440 CHAPTER 7 The Metric System Volume 1 teaspoon (tsp) 4.9289 milliliters (m ℓ ) 1 tablespoon (tbsp) 14.7868 milliliters (m ℓ ) 1 fluid ounce (fl oz) 29.5735 milliliters (m ℓ ) 1 cup (c) 0.2366 liter ( ℓ ) 1 pint (pt) 0.4732 liter ( ℓ ) 1 quart (qt) 0.9464 liter ( ℓ ) 1 gallon (gal) 3.7854 liters ( ℓ ) 1 cubic inch (in. 3 ) 16.3871 cubic centimeter (cm 3 ) 1 cubic foot (ft 3 ) 0.0283 cubic meter (m 3 ) 1 cubic yard (yd 3 ) 0.7646 cubic meter (m 3 ) 1 cubic mile (mi 3 ) 4.1682 cubic kilometer (km 3 ) Weight (Mass) 1 ounce (oz) 28.3495 grams (g) 1 pound (lb) 0.4536 kilogram (kg) 1 ton (T) 0.9072 tonne (t) Table 7.7 Conversions Table ( Continued ) Table 7.7 shows 1 in. 2.5400 cm = or that 1 in. 2.54 cm. = From this equality, we can write the two unit fractions 1 in. 2.54 cm or 2.54 cm 1 in. To change from a metric unit to a customary unit or vice versa, multiply the given quantity by the unit fraction whose product will result in the units you are seeking. For example, to convert 5 in. to centimeters, multiply 5 in. by a unit fraction with centimeters in the numerator and inches in the denominator. = ⎛ ⎝ ⎜ ⎞ ⎠ ⎟ = = 5in. (5 in.) 2.54 cm 1 in. 5(2.54) cm 12.7 cm Some other examples of unit fractions from Table 7.7 that we will use in this section include the following: 1 lb 0.4536 kg or 0.4536 kg 1 lb , 1 yd 0.7646 m or 0.7646 m 1 yd , 1 ft 0.3048 m or 0.3048m 1 ft , 1 ft 0.0929 m or 0.0929 m 1 ft 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 Example 4 Volume, Area, and Length Conversions The tallest flagpole with the largest United States flag is in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The steel pole weighs 353,000 pounds. The foundation of the pole is made from 700 cubic yards of concrete. The flagpole stands 400 feet high. The 4-story-high flag on top of the flagpole has an area of 648 square meters. It took 1900 liters of paint to paint the pole. a) What is the mass, in kilograms, of the flagpole? b) What is the volume, in cubic meters, of the concrete used for the foundation? c) What is the height, in meters, of the flagpole? d) What is the area, in square feet, of the flag? e) What is the volume, in gallons, of the paint used to paint the flagpole? MATHEMATICS TODAY The Metric System: Why It Is Important Although Americans primarily use the U.S. Customary System, the metric system is also used daily. The active ingredients in medicines are measured in milligrams or milliliters. Nutritional food labels report nutritional quantities in grams or milligrams. Many items are measured using both metric units and U.S. Customary units. For example, soda is measured in both liters and fluid ounces, protein bars are measured in both grams and dry ounces, and dental floss is measured in both meters and yards. Metric measurements are also used in many of the electronics we use every day. A new smartphone may have 256 gigabytes of memory, a computer hard drive may be able to hold 500 gigabytes of data, and the speed of a new laptop may be 6 gigahertz. Many parts of an automobile are measured with metric units including the engine and the tires. The engine displacement of a 2024 Chevrolet Camaro SS is 6.2 liters. Other units of metric measurement include the use of kilowatt hours to measure electrical usage, millimeters of mercury to measure blood pressure, decibels to measure sound intensity, and meters and kilometers to measure distances at sporting events. Why This Is Important The metric system is used in many aspects of our daily lives. Furthermore, with the globalization of our modern world, an understanding of the metric system is vital to an increasing number of occupations. Stephen VanHorn/ Shutterstock
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NjM5ODQ=