Grade 5 Measurement: Unit Conversions

Convert between units in same system

What You'll Learn

Convert within metric
Convert within customary
Convert a small unit to a big unit by dividing (5.MD.A.1)
Use conversions to solve two-step, real-world problems

📖Conversions

Multiply or divide to convert! A big unit holds many small units. Big → small: multiply (5 feet = 5 × 12 = 60 inches). Small → big: divide (48 inches = 48 ÷ 12 = 4 feet).

💡Check your answer

Converting to a smaller unit gives MORE units; converting to a bigger unit gives FEWER. If your answer went the wrong way, you multiplied when you should have divided.

Worked examples

Real problems from the practice worksheets, solved one step at a time.

Example 1
1600 grams = ___ kilograms
1. 1 kilogram = 1000 grams.
2. Grams are smaller than kilograms, so there will be fewer kilograms: divide by 1000. 1600 ÷ 1000 = 1.6.
3. Dividing by 1000 moves the decimal point 3 places to the left.
4. 1600 grams = 1.6 kilograms.
Answer: 1.6
Example 2
96 inches = ___ feet
1. 1 foot = 12 inches.
2. Inches are smaller than feet, so there will be fewer feet: divide by 12. 96 ÷ 12 = 8.
3. 96 inches = 8 feet.
Answer: 8
Example 3
A pitcher holds 3 liters of juice. Zoe pours it equally into 10 glasses. How many milliliters of juice are in each glass?
1. Change liters to milliliters first. 1 liter = 1000 milliliters, so 3 liters = 3 × 1000 = 3000 milliliters.
2. Share it equally into 10 glasses: 3000 ÷ 10 = 300.
3. Each glass has 300 milliliters of juice.
Answer: 300