Conversions and

Dimensional Analysis
Tuesday September 6th
Conversion Factors
Conversion factor: ratio derived from the equality between two different units than can be
used to convert from one unit to the other
Conversion factors are EXACT NUMBERS

There are 60 seconds to a minute, 60 minutes to an hour, and 24 hours to a day

60 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠 60 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 24 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠

1 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒 1 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟 1 𝑑𝑎𝑦

Knowing these conversion factors allows us to change between units

24 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 60 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 60 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠
1 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑥 𝑥 𝑥
1 𝑑𝑎𝑦 1 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟 1 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒
= 86,400 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠
Dimensional Analysis
Dimensional Analysis: a mathematical technique that allows us to convert between
and use units to solve problems involving measurements

𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡
𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤

Quantity given x conversion factor(s) = quantity sought

24 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 60 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 60 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠

1 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑥 1 𝑑𝑎𝑦
𝑥 1 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟
𝑥 1 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒
= 86,400 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠
 Using conversion factors in DA

24 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 60 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠 60 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠

1 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑥 𝑥 𝑥
1 𝑑𝑎𝑦 1 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟 1 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒

Photo courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

SI Conversions
Prefix Name Prefix Symbol Multiplication Factor
tera T 1,000,000,000,000 (1 x 1012)
giga G 1,000,000,000 (1 x 109)
mega M 1,000,000 (1 x 106)
kilo k 1,000 (1 x 103)
hecto h 100 (1 x 102)
deka da 10 (1 x 101)
Base unit Meters, seconds, grams, etc 1
deci d 0.1 (1 x 10-1)
centi c 0.01 (1 x 10-2)
milli m 0.001 (1 x 10-3)
micro μ 0.000001 (1 x 10-6)
nano n 0.000000001 (1 x 10-9)
pico p 0.000000000001 (1 x 10-12)