Cambridge O Level Mathematics (Syllabus D) · Syllabus 4024 · Mensuration
Units of Measure
What is Units of Measure?
Metric units express how much of a quantity has been measured, and each quantity has its own dimension. A length uses a single conversion factor, an area uses that factor squared and a volume uses it cubed, because an area is a product of two lengths and a volume a product of three. In the metric system 1 m = 100 cm = 1000 mm and 1 km = 1000 m, so 1 square metre is 10 000 square centimetres and 1 cubic metre is 1 000 000 cubic centimetres. Capacity connects to volume through 1 cubic centimetre being 1 millilitre, 1000 cubic centimetres being 1 litre and 1 cubic metre being 1000 litres, and mass through 1000 grams being 1 kilogram.
This definition is part of the Mensuration chapter in Cambridge O Level Mathematics (Syllabus D).