Metric Conversion Card (SP 365)

Credit: NIST

Metric Conversion Card (SP 365) 

Edition: 2024

Summary

NIST SP 365, Metric Conversion Card is a laminated wallet-size card that includes an 8 cm and 80 mm ruler with approximate unit conversion factors between common International System of Units (SI) and U.S. customary measurement units for length, area, mass, volume, and temperature (exact formula). This job aid is useful for making quick mathematical unit conversion calculations. 

Did you know that you can obtain a free set of metric education resources for use in your classroom? Contact the NIST Metric Program at TheSI [at] nist.gov (TheSI[at]nist[dot]gov) and include your name, school, subject, grade level, phone number, and U.S. mailing address. Publication requests may also be made using the OWM Contacts System. The NIST SI Teacher Kit contains a curated collection of instructional measurement resources. A metric conversion card is a valuable tool for science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) classrooms.

Learning Objectives 

• Use the card to perform quick approximate unit conversions between SI and non-SI (U.S. customary) units for length, area, mass, volume, and temperature.
• Use the ruler to measure small objects in millimeters (mm) and centimeters (cm).

Materials

• NIST SP 365, Metric Conversion Card.

Safety

• Handle the laminated card with care to prevent damage and wear.
• Supervise young learners during measurement activities to prevent misuse of measuring tools.

Teaching Tips

• Use the Top 10 Tips for Teaching the Metric System. 
  • Make measurements with metric tools. Measurement concepts are meaningfully established through hands-on activities. Application, not memorization, is the key to success! The SI is easy to learn when taught using metric tools. 
  • Practice building proficiency and confidence in making measurements. Measurement involves doing.
  • Develop reference points. How long? How big? How small? It’s important for students to gradually develop an intuitive feeling for the magnitude of commonly used metric units, including the millimeter (mm) and centimeter (cm). 
  • Use an interdisciplinary approach. Bring the SI into classrooms at every opportunity, including during instruction in language arts, fine arts, social sciences, industrial arts, vocational technologies, consumer studies, and physical fitness. For example, origami combines art, geometry, and engineering while applying metric length, area, and volume measurements.
  • Teach non-SI unit conversions only when required. teach the metric system without making any comparisons to non-SI measurements. After students become proficient in using the metric system and are comfortable applying SI measurements, they may encounter applications that require making mathematical unit conversions between SI and non-SI units.
• Discuss why a unit conversion may be necessary for a specific application. 
• Identify at least 3 risks related to unit conversion calculations.
• Demonstrate how to use the Metric Conversion Card (NIST SP 365) to make approximate mathematical conversions between SI and U.S. customary units using the provided conversion factors.
• Engage students with practical exercises where they convert measurements using the card. 
• Demonstrate how to use the metric ruler, emphasizing how to read the different scales, including millimeters (mm) and centimeters (cm).
• Engage students in practical exercises, such as measuring objects in the classroom with the metric ruler. Estimate the length of objects, then verify their length with the metric ruler.

Classroom Connections

• Metric Publications
• NIST Special Publications (SP)
• SI Units
• Fundamental Physical Constants
• Meet the Constants
• Definitions of SI Base Units
• SI Units – Length
• SI Units – Time
• SI Units – Amount of substance
• SI Units – Electric current
• SI Units – Temperature
• SI Units – Luminous intensity
• SI Units – Mass
• SI Units – Area
• SI Units – Volume
• SI Prefixes
• Unit Conversion

Additional Resources 

• SI Teacher Kit
• SI Units Card Deck (SP 1297)
• SI Base Units Relationships Poster (NIST SP 1247)
• The International System of Units (SI) (NIST SP 330)
• Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (NIST SP 811)
• Metric Pyramid (LC 1140)
• Metric Ruler (SP 376)
• Metric Bookmark
• Metric Children’s Activity Card
• SI Measurement System Chart
• Measurement League: Guardians of the SI Superhero Card Set
• Top 10 Tips for Teaching the Metric System
• Busting Myths about the Metric System
• Education Metrication