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Advice from the experts
Tips for Going Metric
Remember these tips when using the metric system.
Tip
Example
Use the correct abbreviation for each unit of measurement. The abbreviation always follows a number that represents a quantity.
Five kilograms is abbreviated as 5 kg. Five and one-half milligrams is abbreviated as 5.5 mg.
Use decimal fractions to represent a part of a whole.
2.5 mg represents 2 milligrams plus five out of ten parts of 1 milligram.
Place a zero before the decimal point for amounts that are less than 1 to reduce reading errors.
0.5 mg, 0.2 mL, and 0.65 mcg are less than 1.
Eliminate extra zeros so they aren't misread.
Use 5 mg (not 5.0 mg) and 0.5 mL (not 0.500 mL).
