Measurement Conversions

Grade 4 Mathematics

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The Big Idea

Converting measurements means changing from one unit to another.

Smaller units = MULTIPLY (more pieces) | Larger units = DIVIDE (fewer pieces)

Customary Length

12 inches= 1 foot
3 feet= 1 yard
36 inches= 1 yard
5,280 feet= 1 mile

Customary Capacity

2 cups= 1 pint
2 pints= 1 quart
4 quarts= 1 gallon
16 cups= 1 gallon

Customary Weight

16 ounces= 1 pound
2,000 pounds= 1 ton

Metric System (10s!)

10 mm= 1 cm
100 cm= 1 m
1,000 m= 1 km
1,000 mL= 1 L
1,000 g= 1 kg

Conversion Strategy: Ask Yourself TWO Questions

Going to a SMALLER unit?
MULTIPLY
5 feet = ? inches
5 x 12 = 60 inches
Going to a LARGER unit?
DIVIDE
48 inches = ? feet
48 / 12 = 4 feet

Gallon Guy Helps with Capacity!

1 Gallon
The whole
=
4 Quarts
Q Q Q Q
=
8 Pints
P P P P P P P P
=
16 Cups
C C C C...

Worked Examples

Example 1: Convert 7 yards to feet
1. Am I going to smaller or larger units? Smaller (feet are smaller than yards)
2. So I multiply! 7 x 3 = 21 feet
Example 2: Convert 3,500 grams to kilograms
1. Am I going to smaller or larger units? Larger (kg is bigger than g)
2. So I divide! 3,500 / 1,000 = 3.5 kg (or just move decimal 3 places left)

Your Turn: Practice Problems

1. Convert 4 feet to inches:

4 feet = inches

2. Convert 6 quarts to pints:

6 quarts = pints

3. Convert 72 inches to feet:

72 inches = feet

4. Convert 5,000 milliliters to liters:

5,000 mL = L

5. Convert 3 gallons to cups:

3 gallons = cups

FAST Success Kit | Grade 4 | FL B.E.S.T. Standards: MA.4.M.1.1-1.2