Both milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) and milligrams per milliliter (mg/ml) combine mass and volume units to produce measurements of density. While converting from just deciliters to milliliters would result in a greater measurement — since one deciliter can hold a hundred milliliters, converting from milligrams per deciliter to milligrams per milliliters accomplishes the opposite because you are dividing the volume measurement into the mass — so instead of dividing 1mg by 1 dl, you divide 1 mg by 100 ml. By working with the hundred that separates the two metric volume units, you can easily convert milligrams per deciliter to milligrams per milliliter.
Though the density may look like it decreases, the conversion just represents a smaller scale — the overall mass-to-volume ratio doesn't change.
Divide the measurement in mg/dl by 100 to convert it to mg/ml. For example, 5,000 mg/dl divided by 100 converts to 50 mg/ml.
Shift the decimal places two positions to the left to convert from mg/dl to mg/ml. For example, by shifting the decimal point in 40.5 mg/dl two places to the left, the density becomes 0.405 mg/ml. If the measurement doesn't have a decimal point, then just add one at the right end of the measurement — hence 40 mg/dl becomes 40.0 mg/dl, then shifting twice to the left converts it to 0.4 mg/ml.
Convert your density measurements with an online converter like the one at Convert Units (see Resources). Type the density in mg/dl in the appropriate space and click the "Convert!" button — the converted measurement will appear just below the inputted one.
Tips
References
Tips
- Though the density may look like it decreases, the conversion just represents a smaller scale --- the overall mass-to-volume ratio doesn't change.
About the Author
Chance E. Gartneer began writing professionally in 2008 working in conjunction with FEMA. He has the unofficial record for the most undergraduate hours at the University of Texas at Austin. When not working on his children's book masterpiece, he writes educational pieces focusing on early mathematics and ESL topics.
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