When multiplying conversion factors, make sure the only remaining units are the desired units.
4.5ft, 1.3m, 120cm, 48 in.
Practice makes perfect
We are asked to order the following set of measures from greatest to least.
4.5ft, 48 in., 1.3m, 120cm
Let's start by expressing each measure in the same unit. In this case, we can write each measure in feet. First, we will express 48 inches in feet.
48 in.= ft
To do so, we will use the fact that 1 foot equals 12 inches. Let's write this relationship as a unit ratio.
12 in./1ftTo perform the conversion, we need to multiply 48 inches by the unit ratio or its reciprocal. Remember, we want to arrange these ratios such that every unit we do not want gets canceled out and only the units that we want will remain.
We got that 48 inches is equal to 4 feet. Next, we will express 1.3 meters in feet.
1.3m= ft
In this case, we will use the fact that 1 foot equals about 0.30 meters. We can write this relationship as a unit ratio.
0.30 m/1ft
Similar as before, we need to multiply 1.3 meters by the unit ratio or its reciprocal to perform the conversion. When multiplying conversion factors, we need to make sure the only remaining units are the desired units.
Therefore, 1.3 meters is equal to about 4.33 feet. Finally, we will write 120 centimeters in feet.
120cm= ft
Let's start by organizing the relationships between the units in a table.
Relationship
Unit Ratio
1meter = 100centimeters
100cm/1m
1foot ≈ 0.30meter
0.30m/1ft
To perform this conversion, we need to multiply 120 centimeters by each unit ratio or its reciprocal. Again, we want to arrange these ratios such that every unit we do not want gets canceled out and only the units that we want will remain.
We got that 120 centimeters is equal to about 4 feet. Now we can compare the measures.
4 ft = 4 ft < 4.33 ft < 4.5ft
↓
48 in. = 120cm < 1.3m < 4.5ft
Finally, we will order the measures from greatest to least.
4.5ft, 1.3m, 120cm, 48 in.
