Milligrams to Grams Converter
Using the Milligrams to Grams Converter
This converter allows finding equivalent values between two metric units of mass that are commonly used to measure tiny quantities of substances or materials. The units are milligrams and grams.
First, choose your input value as CONVERT FROM. You can choose between milligrams (mg) and grams (g).
To choose your output value, make the same choice as before in the CONVERT TO part of the converter from the drop-down menu.
The calculator is set to convert from milligrams to grams as a default option, so you can either use this setting or save time swapping the options by clicking on the icon with two arrows.
Once you are satisfied with your input and output values, write your input value as a decimal number into the VALUE TO CONVERT section.
Choose the number of decimal places you want your result rounded toward and click on CONVERT.
Your result will come out as a decimal number rounded to your desired number of decimal places, in the output unit of your choice.
In order to copy the result easily, simply click on the COPY button next to it.
Converting Milligrams to Grams Manually
At the end of the result section, you might notice a piece of information called the conversion rate.
This rate describes the relationship between the two units you are converting. Hence, you may notice 2 different rates appear.
| Conversion | Ratio | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Grams to milligrams | 1:1,000 | This simply means that 1 gram equals 1,000 milligrams. This is very apparent if you are familiar with Latin prefixes, where ‘milli’ means a thousandth or a factor of a thousand. Hence, a milligram is 1/1,000 of a gram. |
| Milligrams to grams | 1:0.001 | The reason for this is the inverse relationship, hence 1 milligram now equals 0.001 grams. |
A conversion rate is an important piece of information, as it provides the key to converting correctly and also creating conversion formulae. Keep in mind, that order is very important when writing out rates.
For example, when we said “the rate of grams to milligrams”, the first number will represent grams and the second milligrams. It is a good practice to keep the first number as 1 and to adjust the second number accordingly. Some people prefer to not use decimal numbers in their rates, hence the second rate of 1:0.001 could be converted to 1000:1 by multiplying both sides of the rate by 1,000, which is an operation that is allowed without changing the values of the rate itself, similarly to dividing both values by the same number.
The conversion formulae we receive from the rates are as follows:
mg = g * 1,000
g = mg * 0.001
The most efficient way to use a formula is to choose the one where the subject (in simple terms the variable that stands alone on one side of the formula) is the variable you are trying to calculate. Two examples below will demonstrate the usage of these formulae.
EXAMPLE 1: A recommended dosage of a specific medicine is 25 mg a day. Convert the dosage into grams.
Since we are seeking grams out of milligrams, we look for the formula that has grams as the subject and then substitute milligrams into it.
g = mg * 0.001 = 25 * 0.001 \\= 0.025 ~grams
EXAMPLE 2: Roderick was asked to measure out 3.71 grams of sulfur for an experiment. His scale only shows the weight in milligrams. How many milligrams should he measure out?
For this problem, we are seeking a result in milligrams, hence we use the formula with milligrams as the subject and solve it by substituting for grams.
mg = g * 1,000 = 3.71 * 1,000 \\= 3,710 ~milligrams
Smallest Animals in Milligrams
A milligram is a thousandth of a gram, which in perspective is equal to about 130 of a single drop of water.
A unit so small has to be used for measuring very tiny things. Aside from its most prevalent uses, which are in chemistry, medicine, or microbiology, it can be also used to describe the weights of the tinniest animals on Earth.
To demonstrate how tiny they are, below is a table with 5 tiny animals, some fun facts about them, and their weight in milligrams.
| ANIMAL | INTERESTING FACT | WEIGHT IN MILLIGRAMS |
|---|---|---|
| Etruscan Pygmy Shrew | This is the smallest mammal known to mankind in terms of mass. It is native to Asia and the Mediterranean. | 1,800 mg |
| Bumblebee Bat | This is the smallest mammal known to mankind in terms of length. Compared to the Etruscan Shrew, it is 1 cm shorter on average with its whooping 3 cm but has a little bit of a larger mass. | 2,100 mg |
| Brookesia Micra | This is the smallest lizard known to mankind. It is native to Madagascar in Africa, home to a lot of strange and endemic species of animals and plants. | 180 mg |
| The Bee Hummingbird | This is the smallest specie of bird. Its behavior, diet (mostly pollen from flowers), and also appearance is akin to the one of an insect, hence its name. In the past, before proper biological categorization, it was considered to be a type of insect by the natives. | 2,500 mg |
| The Common Ant | Ants are the most common insect in the world, with the largest population living below the surface of the Earth. Some species of ants can live without any daylight and are able to feed themselves by eating mushrooms that they farm themselves. | Depending on the species, between 1 and 5 mg. |
Resources
https://experimentary.com.au/blog/2020/animal-awards/
https://www.treehugger.com/smallest-amphibians-and-reptiles-4869218