BIOL%1408/Genetics%2416%%

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Metric%Conversions%
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You!do!metric!conversions!by!moving!the!decimal!point.!When!converting!a!large!
unit!such!as!meters!to!smaller!unit!such!as!millimeters,!the!decimal!point!is!moved!
to!the!right.!When!converting!smaller!units!to!larger!units,!the!decimal!point!is!
moved!to!the!left.!You!must!subtract!the!exponents!(Table!1)!in!order!to!determine!
how!many!places!to!move!the!decimal!point.!If!the!subtraction!of!exponents!
produces!a!positive!number!then!you!most!move!the!decimal!point!to!the!right.!On!
the!other!hand,!if!the!subtraction!of!exponents!produces!a!negative!number!then!
you!must!move!the!decimal!point!to!the!left.!
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Table!1.!Metric!Prefixes!as!Factors!of!Ten!
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Prefix%
%
exa%
peta%
tera%
giga%
mega%
kilo%
hecto%
deka%
Meter*%
deci%
centi%
milli%
micro%
nano%
pico%
femto%
atto%

Notation%

Symbol%

Prefix%

1018!
1015!
1012!
109!
106!
103!
102!
101!

E!
P!
T!
G!
M!
K!
H!
da!

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100%

m%

Liter*%

10P1!

d!
c!
m!
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n!
p!
f!
a!

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10P2!
10P3!
10P6!
10P9!
10P12!
10P15!
10P18!

Notation% Symbol%

Prefix%

Notation%

Symbol%

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100%

l%

Gram*%

100%

g%

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*!The!meter,!liter,!and!the!gram!are!the!reference!measurements!for!length,!volume,!and!mass!
respectively.!Therefore!they!are!100,!which!by!definition!is!equal!to!one.!!

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Examples:!
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Convert!4.8!cm!to!m!
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Subtracting!the!exponents!solves!this!problem.!!The!exponent!for!cm!is!P2;!the!
exponent!for!m!is!P6.!Subtract!the!two!numbers:!P2P(P6)=!P2+6=4.!Therefore,!to!
convert!4.8!cm!to!m,!you!must!move!the!decimal!point!four!(4)!places!to!the!right.!
4.8!cm=48000!m.!

1!

!
Covert!68!m!to!cm!
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The!exponent!for!m!is!P6,!and!the!exponent!for!cm!is!P2.!You!must!subtract!these!
two!numbers!to!determine!how!many!places!to!move!the!decimal!point.!Therefore,!!
P6P(P2)=P6+2=P4.!The!negative!sign!indicates!that!you!must!move!the!decimal!point!
four!(4)!places!to!the!left.!
68!m=0.0068!cm!
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Use%of%Exponents%
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Table!2!shows!how!numbers!can!be!written!using!exponents.!Foe!example,!a!second!
way!to!write!the!number!1000!is!1x10P3.!
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Table!2.!Numbers!written!using!exponents!
Number%
Equal%to%
0
10 !
1!
100!
1x102!
1000!
1x103!
10,000!
1x104!
0.01!
1x10P2!
0.001!
1x10P3!
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Examples:!
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256! =!2.56x102!
3287! =3.287x103!
0.055! =5.5x10P2!
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Exponents!are!useful!when!writing!numbers!that!are!very!large!or!very!small.!For!
example!the!number!1,930,000,000,000,000,000!is!easier!to!write!as!1.93x1018.!
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Practice!Conversions!
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Conversion!of!length!!
Conversions!of!weight!!
Conversions!of!volume!
______________________________________________________________________________________________! !
1m=___________cm! !
37g=__________mg!
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42ml=____________liters!
4.8cm=________m! !
0.047mg=__________g! !
27l=_____________liters!
3.57mm=____________m!
45.36g!=____________kg!
3.6!l=___________ml!
452cm=___________mm!
18g=_______________ng!!
1!ml=____________l!
0.048mm=___________nm!
4mg=_______________ng!
3g=______________mg!
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JGR!(2012)!
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2!