Without measurement units, most of our everyday activities will become overly complicated. You cannot cook since you will not be able to follow a recipe precisely, and construction will be also impossible.
With the best accuracy, the metric system is the most comprehensive in the world and it is also easier to learn. However, in the US the imperial is still being used. This causes confusion between people from different world regions, and quick conversions are surely essential.
In this article, we’ll talk about the easiest ways to memorize measurement conversion. Keep reading and find out more.
Contents
Inches in centimeters
The first system conversions are the distance measurements or in this case, turning inches into centimeters. Although this seems complicated, the process is pretty straight forwards since there are 2.5cms in one inch. With that, you can simply multiply it until you transform the desired number from inches into centimeters or vice versa.
Another way how you can easily do a conversion is by multiplying the inches by two and then dividing by two. By combining these two values you’ll be getting the result.
Let’s put that into an example by converting 30 inches. Multiply 30 by two, and we get 60. Then, we divide 30 by two, and we get 15. By adding 60 to 15, we get 75 which is the answer.
You can also do a conversion by multiplying the inches by ten, and then dividing the whole number by four. For example, 30 inches multiplied by 10 is 300. Then, 300 is divided by four which results in 75.
Bear in mind that these conversions are approximate since the correct result is 76.2. However, if you don’t need to be completely precise, this is an easy method to come up with a round number.
Kilograms in pounds
Turning kilos into pounds is a little bit more complicated but there is a quite simple method for doing easy conversions. Basically, 1 kilo is equal to 2.2 pounds. With that, it is easier to just multiply the kilogram value by two and get to an approximate pound number.
However, if you have to be more precise, there is a quick conversion method that is surely an easy one. The kilograms have to be multiplied by 2, and then divide the whole number by 10. By adding these values together, you are getting an exact conversion.
For example, let’s turn 30 kilos into pounds. We first get to multiply 30 by 2 which is 60. Then, you divide 60 by 10 which results in 6. By adding 60 with 6, we get the final result of 66. This is also a round number and serves the purpose only if you don’t have to be precise because the real conversion of 30 kilos is 66. 1387 pounds.
Miles to kilometers
According to becalculator.com, this is the most complicated conversion, but it is made easier if you understand the Fibonacci scheme. This means that you start with one, and you combine the current number with one calculated previously so you can get to the next number. Even though this seems confusing, we’ll explain it with numbers.
As said above, you begin with 1 and add the current number to the one calculated previously. That makes 1+1 which results in two. Then, you add the 2 to the previously calculated number, which results in 3. Three is then added to two, which results in 5, and 5 is added to three to come up with 8.
The scheme continues with 13-21-34-55, and on. Just add the number you’ve gotten with the previous one, and you are up to the next one. However, how is this relatable to the conversion of miles to kilometers?
Well, each mile is getting translated into 1.6 km which is the same as the Fibonacci scheme where every number is 1.6 times between each other. With that, 13mi is 21km, and 21mi is 34km. In case you want to calculate kilometers, you just go from the back of the sequence.
Lastly, in case you have to calculate a number that is a part of the scheme, you can do a separate calculation. For example, 18 miles can be divided into 13 and 5 which are values present in the scheme. With that, 13mi is 21km, and 5mi is 8 km. By combining 21 and 8, you get 29 which is the correct result for the conversion.
Conversions inside the metric system
At last, we have the internal conversion of the metric or the international system. It is the most accurate system, and it is also easy to be learned since it consists of tens. However, firstly learning the syntax of the units is essential.
To learn them quicker, there is a sentence you can use where the first letter of each word is a separate unit. The sentence is ‘’King Harry Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk’’. K is a kilo, H is Hecto, D is Deca, B is meant for the base unit, the second D is Deci, C is Centi, and M means milli. The first three are more, and the second three are less than the main unit.
Every unit is ten times larger than the previous one. However, if you’ll be calculating units that are far from each other on this scale, you will be just multiplying the tens. For example, to turn a km into cm, you are calculating the spots between them.
By using the mnemonic sentence, you can see that from K to C there are five spots. This results in 10*5 which results in 100 000. With that, one kilometer is 100 000 centimeters.
Conclusion
Even though learning measurement conversions is helpful in many scenarios, unless you are doing a small number of conversions, calculators may be a better option. We are constantly attached to the phone in our hands, and while we are doing a calculation, we can simply search for a calculator and solve everything precisely.