SI Conversions

[Dominic Benna 2E]

Will we have to know how to convert between kg to g or km to m for the midterm?

[Carolina 3E]

I don't know if we will be given easy units that don't have to be converted, but it is best to know how to convert units since we already have to do that in Sapling and textbook problems

[AustinMcBrideDis3L]

I think you should be able to use the most common conversions such as km to m and kg to g as well as picometers and nanometers as they have been in many practice problems.

[Serena Song 1A]

To be on the safe side, it's probably best to memorize the more common conversions. One trick is to memorize the prefixes! (ex. kilo detonates 1000x, so 1 km = 1000m and 1 kg = 1000g). There's also angstrom, which represents 10^-10.

[Marcus Lagman 2A]

Hello,

Looking at the Constants and Equations sheet we have to print for the midterm, conversions of kg to g, nm to m, Å to m, and pm to m are listed. However, I would definitely study the other SI conversions as they will save you a lot of time in the midterm! The textbook and on Lavelle's Chem 14A website has resources for conversions! I hope this helps.

[SophiaNguyen_2L]

I think it's good for us to memorize how to convert from m to km and g to kg. I like to think of kilo as 10^3, which means I'd just have to move the decimal place 3 times. When going from m to km, you move it 3 places to the left. From km to m, you move it 3 places to the right. Same idea for grams and kilograms.

[Hailey Qasawadish 2J]

There are unit conversions on the equation sheet, so be familiar with them, and I would also just make sure that you know how to apply the conversion factors! Although, I do think memorizing these more simple ones would be very helpful.

[Kayla Booker 1F]

I think it’s good to memorize them just in case, but I’m pretty sure they will be on the constants and formula sheet.

[David Facio 1K]

I think it would be prudent to fully understand unit conversions. It will not only be beneficial for the midterm, but also for other classes you may take in the future. We still have a whole weekend left before the midterm. I recommend reviewing SI conversions if you have the time to squeeze it into your study schedule. It can only help!

[Melody Haratian 2J]

I think knowing the SI unit conversions of:
Kilo= 10³
Centi=10^-2
Milli=10^-3
Micro=10^-6
Nano=10^-9
Angstrom=10^-10
Will be very useful for the exam. The other conversions needed ( from eV to Joules, etc..) are on the formula sheet.

[Kelly Ha 1K]

Knowing SI unit conversions would be very helpful on the test and just to know in general as a fundamental topic. I believe there was a SI unit conversion step in the practice test on Respondus last week (I know it's probably not the same type of problem but since it was on the practice test I think it's safe to assume Dr. Lavelle expects us to memorize at least the basic ones). Like someone stated in a previous post, it also helps to know the prefixes (ie: kilo = x10^3, milli = x10^-3). Knowing SI unit conversions will save you lots of time when doing problems, especially on the midterm!

[Kaihan_Danesh_2J]

I believe so because many of the spectroscopy questions require that the answer for wavelength be given in nanometers or some unit that makes the answer practical. For example, writing wavelength in meters would not be proper because wavelength is so small.