Ask Dr. Math

Middle School Archive

Browse Middle School Terms/Units of Measurement
Stars indicate particularly interesting answers or good places to begin browsing.

Selected answers to common questions:
    Equivalent measurements: tsp, oz, pt, lb.
    Measuring with Two Containers.
    Metric Measurements.
    Meters Squared or Square Meters?
    Unit conversions, unit cancellation.

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Converting Grams to Cubic Centimeters [03/27/2002]

How do you convert grams to cubic centimeters?

Converting Inches to Miles [11/21/1997]

I know that 12 inches = one foot and 5,280 feet = one mile, but how do I convert 22 inches to miles?

Converting Meters to Feet [6/5/1996]

How many feet are there in one meter? How many feet and inches is 1.84m?

Converting Metric Units [8/30/1996]

Do you have any suggestions about converting ml to liters etc.?

Converting Metric Weights for Cooking [12/16/2003]

I'm trying to do a project for school and it's a recipe for baking cookies. In the recipe it calls for 500 grams of flour, 250 grams of butter and so forth. I don't understand how to convert the measurements, so I don't know how much to use. Can you please help?

Converting Micrograms to Milligrams [08/10/1999]

How many micrograms are there in a milligram?

Converting Miles/Hour to Feet [08/14/1997]

If my father is traveling in his car at 45 mph, how long will it take him to travel 100 feet?

Converting Minutes and Seconds to Degrees [5/27/1995]

What is the formula for converting minutes and seconds to decimal degrees?

Converting Ounces to Ounces [06/03/2002]

I am a cocktail waitress here in Vegas and was trying to figure out the total weight of my tray if, say, a mug of beer holds 25 ounces.

Converting RPM to MPH and MPH to RPM [04/07/2002]

What is the formula for converting RPM's from an 'X' inch diameter wheel into miles per hour?

Converting Seconds to MPH [07/11/2000]

I'm looking for a chart that converts the number of seconds needed to travel one mile to miles per hour.

Converting Square Feet to Acres [05/26/1998]

How much acreage is 10,000 square feet of land?

Converting Square Feet to Square Yards [09/13/1997]

I need to know how to change sq. ft. to sq. yds. for carpeting.

Converting Square Inches to Square Feet [02/26/1998]

How many square inches are in ten square feet?

Converting Square Units [05/29/2002]

How many square kilometers are in 200 square miles?

Converting Square Yards to Square Feet [9/12/1996]

57.33 sq. yds. equals ____ sq. ft?

Converting to Bushels [05/18/2002]

How can I convert cubic feet to bushels?

Converting to Square Units [01/07/2002]

How do I convert 47,224 sq. miles to kilometers?

Converting Units across Measurements [08/31/2010]

How do you convert units to a different measurement? And how do you know how many decimal places to move as a result? Doctor Ian suggests making the multiplication of units explicit, and introduces ratios of two quantities equal to each other.

Converting Units of Measure [7/17/1996]

Find the unit of measure for (3 pounds over 1 square inch) * (144 square inches over 1 square foot)....

Cooking Measurements [10/24/2001]

How many teaspoons are in 1 tablespoon? 2 tablespoons = cup? 4 tablespoons = cup?

Cubic Centimeter, Cubic Inch [08/26/1997]

Can you help me define these terms?

Cubic Centimeters and Milliliters [10/29/2001]

I know that cubic centimeters and milliliters are the same thing, but is there any way you can prove it to me?

Cups and Volume [12/06/2001]

How can I calculate the volume of a box, if I know how many cups of rice fill it? And how can 2 cups be a volume measure?

Currency Exchange Rates [01/02/1999]

Do you know how much half a crown, a crown, and a shilling are worth in American money?

Define Warp in Lightyears [3/31/1995]

On Voyager, the new Star Trek show, they are 75 years from home. Their top speed is Warp 9.75. Can you define "Warp" in lightyears?

Defining Relative Error [03/11/2004]

I've seen "relative error" defined both as "the absolute error divided by the true measurement" and "the greatest possible error divided by the measurement itself." These definitions seem to be inconsistent. Which one is correct?

Degrees and Radians, Explained [03/19/2002]

How do you find the degree measure for an angle from pi/60 rad?

Degrees in a Circle [09/22/1997]

Why does a circle measure 360 degrees - is there a special reason for this calculation?

Degrees in a Sphere? Steradians [09/27/2001]

If one can say that a circle contains 360 degrees, how many degrees can one say are in a sphere?

Degrees, Minutes, Seconds [08/26/1997]

I know that degrees are what you use to measure angles, but I thought minutes and seconds were time measurements...

Degrees, Minutes, Seconds [01/25/2001]

How do I convert degrees in decimal to degrees in minutes and seconds?

The Degree Symbol [11/02/1998]

Do you know what the degree symbol stands for? What is its history?

Dimensional Weight [08/02/1999]

Is there more than one way to calculate dimensional weight for shipping?

Dividing Two Numbers with and without Units [09/15/2004]

We can calculate $500/10 or $500/$10 and get $50 or 50 respectively. What units would the result have if we calculate 500/$10?

Dividing with the Same Units, Such As Money [06/03/2008]

What is $30.00 divided by $5.00? Is it 6 or $6.00? Can I divide two things with the same units, like dollars?

Does 2k4 Mean 2004 or 2400? [01/10/2004]

On internet communities it is common to reduce figures using 'k' as a shortcut; for example 2k is used instead of 2000. I was under the impression that a number after the k (such as 2k4) meant 2400, and that to get 2004 in this system you'd need to write 2k004. But I've also seen 2k4 used for 2004. Which is correct? Does 2k4 mean 2004 or 2400?

Dollars and the Metric Prefixes [01/11/2002]

I can't do problems that involve km, dm, mm, dam, m, etc.

Earth's Rotational Speed [6/24/1996]

Should the earth's rotational speed be referred to in revolutions per... or in miles per hour?

European 7 [8/15/1996]

Why is the numeral seven sometimes written with a line through it in Europe?

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