Step 1: Understand the Metric vs. Imperial Systems
Before we dive into converting 48 cm to inches, it is important to understand the difference between the metric and imperial systems. The metric system, also known as the International System of Units (SI), is used in most countries and is based on multiples of 10. On the other hand, the imperial system is commonly used in the United States and is based on units such as inches, feet, and yards.
Step 2: Determine the Conversion Factor
To convert 48 cm to inches, we need to use a conversion factor. In this case, we will use the conversion factor of 1 cm = 0.3937 inches. This means that 1 cm is equal to 0.3937 inches.
Step 3: Set Up the Equation
To convert 48 cm to inches, we will use the formula: cm x conversion factor = inches. So, the equation will be: 48 cm x 0.3937 = inches. This will help us to convert the value from cm to inches.
Step 4: Perform the Calculation
Now that we have the equation set up, we can plug in the values and calculate the conversion. 48 cm x 0.3937 = 18.8976 inches. Therefore, 48 cm is equal to 18.8976 inches.
Step 5: Round the Final Answer
In most cases, we round the final answer to two decimal places. So, the final result for converting 48 cm to inches is 18.90 inches.
Step 6: Verify the Conversion
To double-check our work, we can use another conversion factor that is commonly used, which is 1 cm = 0.01 meters and 1 inch = 0.0254 meters. So, 48 cm can also be converted to meters by dividing it by 100 (since there are 100 cm in 1 meter), which gives us 0.48 meters. Then, we can convert 0.48 meters to inches by multiplying it by 0.0254 (since there are 0.0254 meters in 1 inch), which gives us 0.012192 inches. This is very close to our rounded final answer of 18.90 inches, confirming that our conversion is correct.
Step 7: Provide the Final Answer
Therefore, 48 cm is equivalent to 18.90 inches. Remember to always include the units in your final answer to avoid confusion.
In conclusion, to convert 48 cm to inches, we used the formula cm x conversion factor = inches, and the conversion factor of 1 cm = 0.3937 inches. Following the steps above, we determined that 48 cm is equal to 18.90 inches.