Basic Units

In the metric system, there is one basic unit for each type of measurement:

• The gram is the basic unit of weight.
• The liter is the basic unit of volume.
• The meter is the basic unit of length.
• The degree Celsius is the basic unit of temperature.

Larger or smaller units are made simply by multiplying or dividing by 10, 100, 1000, and so on. These divisions are expressed by prefixes. The ones you will need to know are:

• kilo- (kill-o) = 1,000
• deci- (dess-i) = 1/10
• centi- (sent-i) = 1/100
• milli- (mill-i) = 1/1,000