Final answer:
Unit conversion in math involves changing quantities from one unit system to another without changing the value. To convert 11 km to meters, multiply by the conversion factor of 1000 meters per kilometer, resulting in 11000 meters. Accuracy is critical in setting conversion factors to ensure units cancel correctly.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Unit Conversion
Unit conversion in mathematics involves changing a quantity expressed in one unit to an equivalent quantity in another unit, while keeping the value the same. The unit conversion example presented focuses on converting kilometers to meters, which is a common question in math involving metric system conversions.
As a general fact, 1 kilometer is equivalent to 1000 meters. This can be stated as a conversion factor: 1 km = 1000 m. To convert kilometers to meters, you multiply the distance in kilometers by this conversion factor.
For instance, to convert 11 kilometers to meters, we set up the following proportion:
- Number of meters (x) / 11 km = 1000 m / 1 km
By cross-multiplying and solving for x, we find that x = 11 * 1000, which gives us 11000 meters. This is the distance in meters for 11 kilometers.
Remember, when converting from a smaller unit to a larger one, such as millimeters to kilometers, one must divide and move the decimal point appropriately. In the metric system, because there are 1,000 millimeters in a meter and 1,000 meters in a kilometer, you would move the decimal point six places to the left when converting from millimeters to kilometers.
To perform the unit conversion accurately, it is important to write the conversion factor correctly. If reversed, units will not cancel.