Unit conversion is the process of converting the measurement of a physical quantity from one unit of measurement to another. There are three major unit systems used worldwide: the International System of Units (SI, also known as the metric system), the Imperial/US Customary system, and various traditional units. The metric system uses meters, kilograms, and seconds as base units and is the official standard in most countries. Imperial units (feet, pounds, Fahrenheit) are primarily used in the United States and partially in the UK. Chinese traditional units include li, zhang, chi, cun (length), jin, liang (mass), and mu (area), which remain common in daily life.
Length conversions are based on the meter (m): 1 kilometer = 1000 meters, 1 centimeter = 0.01 meters, 1 inch = 0.0254 meters (2.54 cm), 1 foot = 0.3048 meters, 1 mile = 1609.344 meters. Mass conversions are based on the kilogram (kg): 1 gram = 0.001 kg, 1 pound ≈ 0.4536 kg, 1 ounce ≈ 28.35 g.
Temperature conversion differs from proportional length/mass conversions because scales have different zero points: Celsius sets water's freezing point at 0°C and boiling point at 100°C; Fahrenheit uses 32°F (freezing) and 212°F (boiling); Kelvin starts at absolute zero (0 K = -273.15°C). Conversions require both offset and scaling.
Area conversions are based on the square meter: 1 km² = 1,000,000 m², 1 hectare = 10,000 m², 1 square foot ≈ 0.0929 m², 1 acre ≈ 4046.86 m². For volume: 1 cubic meter = 1000 liters, 1 liter = 1000 milliliters, 1 US gallon ≈ 3.785 liters, 1 UK gallon ≈ 4.546 liters.
Data storage uses binary prefixes: 1 KB = 1024 B, 1 MB = 1024 KB, 1 GB = 1024 MB, 1 TB = 1024 GB. Note that hard drive manufacturers often use decimal prefixes (1 GB = 1000 MB) for labeling, while operating systems use binary, causing reported capacity to be slightly less than advertised.