Converting Measurement Units

For Elementary Students

What is Converting?

Converting means changing a measurement from one unit to another.

Think about it like this: It's like saying the same thing in different ways — "12 months" is the same as "1 year"!

Why Convert?

Sometimes you need a different unit:

• "The door is 84 inches tall" is hard to picture
• "The door is 7 feet tall" makes more sense!

Length: Inches and Feet

12 inches = 1 foot

Inches to Feet: Divide by 12

Example: 24 inches = ? feet 24 ÷ 12 = 2 feet

Feet to Inches: Multiply by 12

Example: 3 feet = ? inches 3 × 12 = 36 inches

Length: Feet and Yards

3 feet = 1 yard

Feet to Yards: Divide by 3

Example: 9 feet = ? yards 9 ÷ 3 = 3 yards

Yards to Feet: Multiply by 3

Example: 2 yards = ? feet 2 × 3 = 6 feet

Time Conversions

60 seconds = 1 minute 60 minutes = 1 hour 24 hours = 1 day 7 days = 1 week

Example: 2 hours = ? minutes 2 × 60 = 120 minutes

Example: 120 seconds = ? minutes 120 ÷ 60 = 2 minutes

Money Conversions

100 pennies = 1 dollar 10 dimes = 1 dollar 4 quarters = 1 dollar

Example: 300 pennies = ? dollars 300 ÷ 100 = 3 dollars

For Junior High Students

Conversion Factors

A conversion factor tells you how many of one unit equal another.

The Conversion Process

To convert larger units → smaller units: Multiply To convert smaller units → larger units: Divide

Why?

• Larger to smaller: You'll have MORE of the smaller units (multiply)
• Smaller to larger: You'll have FEWER of the larger units (divide)

Customary Length

Conversions:

• 1 foot = 12 inches
• 1 yard = 3 feet = 36 inches
• 1 mile = 5,280 feet = 1,760 yards

Example: 5 feet = ? inches 5 × 12 = 60 inches

Example: 108 inches = ? feet 108 ÷ 12 = 9 feet

Example: 2 miles = ? feet 2 × 5,280 = 10,560 feet

Metric Length

Conversions:

• 1 meter = 100 centimeters
• 1 meter = 1,000 millimeters
• 1 kilometer = 1,000 meters

Example: 3.5 meters = ? centimeters 3.5 × 100 = 350 cm

Example: 5,000 meters = ? kilometers 5,000 ÷ 1,000 = 5 km

Weight/Mass

Customary:

• 1 pound = 16 ounces
• 1 ton = 2,000 pounds

Example: 48 ounces = ? pounds 48 ÷ 16 = 3 pounds

Metric:

• 1 kilogram = 1,000 grams
• 1 metric ton = 1,000 kilograms

Example: 2.5 kg = ? grams 2.5 × 1,000 = 2,500 g

Capacity/Volume

Customary:

• 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces
• 1 pint = 2 cups
• 1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups
• 1 gallon = 4 quarts

Example: 3 gallons = ? quarts 3 × 4 = 12 quarts

Metric:

• 1 liter = 1,000 milliliters

Example: 500 mL = ? L 500 ÷ 1,000 = 0.5 L

Multi-Step Conversions

Sometimes you need to convert more than once.

Example: 4 yards = ? inches

Step 1: Yards to feet 4 yards × 3 = 12 feet

Step 2: Feet to inches 12 feet × 12 = 144 inches

Answer: 4 yards = 144 inches

Using Proportions

You can also use proportions to convert.

Example: 7 feet = ? inches

Set up proportion: 1 foot / 12 inches = 7 feet / x inches

Cross multiply: 1 × x = 12 × 7 x = 84 inches

Mixed Units

Example: 5 feet 8 inches = ? inches total

Step 1: Convert feet to inches 5 feet × 12 = 60 inches

Step 2: Add remaining inches 60 + 8 = 68 inches total

Checking Your Work

Does the answer make sense?

• Converting inches to feet → answer should be smaller (fewer feet than inches)
• Converting meters to centimeters → answer should be larger (more cm than m)

Example: 2 feet = 6 inches ✗ (This is wrong! Should be 24 inches)

Real-World Uses

Cooking: Converting cups to tablespoons (1 cup = 16 tablespoons)

Sports: Running distances (5K = 5 kilometers = 5,000 meters)

Travel: Converting miles to kilometers (approximately 1 mile = 1.6 km)

Science: Metric conversions in experiments

Construction: Converting measurements for materials

Practice