Catties, feet and imperial units · Usually met around P6
Pints and miles
5 miles ≈ 8 km; 1 pint ≈ 0.57 litres.
How to do it
Method
5 miles ≈ 8 km; 1 pint ≈ 0.57 litres
25 miles ≈ 8 × 5 = 40 km
Another way
Multiply by 1.6
25 × 1.6 = 40
In full
The UK and some other places still use imperial units: miles for distances and speeds on road signs, pints for milk. They change into metric units only roughly: 5 miles is about 8 km, so 1 mile is about 1.6 km; 1 pint is about 0.57 litres, a little more than half a litre; 1 gallon = 8 pints, about 4.5 litres. Miles into km: 25 miles is 5 times 5 miles, so about 8 × 5 = 40 km; or multiply by 1.6 straight away: 25 × 1.6 = 40. Km into miles goes the other way: 40 km ÷ 8 × 5 = 25 miles, or 40 ÷ 1.6 = 25. As these are approximate, so are the answers. Check: a mile is longer than a kilometre, so the same distance is always fewer miles than kilometres.
Worked examples
Have a go first, then open each one for the answer and the working.
Example 1
5 miles is about 8 km. 75 miles is about □ km.
Show the answer and working
Answer: 120
75 ÷ 5 = 15, so it is 15 times 5 miles: 8 × 15 = 120.
Example 2
1 mile is about 1.6 km. 23 miles is about □ km.
Show the answer and working
Answer: 36.8
23 × 1.6 = 36.8.
Example 3
1 pint is about 0.57 litres. 3 pints is more than 7 litres.
True or false?
Show the answer and working
Answer: False
3 pints is about 3 × 0.57 = 1.71 litres; compare with 7 litres.
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