It makes sooooo much sense to me! All conversions between centimeter and meter and kilometer are related by powers of tens. And amazingly it's the same with grams and liters, too! For example: 1 kilogram equals 1000 grams and 1 gram equals 1000 mg. 100 centimeters equals 1 meter and 1 centimeter equals 10 millimeters. Should you need a refresher on converting within the metric system, here's a khan academy link: How to convert within the metric system
Contrast that efficient system with the American system of measurement, and your eyes can begin to glaze over. There are 12 inches to the foot, 3 feet to the yard, 5,280 feet to a mile. What, you say? How about 16 ounces to a pound and 2000 pounds to a ton. Then there's the ever confusing volume measurements: 3 teaspoons equals 1 Tablespoon, 16 Tablespoons equal 1 cup, 2 cups equal 1 pint, 2 pints equal 1 quart, 4 quarts equal 1 gallon. WOW! How many tablespoons in a gallon? Do I really NEED to know? (That's 16*2*2*4=256 Tablespoons in a Gallon!)
Here is a fun printable (free!) I found on Teachers Pay Teachers by The Lesson Plan Diva that can help. This is the little mnemonic that I learned a few years ago to help remember those tricky liquid volume conversions--cup, pint, quart, and gallon. The story takes place in the Land of Gallon where there are four Queens. Each Queen has a Prince and a Princess. Each Prince and Princess has two Children (I learned cats, but same idea). This fun little story helps you to remember 1 Gallon (Land of Gallon) equals 4 Quarts (Queens). Each Quart has 2 Pints (Prince/Princess), and each Pint has 2 cups (Children)!
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