Conversion Question

[ElectronicsFanatic]

For some reason I have really confused myself on how to do these homework assignments that are asking me to complete the conversions.

Here is one:
0.0001 MHz = ______Hz
What is throwing me off is that it is saying .0001Mkz. I am thinking that i would need to reduce this number to make it smaller since Hz is smaller than MHz so I am coming up with this number:
.1 x 10^-9

Am I doing this right? I don't get the feeling that I am doing this right? Could you send some hints my way?

[bertus]

Hello,

Have a look at this page:
http://www.simetric.co.uk/siprefix.htm

Bertus

[ElectronicsFanatic]

Ok I have looked at the metric system prefixes and what is confusing me so much is the fact that it says 0.0001Mhz. I haven't had to deal with decimals like this before. When it says Mhz I think 1,000,000. But the way that my brain is telling me is that this is supposed to be 100μHz but it is in Mhz with μHz notation.

So if i follow the chart you provided i would need to get rid of 6 decimal places to make it 100Hz?

[bertus]

Hello,

Yes, 100 Hz is the correct answer.

Bertus

[ElectronicsFanatic]

Ok, Thanks for the help. I know this is pretty easy, but I got myself all mixed up somehow and needed a push in the right direction again.

[MrChips]

Use



Hence

[WBahn]

Here is one place where using the units can really help out. Here is one way to approach it:



Your goal is to find the value of 'x' that makes this expression true and you will accomplish by multiplying the right hand side by values of 1 (so the value is not changed) but choosing how you express the value of 1 such that the units do change.



Here we have just multiplied the right hand side by 1, since the numerator (10^6Hz) is equal to the denominator (1MHz).



Here we have just rearranged factors, nothing more.



Here we have merely carried out the math and removed factors that cancel.

Another way to approach it is to treat the prefix as what it is, a multiplier separate from what it is multiplying: