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Nursing 131 Household to Metric Conversion
Slide 2 & 3
Household/Metric Conversion
In the metric system liquid volumes are measured in milliliters or liters. Weight is measured in micrograms, milligrams, grams, or kilograms.
1 liter 1000 milliliter
1 kilogram
1,000,000 milligrams
1,000 grams
1,000,000,000 micrograms
In the household system liquid volumes are measured in quarts, pints, cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons. Weight is measured in ounces & pounds.
1 quart 2 pints 64 tablespoons
teaspoons
4 cups
16 ounces 1 pound
Household/Metric Conversion
Slide 4 & 5 Example One
Our First Example Problem:
2 ½ teaspoons of cough medicine has been prescribed. A
measuring device marked in ml is being used. How many ml should be administered?
Household/Metric Conversion
Here are the 5 basic steps to change from one unit to another
Step 5 – Perform the math
Step 2 – Write down what you have
Step 1 - Identify that you need to convert
Step 3 – Write down your equivalent fraction
Step 4 – Reduce units
Household/Metric Conversion
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Slide 14 Example Two
Our Second Example Problem: A child weighs 24 lbs, 14 oz. You determine that 24 lbs., 14 oz. is equivalent to ______ kg.
Household/Metric Conversion
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Slide 15-19 Solution to Example Two
Our Second Example Problem: A child weighs 24 lbs, 14 oz. You determine that 24 lbs., 14 oz. is equivalent to ______ kg.
Step 1 Identify you need to convert The key words that indicate we need to convert are “equivalent to.”
Step 2 Write down what you have The quantity we have is in 2 different units. We have 24 lbs and we have 14 oz. We first change the 14 oz to lbs by dividing by 16. We then add this to the 24lbs. Use a calculator or long division to change the 14/16 to a decimal. We can then write this as a fraction with 1 on the bottom. 14
16
Household/Metric Conversion
Our Second Example Problem: A child weighs 24 lbs, 14 oz. You determine that 24 lbs., 14 oz. is equivalent to ______ kg.
Step 3 Relate the units An equivalency chart will list how the units relate.
Household/Metric Conversion
Conversions between Household and Metric Units
1 quart 1 liter (l)
1 pint 500 milliliters (ml)
1 cup 240 milliliters (ml)
1 fluid ounce (oz.) 30-32 milliliters (ml)
1 tablespoon (tbsp.) 15 milliliters (ml)
1 teaspoon (tsp.) 5 milliliter (ml)
2.2 pound (lbs) 1 kilogram (kg)
Household/Metric Conversion
Step 3 Relate the units An equivalency chart will list how the units relate.
We can write this fraction 2 ways:
We will write this equivalency as a fraction.
or
Because the fraction we wrote in step 2 has lbs on the top, our next fraction must have lbs on the bottom.
Our chart lists 1 kg = 2.2 lbs.
1 kg__ 2.2 lbs
2.2 lbs 1 kg
Household/Metric Conversion
Step 3 Relate the units
We now have:
x
To convert we will need to multiply our fractions.
1 kg__ 2.2 lbs
24.875 lbs 1
Household/Metric Conversion
