Engineering problems often span a wide range of magnitudes, requiring prefixes to simplify representation.
For example, a steel cable's weight may be in kilonewtons (kN), while the stress might be measured in megapascals (MPa).
Prefix
Symbol
Factor
Scientific Notation
Kilo
k
1,000
103
Mega
M
1,000,000
106
Giga
G
1,000,000,000
109
Micro
µ
0.000001
10-6
Milli
m
0.001
10-3
Nano
n
0.000000001
10-9
Common Conversion Table
Statics often involves forces, moments, lengths, and stresses. This table focuses on conversions commonly used in statics problems.
Quantity
Conversion
Time
1 hr = 60 min
Time
1 min = 60 s
Length
1 in = 25.4 mm
Length
1 ft = 12 in
Length
1 m = 1.09361 yd
Mass
1 slug = 14.5939 kg
Force
1 lb = 4.4482 N
Unit Conversion Examples
Example 1: Convert a speed of 60 mph to km/s. 1 mile = 1.60934 km.
Example 2: Convert a volume of 2 m³ to yard³.
Example 4: Calculate pressure in psi for a stress of 500 MPa.
Example 5: Determine the moment in lb-ft given a torque of 100 N-m.
Click to show the answer
Example 1: Convert a speed of 60 mph to km/s. 1 mile = 1.60934 km.