How it works
This metric system quiz has 45 questions in three sets: what each prefix means, converting between them, and which unit and tool fit a measurement. Each answer comes with the reason, and missed questions come back.
Read the full guide
Three sets
Prefixes asks what kilo, centi, milli and the rest mean and which is bigger. Converting turns kilometers into meters and grams into kilograms. Units and tools covers the seven base units, the graduated cylinder and mass against weight.
For a class
Print, with a tick on With answer key, gives a paper round. The quiz uses US spellings, meter and liter, and deka for ten, as NIST writes them.
- Going to a smaller unit makes the number bigger: move the decimal point right one place for every step down the ladder.
- Small m is milli-, capital M is mega-, and μ is micro-.
Questions and answers
What are the metric prefixes in order?
From large to small: kilo (1,000), hecto (100), deka (10), the base unit, deci (0.1), centi (0.01) and milli (0.001). Beyond them come mega, giga and tera above, and micro, nano and pico below.
What are the base units of the metric system?
The SI has seven: the meter for length, kilogram for mass, second for time, ampere for current, kelvin for temperature, mole for amount of substance, candela for brightness. The liter is used alongside them.
Does the quiz convert between metric and US units?
No. It stays inside the metric system, the way a science class first teaches it. Inches, feet and pounds are not asked.