
- Metric Units of Measurement
- Home
- Choosing Metric Measurement Units
- Measuring Length to the Nearest Centimeter
- Measuring Length to the Nearest Millimeter
- Metric Distance Conversion with Whole Number Values
- Metric Mass or Capacity Conversion with Whole Number Values
- Metric Distance Conversion with Decimal Values
- Metric Conversion with Decimal Values: Two-Step Problem
- Time Unit Conversion with Whole Number Values
- Introduction to Adding Time
- Introduction to Elapsed Time
- Converting between Metric and U.S. Customary Unit Systems
Metric Distance Conversion with Decimal Values
The basic metric units for length are millimeters, centimeters, meters and kilometers. These units are related to each other by a factor of ten. For example, a centimeter is ten times of a millimeter and one-hundredth of a meter.
In this lesson, we solve problems involving distance conversions with decimal values.

Fill in the blank to make the conversion true.
39 centimeters = ____meters
Solution
Step 1:
100 cm = 1 meter; 1 cm = 1/100 m
Step 2:
39 centimeters = 39 × 1/100 m = 0.39 m
So, 39 cm = 0.39 m
Fill in the blank to make the conversion true.
48 millimeters = ____centimeters
Solution
Step 1:
10 millimeter = 1 cm; 1 mm = 1/10 cm
Step 2:
48 mm = 48 mm × 1/10 = 4.8 cm
So, 48 mm = 4.8 cm
Fill in the blank to make the conversion true.
184 centimeter = ____meters
Solution
Step 1:
100 centimeter = 1 meter; 1 cm = 1/100 m
Step 2:
184 cm = 184 × 1/100 = 1.84 m
So, 184 cm = 1.84 m