Meaning & use
decameter
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountabletechnicalmathematics
A unit of length in the metric system equal to ten meters.
Grammar: Countable: one decameter, five decameters; the symbol is dam.
Patterns
- ten meters or one decameter
One decameter is the same as ten meters.
The swimming lane measured about five decameters.
A science worksheet asked students to convert 80 meters into decameters.
Word forms
| plural | decameters |
|---|
Common combinations
- square decameter
- A square decameter is an area of one hundred square meters.
- cubic decameter
- A cubic decameter holds one million liters.
- convert to decameters
- Convert the length to decameters before comparing.
- measure in decameters
- Few engineers measure a road in decameters.
Synonyms and how they differ
- decametre
- Decametre is the British spelling of the same unit and has exactly the same meaning.
- dekameter
- Dekameter is an alternative American spelling, used in some scientific texts.
Word family
Commonly confused: decameter or decimeter?
decameter vs decimeter
A decimeter is one tenth of a meter, whereas a decameter is ten meters, so the two differ by a factor of one hundred.
Practice
How many meters are in two decameters?
Choose one answer.
One decameter is ten meters, so two decameters equal twenty meters. The value 0.2 is a tempting wrong answer from dividing by ten instead of multiplying.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “decameter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.