multiplicative identity of 1, and how the two are related. For a review of these concepts, click on Review.

If you have forgotten how to manipulate fractions, visit Fractions for Adults on SOSMath for an in-depth review.

Review the following table (Webster's New World Dictionary, Second Edition, Simon and Schuster, 1982) of Standard Units of Conversion to see if you can create fractions that have a value of 1. You can click to examples following each table.

LinearMeasure

Problem 2: Convert 10 decimeters to yards.

Solution:

• Write the 10 decimeters as a fraction and multiply by 1 twice, which yields
  ,
  which can be written as

• Multiply the three fractions:

• Rewrite the numerator and denominator so units stand alone:

• Rewrite the fraction as three fractions:

• Simplify: 1.0936 x 1 x 1 x 1 yard = 1.0936 yards

• This is an approximate answer because we rounded to six decimals.

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