In your Physics course, you often have to convert from one unit to another similar unit. There are many methods you can use in performing the conversion. You may use any method that you are comfortable with.
You should be able to covert metres to centimetres easily in your head. But as the units get more complex it is useful to have a way to determine the conversion easily.
Steps in the Conversion Factor Method
- Separate the number and unit.
- Determine the conversion factors to change between the units.
- Substitute the conversion factor to change to the desired unit.
- Complete the calculation.
After conversion of units (e.g. from m to mm) answers should be expressed to the same number of significant figures as given before conversion.
| Example 1 |
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| Express 543 g in kg. |
| Example 2 |
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| Express 2 cm² in m². |
| Example 3 |
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| Express 1.25 g cm–3 in kg m–3. |
| Google can do unit conversion for you |
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| Google can do almost any conversion for you. Get used to using this and use it to check any conversions you are not 100% certain of.
For conversions of units such as m/s2 you can type “m/s^2“ |
| Basics |