It’s available at no charge in English or French. To read the SI standard, get a copy of the SI Brochure from the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). Refer to the question What’s a metric? (below) for other meanings of the word. People sometimes use “metric” or “metrics” as slang for “the metric system”, but this is not technically correct. Note that “metric” (in the context of the SI) is an adjective, not a noun: metric system, metric units, metric legislation, metric conversion, metric ton, etc. So, in the early days, the term “metric system” was ambiguous, leading to the term “modern metric system” to refer specifically to the SI.īut it’s been more than 50 years since the SI was defined, so for all practical purposes, today “the metric system” is synonymous with the SI. For example, the CGS system used the centimetre, gram, and second, and included now-obsolete units like the erg and dyne. The latter terms are used primarily in formal contexts.īefore the SI, there were older forms of the metric system that used different base units. “The metric system” is a nickname for the International System of Units, aka the SI. Generally, when used as a noun the abbreviation “SI” is preceded by the: “In the SI, the value of the velocity of light in vacuum is c = 299 792 458 m/s exactly.” Is there a difference between “the metric system” and the SI? But it’s useful to have a standard, international abbreviation, and that’s “SI” (all caps, no periods, pronounced as separate letters “ess eye”), derived from the French Système international d’unités but used in all languages. The name “The International System of Units” is, of course, translated appropriately in different languages. “mass” Is the International System of Units called “SI” in all languages? How can I type unit symbols such as m 2, ☌, N⋅m, and µm?.Does an exponent apply to the prefix as well as the unit?.How do you write units derived by multiplication or division?.How do you handle fractions of a metric unit?.What about the decimal point? I’ve seen a comma instead of a period.How about commas to separate groups of three digits?.Should there be a space between the number and a unit symbol?.Why does the base unit for mass, the kilogram, have a numeric prefix?.What about atmospheric pressure: hectopascals, kilopascals?.What about angles? Radians, steradians, degrees, ….Is it “kelvins” or “degrees Kelvin”? Celsius? Centigrade?.What about “K” for computer-related terms?.Is the litre the same as a cubic decimetre?.Are they spelled “metre” and “litre” or “meter” and “liter”?.How do you capitalize, abbreviate, and pluralize unit names and symbols?.Where can I find unit conversion factors or calculators?.Where can I get a list of SI prefixes and their origins?.How can I get a copy of the SI standard?.Is there a difference between “the metric system” and the SI?.Is the International System of Units called “SI” in all languages?.Long Division Calculator with Decimals to convert a fraction to a decimal and see the work involved in the long division. You may even recognize that 3/4 = 0.75 because 3 quarters equals 75 cents. Using long division to solve this problem by hand or in your head, reducing 9/12 = 3/4, might make the problem easier. You can reduce the fraction to lowest terms first to make the long division math a bit easier. Complete the division to convert the fraction to a decimal. If you need to do long division by hand put the top number of the fraction (numerator) inside the division bracket and the bottom number (denominator) outside, to the left of the division bracket.ġ/ 4 becomes 1 ÷ 4. How to Turn a Fraction into a Division Problemĭividing numbers is easy with a calculator. In a fraction, the fraction bar means "divided by." So to find the decimal equivalent of a fraction like 1/4 you need to solve the math problem: 1 divided by 4. This calculator shows the steps and work to convert a fraction to a decimal number. Convert proper and improper fractions to decimals.