Program Information

How long is a meter?

NASA Kids Science News Network™ is a news-style standards-based program that uses the Web, animation, and video to introduce science, technology, engineering, math, and NASA concepts. NASA's KSNN™ uses animated characters (grades K-2) and Web and video technology (grades 3-5) to explain everyday phenomena of our world, correct misconceptions, and answer frequently asked questions.

Transcript

Hi, I'm Jacob Pennington
with more math news you can use.

We all know that the meter
is a basic unit of length
in the metric system.

But how long is a meter?

Let's figure it out.

A dime is
about 1 millimeter thick.

That's small.

(Jacob)
Sure is.

Now watch.

There are 10 millimeters
in a centimeter,
10 centimeters in a decimeter,
and 10 decimeters in a meter.

Hey, everything
is grouped by tens.

You've got it.

A meter is 10 decimeters long,
100 centimeters long,
1,000 millimeters long.

Whew, you said a mouthful.

Until next time,
I'm Jacob Pennington
with more math news you can use.

Virginia Standards