Topic Summaries

Units and prefixes

GCSE > Biology > WJEC > GCSE Biology Topic Summaries > Science skills: Measuring results > Units and prefixes
Previous Module
Next Module

Plant disease and monoclonal antibodies

The brain and the eye

Reproductive hormones and plant hormones

Genetic engineering and modification

Resource cycles and environmental change

Science skills: Measuring results

Unit Symbol Used to measure
Metre m Distance
Second s Time
Degrees Celsius ℃ Temperature
Litre L Volume
Grams g Mass
Joules J Energy
Coulombs C Charge
  • Some units are derived as combinations of other units. For example:
    • Speed in metres per second, m/s.
    • Area in metres squared, m2.
    • Rate in grams per second, g/s.
    • Density in kilograms per meter cubed, kg/m3.
  • Prefixes are added to units to indicate that they should be multiplied by a power of 10 to convert to the standard unit (e.g. 1 cm = 1 × 10–2 m). This makes them useful for very large or small values.
  • When substituting values into equations, their units must be converted to have the correct prefix first.
Unit Symbol Multiplier
tera- T 10¹²
giga- G 10⁹
mega- M 10⁶
kilo- k 10³
centi- c 10⁻²
milli- m 10⁻³
micro- µ 10⁻⁶
nano- n 10⁻⁹

Unlock Units and prefixes

Subscribe to SnapRevise+ to get immediate access to the rest of this resource.

Premium accounts get immediate access to this resource.

Previous Module
Next Module