ATI TEAS GUIDE TO MATH | MEASUREMENTS AND CONVERSIONS -

UNDERSTANDING MEASUREMENTS AND CONVERSIONS

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QUIZ QUESTIONS LISTED AT END OF REVIEW

Measurement and conversion questions are vitally important in any healthcare program, especially in nursing. You will be required to understand how to process these conversions to provide safe and efficient patient care through medication administration or other tasks. Measurement and conversion questions ask applicants to covert units of measurements between the metric system and English system.

ENGLISH SYSTEM CONVERSIONS

The English system of measurement uses weight, volume, and length as units of measure.

Weight is measured in ounces, pounds, and tons
Volume is measured in ounces, cups, pints, quarts, and gallons
Length is measured in inches, feet, yards, and miles

To understand conversions in the English system, you must know the equivalent measures for each step in the given measurement system. Here are some examples of measurement equivalents.

Measurement Type	Equivalents
Weight	16 ounces 2,000 pounds	= 1 pound = 1 ton
Volume	8 ounces 2 cups 2 pints 4 quarts	= 1 cup = 1 pint = 1 quart = 1 gallon
Length	12 inches 3 feet 5,280 feet	= 1 foot = 1 yard = 1 mile

METRIC SYSTEM CONVERSIONS

The metric system of measurement use weight, volume, and length, but it uses a different set of units for measurement.

The basic unit of weight measurement is the gram
The basic unit of volume measurement is the liter
The basic unit of length measurement is the meter

In the metric system, each unit of measurement starts with a prefix that indicates whether the measurement is smaller than the basic unit or larger than the basic unit. Here are some examples of measurement equivalents.

Prefix	Measurement Compared to Basic Unit	Weight	Volume	Length
Kilo-	1,000 times	Kilogram (kg)	Kiloliter (kL)	Kilometer (km)
Hecto-	100 times	Hectogram (hg)	Hectoliter (hL)	Hectometer (hm)
Deka-	10 times	Dekagram (dag)	Dekaliter (daL)	Dekameter (dam)
Basic Unit	Basic Unit	Gram (g)	Liter (L)	Meter (m)
Deci-	1/10	Decigram (dg)	Deciliter (dL)	Decimeter (dm)
Centi-	1/100	Centigram (cg)	Centiliter (cL)	Centimeter (cm)
Milli-	1/1,000	Milligram (mg)	Milliliter (mL)	Millimeter (mm)

UNDERSTANDING CONVERSIONS BETWEEN SYSTEMS

To convert between measurements in either English and metric systems, you need to know the approximate equivalents between different units. Here are some examples of measurement equivalents.

English Measurement	Metric Equivalent
1 kilogram	Approximately 2.2 pounds
1 liter	Approximately 1 quart
2.5 centimeters	Approximately 1 inch
1 meter	Approximately 1 yard

TEMPERATURE CONVERSIONS

In the English system of measurement, temperature is measured on the Fahrenheit scale. In the metric system of measurement, temperature is measured on the Celsius scale. Here are some examples of measurement equivalents.

	Celsius (Metric)	Fahrenheit (English)
Freezing Point	0	32
Body Temperature	37	98.6
Boiling Point	100	212

To obtain an approximation of Celsius Temperature from a Fahrenheit Measurement, subtract 30 and then divide the total by 2.

MEASUREMENT TOOLS ON THE ATI TEAS

Measurement tools are tested on the ATI TEAS using three categories, based on weight, volume, or length.

Measurement tools for weight
- Scales are used traditionally and vary in degrees of accuracy
Measurement tools for volume
- Pipettes are measuring tubes or drops to measure small amounts of liquid with high precision
- Measuring cups, flasks, and beakers provide less precise measurements for larger amounts of liquid
- Graduated cylinders vary in size and are less precise than pipettes but more precise than measuring cups, flasks, and beakers
Measurement tools for length
- Calipers are the most precise measuring tool and take measurements using two points
- Rulers are the next most precise tool, followed by yardsticks and metersticks
- Tape measures are used for measuring long distances
- Odometers measure the distance traveled by a vehicle and would be appropriate for the measurement taken in miles or kilometers