Square Meters and Square Decimeters Converter
Using the Square Meters and Square Decimeters Converter
This converter can find equivalent values between two metric units of area, square meters (m2), and square decimeters (dm2). The following steps will teach you how to use the converter efficiently.
# | Step |
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1 | Make a decision about whether you want to use the American spelling or the British spelling of the word ‘meter’ (spelled ‘metre’ in the British version). This will affect the spelling of both units, as even the word decimeter consists of the said word. |
2 | Choose your input unit in the ‘CONVERT FROM’ section of the converter. The choice is between dm2 and m2. |
3 | Choose the unit of your output value in the ‘CONVERT TO’ section. The choice is the same as for the input unit. |
4 | You can use alternative ways of selecting the input and output units. Either stick with the default settings or swap them by clicking on the icon with the two arrows headed in opposite directions. |
5 | Write the input value as a decimal number in the ‘VALUE TO CONVERT’ section of the converter. Do not forget to use the decimal dot and not a comma, as is the case in some countries. |
6 | Select the desired number of decimal places you want your result rounded to. |
7 | Click on the ‘CONVERT’ icon. |
8 | Receive your result as a decimal number rounded to the selected number of decimal places, alongside a conversion rate between the input and output units. |
Additionally, a ‘COPY’ button appears next to your result which you can use for easy copying and pasting of the result into other pieces of writing, in case you need it.
Converting Square Meters and Square Decimeters Manually
It is quite easy to manually convert between two metric units, as the conversion rate is defined by 10 to the power of an integer for all metric units.
In the case of square meters and decimeters, we start by describing each unit as the area of a square.
A square decimeter is a unit of area equal to the area of a square with a side length of 1 decimeter. A decimeter is defined, as the name suggests (‘deci’ being a Latin prefix for a tenth of something) as 1/10 of a meter. This means that both sides of the square are equal to 0.1 meters, leading to the area being equivalent to 0.1 x 0.1 = 0.01 m2.
A square meter is a unit of area equal to the area of a square with a side length of 1 meter. That means that the area of this square is 1 x 1 = 1 m2.
This shows us that the conversion rate between dm2 and m2 is 0.01:1, which can be expanded to a more convenient rate of 100:1.
The 2 formulae we can derive from this rate are.
dm^2 = m^2 * 100
m^2 = dm^2 \div 100
As we can see, it is easier to define the conversion from dm2 to m2 by division. We could alternatively propose a formula of M2 = DM2 x 0.01 which would lead to the same result.
The following two examples will demonstrate how these formulae are used in real life.
EXAMPLE 1: A board with an area of 2.45 m2 is placed in a classroom. What is the area of this board in dm2?
We are looking for a formula with dm2 as the subject, expressed in m2. The first proposed formula matches the criteria. We substitute 2.45 for m2 and count as follows.
dm^2 = m^2 * 100 \\= 2.45 * 100 \\= 245 ~dm^2.
EXAMPLE 2: A tablecloth has an area of 24 dm2. What is the area of this tablecloth expressed in m2?
We will use the second formula, as our input is now in dm2 and output in m2. We substitute 24 for dm2 and calculate as follows.
m^2 = dm^2 \div 100 \\= 24 \div 100 = 0.24 ~m^2.
Converting Square Meters and Square Decimeters Without a Calculator
Conversion of 2 metric units is often possible even without a calculator, as their conversion rates are determined by a multiple of 10, in this case, 100.
Multiplying by 100 requires us to move the decimal dot 2 places to the right. If there is not a sufficient number of decimal numbers after the decimal dot, we fill those spaces with zeroes. This technique will be used when converting from square meters to square decimeters.
EXAMPLE 1: Convert 3.2 m2 to dm2.
We must multiply 3.2 by 100, hence we move the decimal dot 2 places to the right. We have only 1 decimal value written after the decimal dot, so we fill the second position by a 0 and get 320 dm2.
Dividing by 100 requires us to move the decimal dot 2 places to the left. If there is not a sufficient number of digits before the decimal dot, we fill those spaces with zeroes and then add a zero before the decimal dot. This technique will be used when converting from square decimeters to square meters.
EXAMPLE 2: Convert 1.44 dm2 to m2.
Here, we need to divide by 100, hence we have to move the decimal dot 2 places to the left. We have only 1 digit before the decimal dot, so we fill up the missing space with a zero while putting another zero before the decimal dot. This results in 0.0144 m2.
How Large is a Square Decimeter
The following list contains a few everyday items you might be familiar with, and their areas expressed in dm2. The purpose of this list is to gain a better approximation of how big a dm2 actually is.
Item | Area |
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A large slice of cheese | 1 dm2 |
A post-it note | 0.5 to 0.6 dm2 |
Small book cover | 2 dm2 |
Standard chessboard | 20 dm2 |
Standard king-sized bed | 400 dm2 |