Prefixes Converter - Convert Metric Prefixes (kilo, mega, giga, nano, micro)
Result:
1 k = 0.001 M
How Prefix Conversion Works
Input Value
Enter prefix value
Select Prefixes
Choose from and to prefixes
Convert
Apply conversion formula
Prefix Conversion Formulas
Basic Formula
Result = Input × (From Factor / To Factor)
Example: 5 kilo to mega
5 × (10³ / 10⁶) = 5 × 0.001 = 0.005
Power of 10 Method
Move decimal point by exponent difference
Example: 2 giga to kilo
2 × 10⁹ → 2 × 10⁶ = 2,000,000
Scientific Notation
Express in powers of 10
Example: 3 nano to micro
3 × 10⁻⁹ → 3 × 10⁻⁶ = 0.003
Step-by-Step
1. Convert to base unit
2. Convert to target prefix
Example: 4 milli to centi
4 × 10⁻³ → 4 → 4 × 10⁻² = 0.4
Prefix Conversion Table
| Prefix | Symbol | Factor | Decimal | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tera | T | 10¹² | 1,000,000,000,000 | 1 TB = 1000 GB |
| Giga | G | 10⁹ | 1,000,000,000 | 1 GB = 1000 MB |
| Mega | M | 10⁶ | 1,000,000 | 1 MB = 1000 kB |
| Kilo | k | 10³ | 1,000 | 1 km = 1000 m |
| Hecto | h | 10² | 100 | 1 hm = 100 m |
| Deka | da | 10¹ | 10 | 1 dam = 10 m |
| Base | - | 10⁰ | 1 | 1 m = 1 m |
| Deci | d | 10⁻¹ | 0.1 | 1 dm = 0.1 m |
| Centi | c | 10⁻² | 0.01 | 1 cm = 0.01 m |
| Milli | m | 10⁻³ | 0.001 | 1 mm = 0.001 m |
| Micro | μ | 10⁻⁶ | 0.000001 | 1 μm = 0.000001 m |
| Nano | n | 10⁻⁹ | 0.000000001 | 1 nm = 10⁻⁹ m |
| Pico | p | 10⁻¹² | 0.000000000001 | 1 pm = 10⁻¹² m |
| Femto | f | 10⁻¹⁵ | 0.000000000000001 | 1 fm = 10⁻¹⁵ m |
| Atto | a | 10⁻¹⁸ | 0.000000000000000001 | 1 am = 10⁻¹⁸ m |
Prefix Scale Visualization
Practice Problems
Problem 1:
Convert 5 kilograms to grams
Solution: 5 × 10³ = 5,000 grams
Problem 2:
Convert 2.5 gigabytes to megabytes
Solution: 2.5 × 10³ = 2,500 MB
Problem 3:
Convert 750 millimeters to meters
Solution: 750 × 10⁻³ = 0.75 meters
Problem 4:
Convert 3 micrometers to nanometers
Solution: 3 × 10³ = 3,000 nanometers
Problem 5:
Convert 0.5 terabytes to gigabytes
Solution: 0.5 × 10³ = 500 gigabytes
Daily Uses of Metric Prefixes
Computer storage measured in gigabytes and terabytes
Medicine dosages often use milligrams and micrograms
Distance measurements use kilometers and millimeters
Electrical power consumption measured in kilowatts
Scientific measurements use nano and micro scales