Question

If the length of the smallest snake of the world is 10 centimetres, then how much is it in millimetres?

Answer 1

Hint: We know how a metre (m) is related to centimetres (cm) and millimetres (mm). These relations are 1 m = 100 cm and 1 m = 1000 mm. Using these two relationships, we can find the relation between centimetres and millimetres. And thus, we can convert 10 cm into millimetres.

Complete step by step answer:
We know very well that centimetre (cm) and millimetre (mm) are units of length.
Also, we know that the relationship between a metre and a centimetre is
1 m = 100 cm …(i)
and, the relationship between a metre and a millimetre is
1 m = 1000 mm …(ii)
The left hand side of both equation (i) and equation (ii) are the same. So, the right hand side of both equations must also be equal. Hence, we can write
100 cm = 1000 mm
We can simplify this by cancelling both sides by 100. Thus, we get
1 cm = 10 mm …(iii)
Now, in our question, we need to find the length of a snake which is 10 cm long. So, we will multiply both sides of equation (iii) by 10. Thus, we now have
10 cm = 100 mm
Hence, we can say that the length of the smallest snake of the world is 100 mm.

Note: We must remember the relationship between different units to be able to solve this question. We can use the fact that ‘centi’ is always used for ${{10}^{-2}}$ and the term ‘milli’ is used for ${{10}^{-3}}$. Threadsnake is the smallest snake in the world, and its average adult length is 10 cm.