Decimeters and dekameters measure distance in the metric system. The meter is the base unit of distance in the metric system, with the prefixes "deci-" and "deka-" representing various distance lengths. Decimeters are abbreviated "dm" and dekameters are abbreviated "dam." The prefix "deci-" stands for 0.1, meaning a decimeter equals 0.1 meters. The prefix "deka-" stands for 10, meaning a dekameter equals 10 meters. Therefore, it takes 100 decimeters to equal one dekameter. You can convert from decimeters to dekameters through either multiplication or division.
Instructions
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Divide the number of decimeters by 100 to convert to dekameters. For example, if you have 50 decimeters, divide 50 by 100 to get 0.5 dekameters.
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Multiply the number of decimeters by 0.01 to convert to dekameters. In this example, confirm your answer by multiplying 50 by 0.01 to get 0.5 dam.
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Check your answer with an online decimeters-to-dekameters calculator. Enter the number of decimeters and the site will display the number of dekameters.