Question
Question: What is the smallest metric measurement?...
What is the smallest metric measurement?
Solution
The metric system involves all the 3 categories of measurement, that is, the mass, length and capacity (volume). There are a total of 7 metric measurements in each category mentioned above including the base unit.
Complete answer:
The prefixes in the Metric system.
| kilo | hecto | deka | MeterGramLiter | deci | centi | milli |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 times more than the base unit. | 100 times more than the base unit. | 10 times more than the base unit. | Base unit. | 10 times less than the base unit. | 100 times less than the base unit. | 1,000 times less than the base unit. |
Measuring mass in the metric system.
| kilogram (kg) | hectogram (hg) | dekagram (dag) | gram (g) | decigram (dg) | centigram (cg) | milligram (mg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 grams | 100 grams | 10 grams | gram | 0.1 gram | 0.01 gram | 0.001 gram |
Measuring length in the metric system.
| kilometer (km) | hectometer (hm) | dekameter (dam) | meter (m) | decimeter (dm) | centimeter (cm) | millimeter (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 meter | 100 meter | 10 meter | meter | 0.1 meter | 0.01 meter | 0.001 meter |
Measuring capacity in the metric system.
| kiloliter (kL) | hectoliter (hL) | dekaliter (daL) | liter (L) | deciliter (dL) | centiliter (cL) | milliliter (mL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 liter | 100 liter | 10 liter | liter | 0.1 liter | 0.01 liter | 0.001 liter |
∴The smallest metric measurement in the category of length is millimeter, in the category of mass is milligram and in the category of capacity (volume) is milliliter. Thus, the prefix milli, 10 to the power of -3 represents the smallest metric measurement.
Note:
Basically, the SI unit of mass is kg, but in the metric system, the unit gram is considered to be the base unit. The table of prefixes in metric measurement is important, as we can include gram as the base unit in the mass category, the meter in length category and liter in the capacity category.