Page
Lesson 14 โ Activity 2: Mass
Lesson 14 โ Activity 2: Mass
Getting Ready
In this activity, you will practise converting measurements of mass from imperial to metric units.
Think about This:
Did you know that truck drivers must keep track of the mass of their vehicles and their loads? If they carry too much mass, it can damage roads and the vehicleโs suspension and cost the driver a fine at vehicle weigh stations located along highways.
(Adapted from K&E Studio.)There are three main conversions when dealing with converting mass from imperial measure to metric measure. They are:
- ounces to grams
- pounds to kilograms
- short tons to metric tons
To convert from ounces (oz) to grams (g), use the formula:
# of ounces x 28.35 =
For example, if you wanted to know how many grams were in 21 ounces, you would calculate it this way:
21 x 28.35 = 595.35 g
To convert from pounds (lb) to kilograms (kg), use the formula:
# of pounds x 0.454 =
For example, if you wanted to know how many kilograms were in 240 pounds, you would calculate it this way:
240 x 0.454 = 109 kg
To convert from short tons (T) to metric tons (t), use the formula:
# of short tons x 0.907 =
For example, if you wanted to know how many metric tons were in 10 short tons, you would calculate it this way:
10 x 0.907 = 9.07 t
NOTE: Metric tons can also be written as tonnes.
Try This:
A semi-trailer truck weighs 55 short tons. How many metric tons is this? 
55 x 0.907 = 49.89 t
The truck weighs 49.89 metric tons.
Images courtesy of www.imagesgoogle.com