Question

Your teacher says, “There are 100 centimeters in a meter, and this fact is revealed in the unit’s name (centimeter). There are 3 feet in one yard, but this fact is not revealed in the unit’s name (yard).” Explain what your teacher means by this.

Answer 1

“There are 100 centimeters in a meter, and this fact is revealed in the unit’s name (centimeter).

In the metric system of measurement, the prefix "centi-" means 100.

And a centimeter is 1/100 of a meter.

"There are 3 feet in one yard, but this fact is not revealed in the unit’s name (yard).”

The above prefix format cannot be said about a yard because it is just an arbitrary term and does not have a prefix.

Answer 2

I think what the teacher wants to express is that SI units are much more convenient to use than English units because the prefixes of the metric system will give you an idea on the conversion factor. Unlike English units, like ft to yard, there is no prefix to help you. You have to know the fact that 1 yard is equal to 3 feet.