if only the US used the metric system and not something like FURLONGS

why do they want to be so different so bad?

I don't understand the last question

1 mile = 8 furlongs and 10 furlongs will be x miles we will get x=10/8 miles time is 2 mins 2/60 to convert in hours and we have to find miles per hour = (10/8) / (2/60)

How the hell am I going to know these?? Pints,quarts,gallon,foot,inch,yard,mile . Do we need to remember it?

you do need to know common ones: like obviously 1 inch is 2.54 cm, obviously 1foot=12 inches, obviously 1 yard is 3 feet. But if SAT gives you one that's not so common, they'll tell u. Ive even seen them say something like "1 mile is 5280 feet"(!)

the thing is SAT is a logic-based test that is full of tricks yet still not even 1% difficult.

Sir, if you find it easy can you please give me any tips related to this topic because for me it's really confusing.

It´s not hard. I´m having trouble too, not getting right any of the harder examples, but it´s a matter of practice and studying a bit more it will fall in to place you´ll see :))

someone could pls explain the the relation between gallons pints and quarts

- 1 gallon = 4 quarts (So a gallon is 4x bigger than a quart, another way to see it is that there are 4 quarts (4/4) in a whole gallon) - 1 quart = 2 pints (so a quarter is 2x bigger than a pint) - With that, you can see that 1 gallon = 4 quarts = 8 (because of 2x4) pints I hope that helps! I'm not from the US so I'm not really used to their system, but that's how I managed to make some sense out of it

Main content

Course: Digital SAT Math > Unit 11

Lesson 2: Unit conversion: advanced

Unit conversion | Lesson

Google Classroom

A guide to unit conversion on the digital SAT

What is unit conversion?

We use units—such as hours, grams, and meters—to measure quantities like time, mass, and distance. But we can use a variety of units to measure the same thing. For example, inches, centimeters, and miles are all measures of distance.

Unit conversion lets us change the units in which a measurement is given.

In this lesson, we'll practice converting between units in a variety of scenarios.

Note: You'll be expected to know the unit equivalencies for time and for metric units of mass, distance, and volume. All other unit equivalencies will be provided for you.

You can learn anything. Let's do this!

How do we convert between units?

Khan Academy video wrapper

Measurement word problem: blood driveSee video transcript

Applying unit to unit ratios

On the SAT, the relationships between units will be provided to you in the form of a equivalency (e.g.,

1

foot

= 12

inches).

It's useful to think of this equivalency as a ratio (e.g.,

1

foot :

12

inches or

\frac{1 foot}{12 inches}

). You'll then multiply the initial measurement by that ratio to convert from one unit to the other.

Note: It's important to remember that every unit (besides the unit you're looking for) should appear once in the numerator and once in the denominator. That way, all other units can be cancelled out!

For example, to convert

2,000

grams to kilograms:

2,000 grams \cdot \frac{1 kilogram}{1,000 grams} = 2 kilograms

2,000

grams is equal to

2

kilograms.

As long as we set up our ratios correctly, this process will work no matter how many conversion steps we need.

Example:

\begin{aligned} 1 yard = 3 feet \\ 12 inches = 1 foot \end{aligned}

How many inches are in one yard?

Converting units within rates

You may be asked to convert units that appear within a rate. This can feel tricky, since rates are the quotient of two different units, e.g.,

\frac{miles}{hour}

But don't worry! The same rules apply as with any unit conversion: just make sure that the units you want to eliminate appear in both the numerator and denominator of your conversion operation.

Example: A whitetail deer can run at a maximum speed of

30

miles per hour. What is a whitetail deer's maximum speed in feet per minute? (

1

mile

= 5,280

feet)

Try it!

Try: Set up a unit conversion

You're provided a measurement in cubic centimeters. You're told that

1

cubic centimeter is equal to

1

milliliter (

1

cubic centimeter

= 1

milliliter) and that

1

fluid ounce is equal to about

29.57

milliliters (

1

ounce

\approx 29.57

milliliters).

Which of the following operations would convert the initial measurement (

x

) into fluid ounces?

(Choice A)
$x cubic centimeters \cdot \frac{1 cubic centimeter}{1 ounce} \cdot \frac{29.57 ounce}{1 milliliter}$ ‍
(Choice B)
$x cubic centimeters \cdot \frac{1 milliliter}{1 cubic centimeter} \cdot \frac{1 ounce}{29.57 milliliter}$ ‍
(Choice C)
$x cubic centimeters \cdot \frac{1 milliliter}{1 cubic centimeter} \cdot \frac{29.57 milliliters}{1 ounce}$ ‍

Your turn!

Practice: convert units in one step

Ranjit wants to measure the length of a table, but has no ruler or tape measure. Using what he has at hand, he finds that the table is about as long as

6

unsharpened pencils laid tip to tip. If each unsharpened pencil measures

18

centimeters in length, what is the length of the table, in centimeters?

Practice: Use a rate to convert units

A marble slab in the shape of a right rectangular prism has dimensions of

100

centimeters by

80

centimeters by

5

centimeters. The slab has a density of

2.6

grams per cubic centimeter. What is the mass of the marble slab, in grams? (Density is mass per unit volume.)

Practice: Convert units in multiple steps

The Kentucky Derby is a horse race run over a distance of

10

furlongs. The fastest Derby winners complete the race in about

2

minutes. To the nearest tenth of a mile per hour, how fast must a horse run to complete the Derby in

2

minutes? (

1

mile

= 8

furlongs)

Want to join the conversation?

Sort by:

Mark Salmo
Posted a year ago. Direct link to Mark Salmo's post “if only the US used the m...”
if only the US used the metric system and not something like FURLONGS
Button navigates to signup pageComment on Mark Salmo's post “if only the US used the m...”
(256 votes)
Answer
- alexandra
  Posted 4 months ago. Direct link to alexandra's post “why do they want to be so...”
  why do they want to be so different so bad?
  Comment on alexandra's post “why do they want to be so...”
  (65 votes)
mohamedthunder2000
Posted a year ago. Direct link to mohamedthunder2000's post “The entire world agrees o...”
The entire world agrees on KM ,Kg , etc. us nah we this is better and no one would need to know them , like at least give us a sheet before entering a country or American based exams like “Sheet of US measuring for dummies”.
Button navigates to signup pageButton navigates to signup page
(108 votes)
Answer
zainab
Posted 10 months ago. Direct link to zainab's post “I don't understand the la...”
I don't understand the last question
Button navigates to signup pageComment on zainab's post “I don't understand the la...”
(27 votes)
Answer
- Hassaan
  Posted 10 months ago. Direct link to Hassaan's post “1 mile = 8 furlongs and 1...”
  1 mile = 8 furlongs and 10 furlongs will be x miles we will get x=10/8 miles
  time is 2 mins
  2/60 to convert in hours
  and we have to find miles per hour = (10/8) / (2/60)
  Comment on Hassaan's post “1 mile = 8 furlongs and 1...”
  (45 votes)
Sofia Negretti
Posted a year ago. Direct link to Sofia Negretti's post “which unit conversions do...”
which unit conversions do we need to know? bc outside of the us very few people know pints, gallons, feet etc
Button navigates to signup pageComment on Sofia Negretti's post “which unit conversions do...”
(34 votes)
Answer
ernatali21st
Posted 6 months ago. Direct link to ernatali21st's post “The rest of the world: 10...”
The rest of the world: 10 km per hour
US: one hamburger per coke
Button navigates to signup pageComment on ernatali21st's post “The rest of the world: 10...”
(31 votes)
Answer
anupchalise03
Posted 10 months ago. Direct link to anupchalise03's post “How the hell am I going t...”
How the hell am I going to know these??
Pints,quarts,gallon,foot,inch,yard,mile .
Do we need to remember it?
Button navigates to signup pageButton navigates to signup page
(22 votes)
Answer
- Forever Learner
  Posted 10 months ago. Direct link to Forever Learner's post “you do need to know commo...”
  you do need to know common ones: like obviously 1 inch is 2.54 cm, obviously 1foot=12 inches, obviously 1 yard is 3 feet. But if SAT gives you one that's not so common, they'll tell u. Ive even seen them say something like "1 mile is 5280 feet"(!)
  Comment on Forever Learner's post “you do need to know commo...”
  (12 votes)
Lostengarden
Posted a year ago. Direct link to Lostengarden's post “this is hard :C”
this is hard :C
Button navigates to signup pageButton navigates to signup page
(12 votes)
Answer
- João Duarte
  Posted a year ago. Direct link to João Duarte's post “It´s not hard. I´m having...”
  It´s not hard. I´m having trouble too, not getting right any of the harder examples, but it´s a matter of practice and studying a bit more it will fall in to place you´ll see :))
  Comment on João Duarte's post “It´s not hard. I´m having...”
  (18 votes)
Larissa Rampazzo
Posted a year ago. Direct link to Larissa Rampazzo's post “someone could pls explain...”
someone could pls explain the the relation between gallons pints and quarts
Button navigates to signup pageComment on Larissa Rampazzo's post “someone could pls explain...”
(6 votes)
Answer
- Menrva
  Posted a year ago. Direct link to Menrva's post “- 1 gallon = 4 quarts (So...”
  - 1 gallon = 4 quarts (So a gallon is 4x bigger than a quart, another way to see it is that there are 4 quarts (4/4) in a whole gallon)
  - 1 quart = 2 pints (so a quarter is 2x bigger than a pint)
  - With that, you can see that 1 gallon = 4 quarts = 8 (because of 2x4) pints
  
  I hope that helps! I'm not from the US so I'm not really used to their system, but that's how I managed to make some sense out of it
  Comment on Menrva's post “- 1 gallon = 4 quarts (So...”
  (27 votes)
Ali Zen
Posted a year ago. Direct link to Ali Zen's post “the thing is SAT is a log...”
the thing is SAT is a logic-based test that is full of tricks yet still not even 1% difficult.
Button navigates to signup pageComment on Ali Zen's post “the thing is SAT is a log...”
(14 votes)
Answer
- kainatss04
  Posted 9 months ago. Direct link to kainatss04's post “Sir, if you find it easy ...”
  Sir, if you find it easy can you please give me any tips related to this topic because for me it's really confusing.
  Button navigates to signup page
  (7 votes)
Raahim Khan
Posted a year ago. Direct link to Raahim Khan's post “Why is this so confusing?”
Why is this so confusing?
Button navigates to signup pageButton navigates to signup page
(17 votes)
Answer
- fathah991
  Posted a year ago. Direct link to fathah991's post “its ezy man comment if u ...”
  its ezy man comment if u need any help
  Comment on fathah991's post “its ezy man comment if u ...”
  (1 vote)