Question #a28f9
1 Answer
It is how to convert from one unit to another.
Explanation:
For example, there are 1,000 grams in 1 kilogram. That's a conversion factor.
Others include:
- 100 centimeters in 1 meter.
- 60 seconds in 1 minute.
- Etc.
Conversion factors are used in dimensional analysis to convert from one unit to another easily.
For example, say we need to know how many millimeters are in 1.3 kilometers.
Step 1: Use the conversion factor of kilometers to meters
Notice how the units of kilometers cancel out (1 is on top, other is on bottom).
Step 2: Use the conversion factor of meters to centimeters.
Again, the units of meters cancel out and the unit we are left with is centimeters, which hasn't gotten canceled by anything.
Step 3: Use the conversion factor of centimeters to millimeters.
OPTIONAL: This process can all be done in one continuous string by just combining all of the steps above into 1 like so:
Hope this helps!