A centigram is a rarely used unit of measurement in the International and Metric System of Units, equivalent to one hundredth of a gram. It is primarily used in laboratories and is related to the gram and kilogram. A centigram balance is used to measure the mass of an object to the nearest 0.01 gram.
A centigram is a unit of measurement in the International and Metric System of Units (SI) and is equivalent to one hundredth of a gram. It is a rarely used unit as the gram and milligram are much more common. Its primary use is in the laboratory, for precise measurements of mass.
The SI system is derived from a version of the metric system and the base units and conversions are the same in both systems as well as a centigram. A gram is one thousandth of a kilogram, which is defined as the mass of a standard mass prototype as agreed by international convention. This mass was previously thought to be equal to the mass of 1 cubic decimeter of water, a cube with sides 10 centimeters (3.937 in) long. A centigram, therefore, is 0.00001 of a kilogram or 1 x 10-5 kilograms.
The term centigram is constructed by combining the base term “gram” with the prefix “centi-“, which means “one hundredth of”. While the kilogram is the base unit of mass for the SI system, it is derived from the gram and the term is constructed by adding the prefix “kilo-“, meaning 1.000, to the base “gram”. All units of mass in the SI system are constructed similarly, adding the appropriate prefix to the base of “gram”.
The units of mass, linear distance and volume are directly related in the SI system. One gram of water has a volume of 1 milliliter and fills a cube with a side of 1 centimeter. This relationship allows for rapid conversion of units of mass and volume of water. For example, a centigram of water, such as one hundredth of a gram, must necessarily have a volume of one hundredth of a milliliter.
As a unit of mass, a centigram is most often encountered when using a type of scale, or balance, called a centigram balance. This type of balance is so called because it is able to measure the mass of an object to the nearest 0.01 gram or centigram. A centigram balance, or scale, might be found in a laboratory or kitchen and could be used to measure quantities of dry chemicals for experiments or small quantities of food.
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