High School

Which of the following lists metric prefixes in order from largest to smallest?

A. kilo-, centi-, deci-, milli-

B. kilo-, deci-, centi-, milli-

C. milli-, centi-, deci-, kilo-

D. centi-, kilo-, milli-, deci-

E. deci-, milli-, centi-, kilo-

Answer :

Sure, let's find the correct answer to the question by listing the metric prefixes in order from largest to smallest.

The metric system uses prefixes to represent different powers of ten. Here are the prefixes relevant to this question along with their corresponding powers:

- kilo- (k) represents [tex]\( 10^3 \)[/tex]
- deci- (d) represents [tex]\( 10^{-1} \)[/tex]
- centi- (c) represents [tex]\( 10^{-2} \)[/tex]
- milli- (m) represents [tex]\( 10^{-3} \)[/tex]

To list these prefixes from largest to smallest, we arrange them in descending order of their powers of ten:

1. kilo- ([tex]\(10^3\)[/tex])
2. deci- ([tex]\(10^{-1}\)[/tex])
3. centi- ([tex]\(10^{-2}\)[/tex])
4. milli- ([tex]\(10^{-3}\)[/tex])

Now, let's look at the options provided:

A. kilo-, centi-, deci-, milli
B. kilo-, deci-, centi-, milli-
C. milli-, centi-, deci-, kilo-
D. centi-, kilo-, milli-, deci-
E. deci-, milli-, centi-, kilo-

The correct order matches option B:

kilo-, deci-, centi-, milli-

So, the answer is:

B. kilo-, deci-, centi-, milli-