Question Video: Converting from Tonnes to Grams

Video Transcript

Write in grams: 2.325 tonnes.

So we’ve been given a quantity expressed in tonnes and we want to convert it into grams. There’re perhaps two approaches that we could take. The first is a step-by-step approach, converting first from tonnes into kilograms and then from kilograms into grams.

To use this approach, we need to recall two key facts: firstly, that one tonne is equivalent to 1000 kilograms; secondly, that one kilogram is equivalent to 1000 grams. So we convert from tonnes into kilograms first of all by multiplying by 1000. Multiplying a decimal by 1000 causes the decimal point to move three places to the right: 2.325 multiplied by 1000 is 2325. So 2.325 tonnes is equivalent to 2325 kilograms.

To convert from kilograms to grams, we now multiply by 1000 again. As the number is an integer, multiplying by 1000 has the effect of adding three zeros to the end of the number, giving 2325000 grams. So that’s the first approach, which is to go step-by-step converting first from tonnes into kilograms and then from kilograms into grams. You may have chosen to use this approach as the conversion from tonnes to kilograms and kilograms to grams are perhaps more commonly remembered.

The second method is to take a direct approach and go straight from tonnes to grams in one step. To do so, we need to recall the conversion that one tonne is equivalent to 1000000 grams. Therefore, to find what 2.325 tonnes is equal to in grams, we multiply by 1000000.

This is equivalent to multiplying by 1000 and then multiplying by 1000 again as we did in the first approach. Of course, it gives the same result as the first method. 2.325 tonnes is equivalent to 2325000 grams.