If you are converting a smaller unit to a larger unit, then the decimal point has to move to the left (making your number smaller); if you are converting a larger unit to a smaller unit, then the deci...If you are converting a smaller unit to a larger unit, then the decimal point has to move to the left (making your number smaller); if you are converting a larger unit to a smaller unit, then the decimal point has to move to the right (making your number larger). To convert among units in the metric system, identify the unit that you have, the unit that you want to convert to, and then count the number of units to move between them.
A TV weatherman in San Diego may forecast a high of 89°, but a similar forecaster in Tijuana, Mexico—which is only 20 miles south—may look at the same weather pattern and say that the day’s high tempe...A TV weatherman in San Diego may forecast a high of 89°, but a similar forecaster in Tijuana, Mexico—which is only 20 miles south—may look at the same weather pattern and say that the day’s high temperature is going to be 32°. What’s going on here? The difference is that the two countries use different temperature scales. In the U.S, temperatures are usually measured using the Fahrenheit scale, while most countries that use the metric system use the Celsius scale to record temperatures.