In the international metric system the fundamental unit is the meter-the unit of length. From this the units of capacity (liter) and of weight (gram) were derived. All other units are the decimal subdivisions or multiples of these. These three units are simply related; e. g., for all practical purposes 1 cubic decimeter equals 1 liter and 1 liter of water weighs 1 kilogram. The metric tables are formed by combining the words "meter," "gram," and "liter" with the six numerical prefixes, as in the following tables:

Prefixes

Meaning

Units

milli- = one thousandth

1

------ 0.001

1000

1

"meter" 1 for length

centi- = one hundredth

.01

1/100

deci- = one tenth

.1

1/10

Unit = one

1

"gram" 1 for weight or mass

deka- = ten

10

hecto- = one hundred

100

"liter" 1 for capacity

kilo- = one thousand

1000

1 One meter = 39.37 inches; 1 liter = 1.0567 liquid quarts; 1 gram = 0.035 avoirdupois ounce.

International Metric System - Continued

Units of Length

Units of Capacity

Units of Weight (or Mass)

millimeter = 0.001 meter

milliliter = 0.001 liter

milligram = 0.001 gram

centimeter = .01 "

centiliter = .01 "

centigram = .01 "

decimeter = .1 "

deciliter = .1 "

decigram = .1 "

Meter =1 "

Liter = 1 "

Gram =1 "

dekameter = 10 "

dekaliter = 10 "

dekagram = 10 "

hectometer = 100 "

hectoliter = 100 "

hectogram = 100 "

kilometer = 1000 "

kiloliter = 1000 "

kilogram = 1000 "